You might soon be able to retract iMessages

'Message retracted' is about to become the new 'Read'.

What you need to know

• Apple is rumored to be testing new features for iMessage.
• It means you might soon be able to retract messages and use @ to mention specific people.
• The three-dot typing indicator might also be coming to group messages.

Apple is rumored to be testing several new features for iMessages including one that might let you retract messages sent by mistake, or perhaps ones that you regret...

As reported by MacRumors:

Apple is testing new iMessage features internally, according to information obtained by MacRumors. While these features could potentially arrive as early as iOS 14, they could be held back until a later software update or perhaps never released.

For starters, there is a new Slack-like mention system that would allow users to tag other contacts with their name like @Joe or @Jane. When you type the @ sign, a list of suggested contacts would appear. This would be particularly useful in busy group chat conversations, as it would be possible to enable the "Hide Alerts" setting and only receive push notifications when you are mentioned directly.

Undoubtedly the biggest rumored feature is the ability to retract messages after sending them. Fine print would show both the sender and receiver that a message has been retracted, but the contents of the message themselves would disappear. There is no detail as to whether there would be a time limit on retracting messages.

Apple's three-dot typing indicator, currently only available in one-on-one conversations, may also be winging its way to group chats.

MacRumors has also highlighted previous rumors suggesting that Apple is working on a Catalyst version of its Messages app for Mac, as noted by Steve Troughton-Smith last year.

There is a whole lot of evidence in Catalina that they're working on a full, Catalyst version of Messages, much like Shortcuts for Mac. So, just like Shortcuts, I decided to cut to the chase and do it myself by calling the system frameworks. Voilà pic.twitter.com/IsXKrGpemd

— Steve Troughton-Smith (@stroughtonsmith) June 19, 2019

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