Apple's Revamped Messages: Why Facebook Has Competition

Messages on iOS 10 serves up 'CRAZY'new features.

- Benjamin Kerry & Gavin Lenaghan

‘CRAZY’ NEW FEATURES FOR VENERABLE APP

With Apple widely believed to be turning to software to boost its global sales and market share, there has surely never been a bigger time for its messaging application to come into its own. The Messages app has been around since the earliest days of the iPhone and is now available on the company’s iPhone, iPad and Mac lineup. Much more impressive, however, is the fact that it is now used to send over two billion messages every single day across half a billion iOS devices.

With the launch of iOS 10, however, Apple is taking Messages to the next level. In addition to a range of new features – such as rich videos, automatic video playback and stickers – the app now has its own standalone App Store, adding yet another monetization platform for the Cupertino firm.

Stiff competition from the likes of Skype, WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger has left Apple braced for its next battle – and it’s even launched a new advertising campaign with a balloon-inspired commercial to encourage people to switch to the app. Here, we delve deeper into Messages, look at its new features and consider whether it will be able to compete with the big guns of the messaging world.

iOS 10 HAS CHANGED MESSAGES FOR THE BETTER