Android has hundreds of terrific features but one of our favorites is quite simple: actionable notifications. This relatively new Android feature provides a series of actions alongside certain notifications. So instead of just tapping a notification to open the corresponding app, users can perform a variety of functions right from within the notification pane. Apple might have borrowed Android’s notification format starting with iOS 6, but unfortunately it hasn’t yet borrowed actionable notifications. With a new tweak, however, iOS 7 one-ups Android’s actionable messaging notifications and lets users respond to a text or iMessage from any screen.
Dubbed Auki, the new tweak is now available to iPhone users running iOS 7. Like a handful of apps that have come before it, Auki allows users to reply to messages from any screen by popping up a messaging box inside the Notification Center above whatever app is running at the time.
Of course, Apple’s third-party development guidelines would never allow an app like this, so Auki is only available for jailbroken devices.
There’s also plenty more to this great messaging tweak. Here’s Auki’s description from the Cydia app store:
Simple quick reply, compose and more!
Auki doesn’t stop at just quick reply, it also delivers above and beyond key features like:
Quick compose
Quick reply
Silent mode
Stealth mode
Smart iMessage/SMS detection
Custom Activations
Video, Image/GIF support
Landscape mode
Group messages
Message carryover
Contact pictures
Native look/integration
Quick Compose:
auki is designed to enhance the way we compose messages without cluttering Notification Center with extra buttons/tappable fields and to access it from all Notification Center tabs. With deep thoughts, we found the best way to activate quick compose—swipe down gesture. With quick compose, users have the ability to quickly search for single or multiple contacts (for group messaging) and the ability to upload media with your messages. It’s so simple, you can do it all from the lock screen in seconds.Quick Reply:
Before auki, we would get pulled out of an app into Messages app to answer a message. By the time we finish replying to that message, we would forget what we were doing. Now with auki, users have the ability to quickly tap the newly added “Reply” button to quickly reply. With the help of smart SMS/iMessage detection, you will not get charged for standard SMS rates from outside your country. From the quick reply view, you get to see your contact picture, what email or number he/she sent the message from, upload media with your quick reply and away to go.Silent Mode:
Do you have an ex-boyfriend/girlfriend, husband, wife, friend or even a group conversation that you just want to ignore and not have to deal with? Just swipe left on the the conversation cell you want, tap Silent, and you will not hear from them until you unsilent them. When you activate Silent mode, the conversation will not play alert sounds, notification banners or vibrate your phone. This also puts you in Stealth mode so your read receipts and type indicator will be disabled for all your Silent contacts.
Auki is a $3.99 from Cydia and it’s available immediately.