Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) just unveiled iOS 8 at the Worldwide Developers’ Conference (WWDC). One of the new features of the new mobile operating system is an upgrade to iMessage.
An upgrade for iMessage
Users will soon be able to add a name or title to the conversation, add people, remove people, shut off notifications, or exit the chat. Apple hopes to step up the competition against the likes of WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) will also integrate the Find My Friends app directly into iMessage. This allows users to share their location with friends for an hour, day, or all the time. The upgrade also allows users to send photos, audio messages, or videos and then have them self-destruct. It is clear Apple took a few notes from the popular Snapchat app.
The only problem with this upgrade is that iMessage only works among iOS users. This is good news for other messaging apps, however, which happen to be cross-platform.
Other key features for Apple iOS 8
Other highlights for iOS 8 include an interactive notification feature which allows users to reply to text messages or calendar invites without ever leaving the app they are currently using. There is also an upgrade to Mail. When users are in the middle of composing an email, they can access other emails without closing the email they are composing by simply swiping down. Apple’s email upgrade also includes the abilities to delete and flag messages.
iOS 8 also expanded Spotlight Searches, which means users can now find items on search that may not be store in their iPhone. Another helpful feature Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) now offers with iOS 8 is support for iCloud Drive. This means iPhone and iPad users can now open documents from other apps. This cloud drive works with iPhone, iPad, Mac computers, and Windows.
Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) fans should be happy with the new iOS upgrade that offers a lot of exciting features. It won’t be long before Apple releases the iPhone 6.
