How to Use New iMessage Features in iOS 14

Jul. 3, 2020

Apple Messages app for iPhone has got several much-awaited enhancements iniOS 14. While some new features have fixed age-old shortcomings, others have focused on improving the overall messaging experience. Whether you are gearing up to try out all those goodies or curious about how they work on iPhone, let me show you how you can use new iMessage features in iOS 14.

Learn to Use New iMessage Features in iOS 14

Features like pinning messages, inline reply, and smart categorization of messages may have existed for long, but they weren’t available for iMessage. Thankfully Apple has released all these features and more with iMessage enhancements in iOS 14.

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Pinning is the best way to quickly access the conversations that matter most to you. Instead of scrambling to find a specific chat, you can pin a message to keep it right on top of the chat threads.

Interestingly, Apple allows you to pin as many as 9 conversations. So, you no longer need to dig through the chat threads to dive into a particular conversation to respond or check the messages.

2. Now, tap on thepin button.

That’s it! From now onwards, this conversation will appear at the top of the chat threads, allowing you to quickly access it. The latest messages will show up at the top of the pinned conversation, making it easier to view and respond to it.

In a pinned group conversation, the three most recent participants of the chat will show up around the pin. Thus, it’s much easier to stay in sync.

If you no longer want to keep a conversation pinned, you can unpin it with ease.

1. Open the Messages app on your iOS 14 device. Then,touch and hold apinned conversation.

There is a handy way to edit multiple pins at one go. Save it for the times where you want to unpin several pinned messages faster.

1. Open theMessages appon your iPhone. Then, tap on thethree horizontal dotsat the upper right corner of the screen.

2. Now, chooseEdit Pins.

3. All the pinned messages will now start wiggling. Tap on the“-“to the left of the conversation thread which you want to unpin. After that, tap onDoneat the upper left corner of the screen.

If you love to emojify your messages, this nifty little feature can easily win you over. What makes it so useful is the ability to quickly find out specific emojis. It could be a time-saver especially when you are in the midst of fast-paced messaging.

1. OpenMessagesapp on your iOS device-> a conversation. Now, tap on the text field to bring up the keyboard and thenhit the emoji iconlocated along the bottom of the keyboard.

2. Now,type the name of the emojiyou are looking for in the search bar. It will automatically show up the relevant emoji.

Unlike before, you can set a custom image for a group chat. It’s a great way to add some nice personalization to a group conversation.

2. Now, tap on thegroup icon at the topand then select the smallinfo button.

3. Next up,select a nice photo,Memoji, or even emojias the group chat photo.

Thanks to a handy feature called an “Inline Replies, you can reply directly to a specific message in a group chat.

1. Launch thestock messaging app and open the group conversation.

2. Now,touch and hold a specific messagewithin the group chat and hit Reply. Now, your message will appear as a thread to let you communicate directly with that person.

If you want to view a particular message thread, simply tap on it to expand.

Tagging aka Mentions come into play when you want to direct a message to someone. If anyone mentions you, your name is highlighted.

2. Now,enter the name of a personin the message input field. The app will automatically show up the suggestion. Tap on it. Then, type in the message and send it.

Another feature worth taking note of is the automatic categorization of messages which consists of multiple filters like known senders, unknown senders, transactions, and promotions. Thus, it becomes much easier to access specific types of messages like transactions and unknown senders.

1. Open theMessages appon your iOS device. Now, tap on theback “<” buttonat the top left corner of the screen.

2. On this screen, you should seemultiple categories:

Indeed, iOS 14 has vastly improved the Messages app for iPhone. Features like the inline reply and mentions have made group conversations very user-friendly. Not to mention, the automatic categorization of messages that play a key role in offering a simplified user experience. Aside from giving a revamp to the stock messages app, Apple has also introducedcool Home screen widgetsand theApp Library.

And when you add thesuper handy Back Tap featureinto the mix, iOS 14 seems to be the biggest upgrade ever. By the way, which one of these features has impressed you the most? Do share your thoughts in the comments below.

An old school bibliophile who turned a tech nerd out of obsession. When he is not digging into hacks and tracking down stories that are breaking the internet, you may find him reciting poems.