With the announcement of iOS 10 at Apple’s Worldwide Developer’s Conference (WWDC), iPhone and iPad users will soon be able to enjoy a host of new features in the Messages app. New features include the ability to animate iMessage bubbles with the likes of invisible ink, full-screen animations, the ability to access apps, and Apple Music directly through the app, and more.

While it is possible to gain early access to these changes by downloading the iOS 10 beta 1 that is currently available for developers, you can also wait until July for the public beta or be really patient until September when iOS 10 will be available for all users with compatible devices.

Animate your iMessage bubbles

iOS 10 will allow you to give your iMessage bubbles various animations, including slam, loud, gentle and invisible ink.

To access these animations, type your message > tap and hold the Send button (blue arrow) > ensure the Bubble tab at the top is selected > choose your preferred animation option.

Slam: This animation will place your message with a slam-on effect.

Loud: This animation will wiggle your message and enlarge the font.

Gentle: This animation will write your message in small font and then revert to the default font size.

Invisible ink: This animation will hide your message and the recipient will have to swipe across it to reveal it.

Easily replace your words with emojis

If you think an emoji will say it better than words, replacing text in your message with emojis is easier in iOS 10.

Type your message > tap the emoji icon (smiley face) in the bottom right-hand corner of your keyboard > all words that have an associated emoji will be highlighted in gold. For words with one emoji option, the word will automatically be converted, whereas words with multiple emoji options will provide you with the opportunity to choose the most suitable emoji.

Celebrate with a full-screen animation

To better express your birthday or celebratory wishes, iMessage in iOS 10 will allow you to add a full-screen animation to your messages.

Type your message > tap and hold the Send button > select the Screen tab > select your preferred background animation from the options. The recipient of your animation will see the full-screen animation when they open the message.

Quick reactions to messages

In iOS 10, Apple is introducing the Tapback feature that will allow you to quickly react to messages.

To use the feature, double tap the message that you want to react to > choose from the various options, including a thumbs up, thumbs down, heart, Haha, a question mark, or two exclamation marks.

Add stickers to speech bubbles

iOS 10 will allow you to add stickers on top of your message bubbles, on photos or even place a sticker on top of another sticker.

To access the sticker collection, simply tap the compass icon. By default, you will have access to the Classic Mac icons, but additional stickers will be available for purchase on the App Store for iMessage.

Extra personalization with handwritten messages

iOS 10 will allow you to send handwritten messages and add animations to your photos and videos.

To access the feature, tap the heart icon, found to the left of the text field box. You can write your message and it will be animated as if it is being written on the screen.

You can also add annotations to photos and videos, simply access your camera by pressing the arrow on the right-hand side > tap the video icon > take your photo or record your video and then add your animations.

Watch videos directly in Messages

When someone sends you a link to a YouTube video, you will now be able to watch it directly in Messages with iOS 10 and will no longer have to open the YouTube app or browser to access it.

How other links are displayed has also been updated in iOS 10 and will now provide you with a preview image of the website or article together with the link.

Take photos and videos directly through the app

The iOS 10 updates to the Messages app will now allow you to take photos or record videos without leaving the app. Simply tap the camera icon in the Messages app and you will see a live stream of the camera in the lower half of the app.

You can also edit your photos before sending them by tapping on the image and accessing the editing tools.

Send and listen to songs from Apple Music

Not only can you send your friends songs from Apple Music while in the Messages app, but you will also be able to listen to the songs while in the app.

To access Apple Music, tap the compass icon and swipe through the options until you see the option to send songs from Apple Music.

iMessage apps

With the announcement of third party developer support for iMessage, you will now be able to access various different apps directly from within the app. Some of the apps that were showcased at WWDC include the ability to send cash to friends and family via Square Cash, the ability to collaborate on a group lunch order with DoorDash and the ability to place a photo of yourself on a GIF-like video with JibJab.

You will be able to access these apps by tapping the compass icon and scrolling through to the App drawer.  

Image via: Apple