Jennifer Allen
iMessage changed a lot within iOS, making it easier to send messages and share all kinds of content with friends and family. One of its most practical uses is how you can get stuff done within iMessage rather than diving into a separate app. Here are our eight favorite apps for enhancing what you can do through iMessage.
We’ve already looked at fun sticker packs, and games to play in iMessage, but these apps are focused on more day-to-day things like making plans with friends, translating on the fly, or making quick money transfers. Here’s our pick of the bunch.
ETA ($3)
How often do you find yourself needing to tell a friend how long you’re going to be till you get to their place? If figuring out an announcing your arrival time is a routine event for you, well then we’ve got the app for you. ETA streamlines the entire, well, ETA announcement process. Via the app, you can quickly send an automated message that tells your friend exactly how far away you are, and how long you should be. In seconds, they’ll know when to expect you.
You’re able to assign presets for your home, work place, or other frequently visited location, as well as choose whether you’re driving, walking, or taking public transport. Additional options allow you to search for locations within iMessage, ensuring you can easily see how far away many locations are from you.
Fandango (Free)
Movie buffs already know how useful Fandango can be. It’s great for looking up what movies are on in your local area and when. The iMessage side of things just made planning a movie night even easier.
Through the app, you can easily send messages suggesting what films to go see, before offering up what times the show is on, and leaving it down to the other person to tap what option appeals most to them. Everything is done within iMessage so you can seamlessly order tickets without even stepping away from your phone. It’s a great way to streamline a trip to the theater.
iTranslate (Free)
It’s useful to know multiple languages but few of us actually do. iTranslate gives you a fighting chance when you want to converse with someone whose first language is different from yours.
Simply type a message in your language then hit the translate button and choose the other person’s language. It works the same in reverse, making things smooth and seamless for both of you. You can do similar with voice messages also, giving you the ideal opportunity to practice your foreign language comprehension skills.
App in the Air (Free)
Air travel is a big enough headache to track on your own let alone coordinate with another person, so it’s an area ripe for a good app. App in the Air does a pretty fine job of keeping an eye on your flight itinerary, right down to real time statuses, tips for your specific airport, and providing in-airport navigation maps.
In the case of its iMessage integration, the app makes it a breeze to send over flight details to friends and loved ones. You can easily send over flight times, locations, and even which terminal and gate you’ll be at. It’s possible to view an in-flight map from within iMessage too so your loved one can see exactly where you are at all times. It’s sure to take the edge off flight stress.
Cash (Free)
Formerly known as Square Cash, Cash is as conveniently simple as it sounds. It enables you to quickly send money over to someone via iMessage, saving you the hassle of exchanging banking details.
It’s as quick as it sounds. Just tap in how much money you want to send, and your friend is able to send it straight to their bank account. It works with both debit and credit cards, and has recently even added Bitcoin support. There’s also a gift wrapping option so you can send over money as a gift. That gift wrapping isn’t the most polished of the app’s features but it’ll work just fine if you’ve realized you forgot to buy someone a present.
Giphy (Free)
GIFs are a big deal pretty much everywhere now. That’s why we recently looked at how to make your own, but what about if you’d rather use an easier option? Giphy is the easiest way of adding GIFs to your iMessages without ever needing to leave the app.
It works via simple drag and drop method, you can quickly place GIFs within your messages, replacing any need for other messaging services like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger. It’s the kind of place you’ll lose a surprising amount of time to as you search through the archives, “favoriting” certain GIFs for use at a later date. Still, if you’re already waiting for a flight, courtesy of App in the Air, it’s a more relaxing way of taking time out.
OpenTable (Free)
Like Fandango but for restaurant bookings, OpenTable is a real timesaver for those trying to make plans with friends. Rather than just sending a regular message asking if they want to meet for dinner, you can send them an OpenTable invite and get straight to the details.
Through the iMessage side of OpenTable, you can assign a location, date, time, and number of people attending, simply leaving your guests to hit accept or decline. Once they’ve decided, you’re able to quickly make online reservations saving you the hassle of calling a location or not knowing what’s going on. It’s great for quickly browsing potential places to go too, so everyone knows what to expect.
Do With Me ($1)
To-Do list apps are nothing new on the App Store. However, Do With Me deals with such tasks very differently from the usual crowd. Working entirely through iMessage, its focus is on helping you and another person to get stuff done. Think of it as a more personal and localized form of the popular to-do app Trello.
You can use it as a grocery shopping list for you and your partner, a group project list for your school buddy, or as a chores list between you and your roommate. The potential is pretty big, thanks to a fair amount of flexibility. In each case, both of you can see what needs doing and ticking something off will instantly keep the other person abreast of the situation. There’s going to be no excuse for either of you if you “forget” to get something done.
