There are Some BIG iMessage Changes Coming

​Despite the fact that many of us are about as far from okay with change as we could possibly be, technology companies such as Apple insist on developing their products faster than we can say STOP IT.

And although it literally seems like 5 minutes ago that Apple released their most recent operating system for iPhones, iOS 9 - with its new funky design and whatnot - they're already on to iOS 10. And it seems the latest operating system for our smart phones is going to contain some BIG changes where iMessage is concerned.

Namely, it will essentially morph into MSN Messenger, and we're not sure it could be more Noughties if it tried.

For the latest version of iMessage, Apple is allowing the online text messaging system to merge with various other apps on your phone. Like GIFs, for example. You'll soon be able to send these via iMessage without having to exit the messaging app itself, harking back to the old moving emoticons we used to send back and forth in our MSN days.

You'll also be able to give your messages different effects, like if you really wanted to SHOUT YOUR MESSAGE to your mate instead of merely using capital letters (so old school), the new fangled version of iMessage will use a variety of Powerpoint-esque animations for the arrival of the words on your friend's screen.

In a nod to the old days of MSN, we'll be welcoming back the 'handwrite' tool in the form of 'digital touch', which will allow you to physically write out the words you want to send on your phone screen.

Plus - and this is possibly the best retro bit - with iOS 10 you'll be able to link words up to emojis, meaning every time you type that word the emoji will pop up in a kind of fun twist on auto-correct.

Only some words will be 'emojifiable' (so pizza, for example, will come up with a little pop up box suggesting the emoji instead of the word) but it SO reminds me of the nifty MSN feature where you could set up words to automatically turn into emojis. Oh, the fun I had with that on my friends' computers.

As well as all the above, there's also a bunch of new ~futuristic~ things you'll be able to do in iMessage. Like splitting bills (yup, for real), responding with 'tapbacks' (essentially 'liking' a text as you would on Facebook instead of responding with 'OK') and sending pictures via 'Invisible Ink', which means images will show up covered with pixels, and it's then up to the recipient to 'wipe away' the pixels to reveal the picture. Perfect for the X-rated dick pics, dontcha think?

Outside of messaging, iOS 10 will also give you transcriptions of voicemails (thank GOD. Gone will be the days of having to wait for the woman on the voicemail line to finish droning on before you get to your inevitably pointless message, because who even leaves voicemails anymore??) and will also allow you to delete pointless apps like the 'Stocks' one. Finally.

So all in all, this actually sounds pretty cool. The new features were revealed at Apple's annual Worldwide Developers Conference this week, but they'll reach us by the Autumn. Great stuff.

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