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Honestly, I don’t love this new iMessage feature in iOS 15

Published

3 years ago

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A new version of iOS always takes some getting used to. But must I get used to this?

Those of you who have downloaded iOS 15 might have noticed a new functionality in iMessage. When someone sends a photo, video, or group of photos, a download icon appears in the chat stream right beside the media. The icon is a little square with a downward arrow going through it. Click the button, and you’ll save the image to your photo stream, which Apple displays by transforming the icon into a checkmark.

My sister shared a picture of her dog, but I'm distracted by the ugly icon right next to it.

My sister shared a picture of her dog, but I’m distracted by the ugly icon right next to it.
Credit: screenshot: rachel kraus / mashable

Previously, to save an image someone had sent you over text, you had to click to expand that image, click on the square with an upward arrow icon, and then scroll down to the “Save Photo” option.

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This process was definitely a little involved, and not that intuitive. I understand how it might have been tough for some users to figure out. However, I can’t get behind the design and placement of the new method. It’s clunky, makes the tech too visible, and frankly is just kind of ugly — something you really don’t expect from Apple.

Apple seems to have taken intentional steps to make iMessage more visual: It lets you select an icon for a group name, respond to texts with “heart” and “!!,” and represents people through their pictures — or a photo of their initials, if you don’t select a picture for a contact — instead of just their names.

It also redesigned the way you send photos and videos in iOS 15. If you’re sending more than one picture in a single message, it stacks the images on top of each other. It looks more like a pile of photos now, which you can click to expand. That solves the problem of a bunch of photos clogging up your feed.

A photo stack looks nice and takes up less space in a visually pleasing way! But the download icon gets in the way.

A photo stack looks nice and takes up less space in a visually pleasing way! But the download icon gets in the way.
Credit: screenshot: rachel kraus / mashable

But next to those “stacks,” in the middle of a lot of empty space, is the download icon. It’s kind of an electric blue, so, with my dark mode background, it caught my eye right away.

I think what I take issue with is that in a stream of media, it puts something that’s simply about utility in the middle of everything. It is a tiny thing, but I’ve found that seeing it irks me. It has jolted me out of conversations, distracting me from the content.

Of course, the feature’s new placement will be useful for people who just want to download images quickly. But even on the utility side, it has issues. Next to a stack of photos, it downloads all the images, which could be annoying if you’re just trying to download one. I also noticed that a tapback on a photo stack superimposes itself on top of the download icon, which is like a UX traffic jam.

Beep beep, iMessage icon traffic jam.

Beep beep, iMessage icon traffic jam.
Credit: screenshot: rachel kraus / mashable

Apple was clearly trying to make downloading photos from iMessage easier and more intuitive. But it did so without its usual thoughtfulness and style. I’m sure we’ll all get used to it. And I’m not mad, just disappointed.

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