In person, I’ve been known to communicate with wild gesticulations, which do not translate well while texting friends. Apple’s Messages app will feature improved text formatting and animations with the iOS 18 upgrade, allowing for more expressive communication on iPhones and iPads.
Apple’s WWDC 2024 keynote on Monday emphasized the personal aspects of using its products, such as using Apple Intelligence to gather information and using the Apple Pencil to compose text in handwriting. What’s more personal than messaging your friends and family? According to what Apple has divulged thus far, the new texting tools for iPhone and iPad will work as follows.
More animated conversations in Messages
If the usual formatting is still too humdrum, you can get really active. In the same panel, Messages has eight animations that can be applied to chosen text, such as having it expand or contract in size, tremble, jitter, or explode.
Communicate openly (or italicized).
You can emphasize words or phrases by formatting them in bold, italic, underlining, or strikethrough. A new button to the right of the recommendation bar appears to launch a panel with these options. We won’t know for sure until we get an opportunity to experience it, but that’s what I gathered from Apple’s presentation.