You can’t edit your messages on Apple’s Messages app after they’ve been sent. Yet. That could change, however, as Apple has filed for a patent (number 20200133478) for “Devices, Methods, and Graphic User Interfaces for messaging.”
In the patent filing, Apple says that current messaging applications have” numerous drawbacks and limitations.” For example, they’re limited in their ability to easily: acknowledge messages; edit previously sent messages; express what a user is trying to communicate; display private messages; synchronize viewing of content between users; incorporate handwritten inputs; quickly locate content in a message transcript; integrate a camera; integrate search and sharing; integrate interactive applications; integrate stickers; make payments; interact with avatars; make suggestions; navigate among interactive applications; manage interactive applications; translate foreign language text; combine messages into a group; and flag messages.
Apple’s idea is to allows users to edit iMessages as a method of correction as you can now with apps such as Slack. The edit history would also be available so everyone can see what the sender originally wrote
Here’s the summary of the patent filing: “An electronic device displays a messaging user interface of a message application, including a conversation transcript of a messaging session between a user of the electronic device and at least one other user, a message-input area, at least one avatar corresponding to a first other user included in the messaging session, and an application affordance. The device detects an input on the touch sensitive surface.
“In accordance with a determination that the input corresponds to selection of the at least one avatar displayed in the messaging user interface, the device displays a menu that contains a plurality of activatable menu items associated with the at least one avatar overlaid on the messaging user interface. In accordance with a determination that the input corresponds to selection of the application affordance, the device displays a plurality of application launch icons for a plurality of corresponding applications within the messaging user interface.”
