iOS 16’s iMessage features were supposed to give you unlimited access and flexibility with messages, but now it seems that Apple has changed its mind. The company released the fourth developer beta for iOS16 this week which severely limits how many edits are possible within 15 minutes of sending a single thread as well as shrinking an unsent message window from 15 minutes down to 2 minutes — you can tap on individual chats in order see their edit history before previously they auto disappeared after being altered by another user.
The new changes don’t seem too bad at first glance however once developers start shipping these updates out across millions upon billions of phones worldwide we’ll soon understand just what kind of impact these have.
We’ve asked Apple if it can share its reasoning for the decision, but they have not responded. However, according to Apple Insider, there are potential abuse cases with this new approach such as someone editing your message or spamming you by sending messages that last long enough so the evidence is lost before it’s noticed + the old way of contacting people used email which often led users into much more complicated situations than needed be.
It’ll be interesting to see if this rollback is just a blip on the radar or if it’s indicative of a larger trend within Apple to tighten up the messaging experience. For now, it seems like a step back.
Some users are worried that this could lead to people accidentally sending the wrong message or not having enough time to finish their thoughts.
What do you think about the new changes? Let us know in the comments below!