Apple Reported Working on New iMessage Features, Fitness App for iOS 14

Apple is reportedly planning some major new features for iOS 14, the next major version of iOS. The new update could introduce new features for Apple’s iMessage, as well as a new app for fitness.

MacRumors reports that Apple is working on a number of new features for iMessage. The new update will add the ability to mention other users in a group conversation, which would make the group chat experience much better on iMessage. Being able to mention someone in a group is a crucial feature that iMessage has been lacking for a long, long time.

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The company is also working on adding typing indicators for group chats, the ability to mark a message as unread, and the ability to set personal status updates.

Apple will also add other features to iMessage that have been available on competing platforms like WhatsApp for a long time. That includes the ability to unsend messages after sending them. The report claims that iMessage will let users know when a message has been unsent.

iOS 14 could introduce a new fitness app called Fit or Fitness as well. The app, codenamed Seymour, will provide users with guided workout videos. These videos will apparently be available for free, and it will also be available on watchOS 7 and tvOS 14. The idea here is that users will be able to watch these guided workout videos while they are working out, with the Apple Watch tracking their workout at the same time.

And last but not least, Apple is reportedly planning to let developers provide custom voice synthesizers on iOS with their apps. The new framework, called VoiceProvider, will replace the default system speech and could be useful for when developers want to support languages that are not yet supported by Apple.

Apple’s plans for iOS 14 are yet to be finalised, so not all of these features may show up in the final release.

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Conversation 5 comments

  • Greg Green

    10 March, 2020 - 7:25 am

    <p>Lotus was not good in the 60s at making sports cars. They came out with the Lotus 30 and it was never competitive. The next year they came out with the Lotus 40. A driver said it was like the Lotus 30 only with 10 more mistakes.</p><p><br></p><p>For me that describes iOS 13. I hope iOS 14 isn’t the same only with 10 more mistakes.</p>

  • red.radar

    Premium Member
    10 March, 2020 - 9:32 am

    <p>Not certain that mention is a feature. One problem with iMessage is getting stuck in the never ending group text. Now it would seem I can be dragged into one without my consent. …. not to mention the spam window this could open up since it’s tied to my phone number. </p><p><br></p><p>maybe my fear is overblown but need to see how it works. </p>

  • orbsitron

    10 March, 2020 - 12:45 pm

    <p>iMessage is one of my only complaints about iOS after switching to an iPhone (which I significantly prefer over the Galaxy S8 I used to have). </p><p><br></p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">I was worried about photo quality but with my 11 Pro, pictures are excellent. Messaging is truly the only gripe I have. </span></p><p><br></p><p>Messaging is probably the single most common thing I do on my phone and is arguably the weakest part (compared to all the complex scenarios such as Smart Home controlling, content creating, streaming, gaming, etc. that is already excellent on this phone). </p><p><br></p><p>While there are many alternate messaging apps with the features I want, many friends and family members choose SMS/MMS.</p><p><br></p><p>If these rumors are true, an already great platform will become truly excellent!</p>

    • nbplopes

      11 March, 2020 - 3:40 pm

      <blockquote><em><a href="#530283">In reply to orbsitron:</a></em></blockquote><p><br></p><p>Why is SMS support weak in iOS? I personally find it excellent in comparison. For ages I’ve been receiving and sending SMS synchronized across all iOS devices and the Mac … group chats … and if in the other ha d there is also an IOS or Mac … it does not even count as an SMS.</p><p><br></p><p>Granted, it would be nice if messaging providers could develop their own plugins. Yet why would What’s App or Facebook messenger or Skype do that? MS tried to unify messaging this way and providers were not interested and … well it went away.</p><p><br></p><p>Now other OSs do provide the mean to set up a default SMS client other than the default. Say Facebook Messenger and …. well.</p>

  • jchampeau

    Premium Member
    10 March, 2020 - 9:29 pm

    <p>I can already mention other users. If I want to mention Bob, I just type “Bob.” Bob is thusly mentioned.</p>

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