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Tech News
Apple's Messages app on iPhone ships with up to 14 built-in iMessage apps, such as location sharing, voice memos, GIFs, Venmo and ESPN, arranged in a default order that often buries frequently used tools at the bottom. Users can manually rearrange this dropdown menu so their most-used apps appear at the top instead of relying on Apple's default layout.
OpenAI has enabled its ChatGPT 'Dot' AI agents to communicate directly through Google Messages (RCS) on Android and iMessage on iPhone. Dots can proactively text updates, photos, or voice notes about ongoing tasks and retain context from prior conversations across ChatGPT, Slack, or Teams. The feature is currently a preview limited to ChatGPT Pro subscribers in the US.
OpenAI has rolled out a preview feature letting US Pro subscribers text their Dot agents using iMessage or RCS. Users can send text, photos and voice memos to assign tasks, and Dots can proactively text back with updates. OpenAI says the feature was built with messaging partner Linq and underwent extensive security testing.
OpenAI has extended its proactive ChatGPT dot agent feature beyond the main app, letting users message it directly through iMessage and RCS on their phones. Users can assign tasks or ask the dot to monitor things using text, photos, or voice notes, and it will reply proactively with updates through the Messages app. Setup involves selecting 'Texting' from the dot's profile, with OpenAI stating the feature does not grant access to other text conversations.
Apple's Lockdown Mode, a feature that restricts iPhone functionality to block sophisticated spyware attacks, blocked the 2023 'Blastpass' exploit that installed Pegasus spyware via iMessage on unprotected devices. Apple pays double its usual bug bounty to researchers who find ways to bypass the feature, and allows users to exempt specific contacts, apps, and websites from its restrictions, though doing so reduces protection.
Researchers presenting at the Hexacon security conference in Paris demonstrated a series of exploits targeting iPhones, including a one-click attack against Signal and a separate compromise involving iMessage. The team said the full technical details and tools used will be released at a later date.
A new wave of AI agents operate directly through texting apps such as iMessage, RCS, Signal and Telegram instead of requiring a dedicated app. Tools like Caddy scan calendars and conversations to surface tasks such as reminders and event scheduling, while Comma carries work tasks to completion across browsers and files, flagging items for user approval. The sector includes Instinct, which recently raised $1 billion at a $10 billion valuation.
Android Authority found strings in a Google Messages beta build referencing a new 'Games' section with titles like Chess, Pool, Basketball, Darts, Crazy 8s, Checkers, Cup Pong, Four in a Row, and Word Scramble. The feature's internal codename is 'Midnight,' and the discovery stemmed from a tip by Abhishek Yadav on X. Details on how gameplay would actually function remain unknown.
A number of companies are launching AI assistants accessible via iMessage, RCS, or SMS rather than standalone apps. Examples include Caddy, which organizes calendar events and reminders from scattered phone content, and Fambot, a family-focused assistant that manages school, sports, and meal planning across text and an app. The sector includes agent Instinct, recently valued at $10 billion after raising $1 billion.
Photon, a startup that helps developers build AI agents working over iMessage and WhatsApp, has raised $4.5 million in seed funding. The company says it has signed up more than 40,000 developers and grown revenue tenfold in four months. To mark the milestone, Photon staged a mock funeral for mobile apps in San Francisco, complete with a coffin for app icons and panels from Vercel, Stripe, and OpenAI.
Instinct, an invite-only AI assistant that operates through iMessage and WhatsApp and connects to users' email and calendar, is reportedly in talks to raise $1 billion, which would value the company at $10 billion, according to The Information. The startup, which has already raised $350 million since its February private beta launch, is gaining traction in the Bay Area as a more accessible alternative to complex AI agents. Meanwhile, Meta's own assistant Muse has become Apple's most-downloaded free app despite reports of a serious security flaw that could have let attackers control users' Macs.
iOS 27 adds a settings option letting users replace the iMessage waveform icon—used to start voice recordings—with a microphone icon for dictation, or remove the button entirely. The change addresses a common complaint about accidentally tapping the button while typing, which triggers a voice recording and stops any playing music. Singer Justin Bieber had drawn attention to the issue in a viral Instagram post criticizing the button's placement.