The New + Design in Messages

[AgentElliot007]

Where did this design style come from and why is the animation so slow and why is it another mildly-off-putting “how do I get out of this” layer?

If you’re using your phone one-handed with your left hand, managing the ins and outs of that interface is a stretch for me, and I have fairly large hands and am currently running an iPhone 14 Pro, not a Max to be clear.

I don’t know how else to say this: who signed off on this garbage?

It’s another unfortunate example of an Apple interface requiring more effort, and an awkward sort of effort at that, to do simple things that were at one time much simpler and faster to do.

I hope this quickly evolves; it’s embarrassing that it made it off the white board.

 

[serialtoon]

Reminds me of the focus UI too. When on the lockscreen and i wake prior to the alarm going off in bedtime mode I never feel like i pressed the focus mode to disable it. So i tap and hold and hope that it triggers the UI so i can turn it off. Feels sloppy

 

[68000/030]

I find it much better than on iOS 16 - I don't often take pictures inside Messages but I do often attach existing ones, and currently it's a much more elegant process (I neither need to enable that additional apps row above keyboard nor go to photo picker through camera screen).

 

[Feenician]

It feels dropped in from some other OS. When I first saw it I thought it might be a sign that the design language of iOS might change (and maybe it still is) but it doesn't really seem to look or feel like anything else in the current release. I do quite like it though.

 

[HouseLannister]

If you’re using your phone one-handed with your left hand

You're holding it wrong

 

[iOS Geek]

It feels dropped in from some other OS. When I first saw it I thought it might be a sign that the design language of iOS might change (and maybe it still is) but it doesn't really seem to look or feel like anything else in the current release. I do quite like it though.

That's what I thought as well. Possibility that this might be a little hint at iOS 18 (or even farther out) and instead of one massive overhaul all at once like iOS 7 was, we get smaller design changes over time.

 

[Ansath]

I find it much better than on iOS 16 - I don't often take pictures inside Messages but I do often attach existing ones, and currently it's a much more elegant process (I neither need to enable that additional apps row above keyboard nor go to photo picker through camera screen).

If you only want to add a photo from your library, you just have to press and hold the + and then it opens your photo library.

 

[68000/030]

Nice, I didn't notice that

 

[contacos]

If you only want to add a photo from your library, you just have to press and hold the + and then it opens your photo library.

wow totally intuitive (not) but thanks for that!

 

[68000/030]

It is intuitive and I saw this on many messaging apps - it's just that apple had this horrible previous design for so long, I forgot it can actually be user friendly.

 

[eicca]

Intuitive Apple is long gone. They’re all about changing things just to change things now, and they’ve decided you’ll like it whether or not it actually works.

 

[applepotato666]

It’s a great example of the over the top UI direction they’ve been going in now interfering with the UX. It’s gorgeous but not great for daily use. It’s a poor design for spatial memory (the ability to remember the locations of objects which is very foundational for a great UX) because you have to scroll through an arbitrary list, and the list taking over the screen is particularly disorienting.
I’m still trying to figure out how to delete an app from Messages. You’d expect holding down or swiping left to pop up the minus sign as with the majority of other UI elements but nope. Love that they’re getting creative, but consistency has been very hit or miss.

 

[68000/030]

You can choose items on the list in the Settings --> Messages --> Messages apps (or something in those lines, I don't use English as a system language).
Not everything can be disabled though - I can't get rid of the Apple Cash, even though it's not available in my country.

 

[PN4]

If you only want to add a photo from your library, you just have to press and hold the + and then it opens your photo library.

No waaaay. Wow! I've been on iOS 17 Beta since the beginning and didn't know this.

 

[Kung]

wow totally intuitive (not) but thanks for that!

Actually, I discovered it when I said "This pressing the + button is dumb...it'd be nice if a long press just dumped me into photos...WELL, how about that!"

 

[AgentElliot007]

It’s a great example of the over the top UI direction they’ve been going in now interfering with the UX. It’s gorgeous but not great for daily use. It’s a poor design for spatial memory (the ability to remember the locations of objects which is very foundational for a great UX) because you have to scroll through an arbitrary list, and the list taking over the screen is particularly disorienting.
I’m still trying to figure out how to delete an app from Messages. You’d expect holding down or swiping left to pop up the minus sign as with the majority of other UI elements but nope. Love that they’re getting creative, but consistency has been very hit or miss.

100%

I’d like to say I’m tolerating this more a week into using the shipping version, but I am not. I do however appreciate the tip to hold slightly longer to bring up photos directly; doesn’t alleviate my overall feelings but that makes one aspect more tolerable.

 

[Nermal]

How do I get back out of "photo mode" after sending a photo? It used to collapse the photo panel when I clicked on the text field, but now the photos stay there.

 

[Ansath]

How do I get back out of "photo mode" after sending a photo? It used to collapse the photo panel when I clicked on the text field, but now the photos stay there.

I just had a look and tapping into the typing field swaps gallery for the keyboard.

 

[Nermal]

It's mysteriously working now, but it didn't before!

Edit: Stuck in the photo panel again. Time to log a bug...