When Apple shows off new iMessage features, as it did at WWDC 2024, it always makes me want to use it more than I do. But I’m wise to the reason why.
Without fail, one thing always happens during the iOS segment at Apple’s Worldwide Developer Conference (WWDC): I have a moment where I want more people I know to own an iPhone and use iMessage because it always looks a whole lot more fun than my usual message apps.
It’s not evidence of iMessage being generally superior, though; it’s about something else. And this was especially true at WWDC 2024.There’s something about iMessage
Apple always does a great job of showing how its products and features could enhance your life, and iMessage is always portrayed as a wonderful way to connect, chat, and have fun with friends. iOS 18 will introduce several new features to iMessage, including ways to highlight specific words, add any emoji or sticker to messages through the Tapback menu, and also schedule messages to be sent at a specific time.
It’s not the most exciting list of new features, but that’s not the point. It’s the way iMessage was (and has always been) portrayed during WWDC’s keynote presentation. Although only a few minutes were spent on iMessage, it just looked fun and engaging to use. I want to try out the different effects for words, and I don’t care if it’s annoying to the recipient. In fact, I want them to send back a similarly annoying animated word — the less appropriate, the better.
I want a long list of blue-and-gray message boxes, all with bouncy words, emoji reactions, and little videos that would be fun to create and send and then heartwarming to look back on.
