How We’d Reinvent Apple’s iMessage
Hey there 👋 Welcome to How We’d Reinvent This – a monthly newsletter focusing on everyday products in the technology market space and how we would take them from good to gold.
With the launch of the new iPhone 14, and its higher-tech variant, the iPhone 14 pro, all eyes were once again on Apple, and how they continue to captivate the world with their sleek, best-in-class tech.
Evolution of the iPhone over the years
There are many reasons the iPhone has pulled ahead in the US, gaining a dominant 57% of the smartphone market share in 2022 (according to Oberlo), but one often overlooked app that constantly keeps users engaged, is none other than iMessage. One particular reason, as pointed out by Tim Higgins in his WSJ article, is that the green text bubbles that appear when an Android is inserted into an iMessage group chat receive a dismissive response from all iPhone users alike. This along with seamless integration across all Apple devices, the easy-to-use FaceTime feature embedded within iMessage, and easy-to-send photos and GIFs are all reasons to love iMessage. However, we would be remiss if we said there was no room for Apple to take iMessage a step further, even after their iOS 16 update, and further differentiate itself from WhatsApp, Facebook Messenger, and WeChat. So, let's go ahead and dive into 5 enhancements that will take iMessage from good to gold!
Customize Emoji Reactions
Problem: When using the reaction feature to an iMessage, you are given a set of 6 standard responses for any and all messages they are - the heart, like, dislike, laughing, exclamation point, and questioning reactions. These 6 responses are not customizable.
Solution: In today’s increasingly connected world, it is more important than ever before to embrace your individuality and bring your authentic self to all forms of social interactions. Whether it is what you wear, what you think, or how you talk, products should be designed to give each and every one of us the opportunity to express ourselves the way we want to. And for iMessage, this is as simple as allowing users to customize the emoji set that appears after double tapping on a message. Some of us might use different emojis to mean different things, and with this customizable emoji ribbon, we would now be able to use the ones that best fit our communication style and personality. See a sample wireframe below:
Scheduled Send for Messages
Problem: If you are in a different time zone, and don’t want to notify your iMessage recipient at odd hours, a scheduled send would be a powerful addition.
Solution: With people on the go more than ever, it is common for many of us to be working across various time zones. In fact, many of us do business from our phones, including on iMessage itself. It can be very inconvenient to send a message to someone during the middle of the night or very early in the morning. To avoid these problems, a scheduled send feature would be fantastic. This would allow users to interact with friends, family, and colleagues more easily during hours that work best for them!
Streamlining Voice Memo Scrolling
Problem: You can’t easily scroll through a voice message on your iPhone, because the voice memo bubble is too small.
Solution: A voice message is a great substitute for a phone call or regular text messaging. In fact, voice messages can help you avoid miscommunication over text and allow your voice and intention to come across clearly without having to engage in a phone call.
However, the playback of voice messages features a surprisingly antiquated design. Instead of being able to have full screen scrolling along your iMessage, like you would a song on Apple Music, you only have a portion of your screen dedicated to the voice memo bubble, regardless of how long the voice message is. If a text iMessage can be multiple lines, why can‘t a voice message be as well? See a sample wireframe below:
Saving Voice Messages During Recording
Problem: There is no way to save a voice message that you are recording if you are unable to finish your whole message without interruption. I mean c’mon have you ever heard that really loud NYC Subway train approaching, got a call in the middle of recording a long voice memo, got distracted and needed to put your phone down, or received an urgent notification that forced you to navigate away from your iMessage app? As avid voice memo users, we sure have.
Solution: Temporary storage for voice messages within the iMessage app would be a great fix. And being able to add additional commentary to that same voice message with a ‘continue recording’ button to avoid sending multiple disjointed voice messages would be a nice touch too. This is already done with iMessages as you can navigate away from the app after drafting a long message, and when you return, the draft message remains.
Customizing Group Text Notifications
Problem: Ever been in a group message thread that gets too many messages? You could mute the conversation but there are some topics you want to get notified on and others you don’t.
Solution: Group messages are also an effective way to communicate with a large audience, which is especially true when organizing an event. Group messages take many forms, whether it be the main communication point for the planning of big trips, communicating with family spread far and wide, or just sharing a funny meme. Within a group message, users should have the ability to subscribe to a specific message in a group chat and follow that thread. This would be extremely helpful if a host is planning a party and you want to follow notifications only from them, rather than everyone in the chat. This will also ensure people are not bothered by the constant scrolling when searching for relevant messages in a group chain. See a sample wireframe below:
We hope you enjoy this article. To find out more about the series How We’d Reinvent This, please visit our page here. If you’d like to find out more about the authors, please see below:
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