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Messages app in iOS 11 now includes some snazzy new screen effects

Published Jun 8th, 2017 7:38PM EDT
iOS 11 Features Messages App

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During Apple’s WWDC keynote on Monday, Apple was absolutely flying through product announcements. Indeed, Apple barely spent any time discussing tvOS and macOS High Sierra, a name which — as it turns out — was not a joke. The expediency with which Apple plowed through its keynote itinerary was hardly a surprise given that the slate of new software and hardware announcements Apple made this week was far more extensive than we’re accustomed to seeing at WWDC. In addition to the usual software updates, Apple also introduced a slew of new hardware, including revamped MacBooks, a new iPad, refreshed iMacs, and last but not least, a monster of a machine Apple is calling the iMac Pro.

That being the case, the iOS 11 portion of Apple’s keynote presentation didn’t touch on a number of brand new features developers and users have to look forward to. And true to form, developers were quick to download the iOS 11 beta and start exploring all of the changes Apple has been working on since iOS 10. Over the past few days, we’ve highlighted a number of the more prominent iOS 11 features Apple didn’t have time to mention, including a customizable Control Center, a nifty one-handed keyboard feature and more.

One interesting new tweak to the Messages app in iOS that has come to light recently involves two brand new screen effects that Apple calls “Echo” and “Spotlight.” As the names imply, the Echo feature fills a user’s display with multiple instances of the same message. Meanwhile, the Spotlight feature adds a theatrical spotlight to an incoming message. While the new screen effects aren’t game-changers, they certainly are a bit more engaging than the existing effects.

Yoni Heisler Contributing Writer

Yoni Heisler has been writing about Apple and the tech industry at large with over 15 years of experience. A life long expert Mac user and Apple expert, his writing has appeared in Edible Apple, Network World, MacLife, Macworld UK, and TUAW.

When not analyzing the latest happenings with Apple, Yoni enjoys catching Improv shows in Chicago, playing soccer, and cultivating new TV show addictions.