Setting third party messaging as default

[culverh0use]

I was reading over John Gruber's thoughts on the keynote today, and he said that you can now make third party messaging apps the default for a particular contact if you want. So if I always message a certain contact through Hangouts instead of iMessage, how do I set that up? I haven't been able to figure it out. I'd also like to make Skype the default way to call a contact if that is possible.

Quoted from him:

"Likewise, third-party messaging apps can be specified as the default for people on a per-contact basis."

 

[ajiuo]

It's a new API that the app developer will have to implement... You won't see any of that kind of stuff until the final release.

 

[ashindnile]

"Likewise, third-party messaging apps can be specified as the default for people on a per-contact basis."

I think he was referring to the phone app's new feature which remembers your calling preferences with VoIP extensions.

 

[stulaw11]

That's the phone/messaging in terms of the contact. They showed a bit in the presentation- call directly with Skype from the contact or message with Whatsapp. They are opening phone/messages to developers.

My speculation is that Apple will NOT allow you to replace default apps. They are separated into the App store so they can be updated independent of an OS update (which you needed a full OS update to update any of the built in apps before)

 

[culverh0use]

So do developers have to update their apps to iOS 10 before this functionality will work?

 

[mattoligy]

So do developers have to update their apps to iOS 10 before this functionality will work?

Yes

 

[shenfrey]

A little bit of common sense here from Apple would of been nice. If they let us DELETE DEFAULT APPS, then they should allow us to replace those default apps too.

 

[Dwalls90]

A little bit of common sense here from Apple would of been nice. If they let us DELETE DEFAULT APPS, then they should allow us to replace those default apps too.

They are allowing you to do this.

The issue, is that without developer's updating their apps first, iOS would have no way of understanding which app is a "phone" app vs. a game. Therefore, without developer action, you would select Angry Birds as your phone methodology of contacting a given contact ... that wouldn't work.

 

[AustinIllini]

A little bit of common sense here from Apple would of been nice. If they let us DELETE DEFAULT APPS, then they should allow us to replace those default apps too.

You rush to judge on a beta build of the OS. I'm sure they will have a way to fill in for default Apps.

Hopefully Inbox will support this soon.