Apple brings iMessage to iCloud

Apple is bringing iMessage to its iCloud platform. The company announced during WWDC that in iOS 11, users will be able to sign in on any device and have all of their messages thanks to iCloud integration.

iMessage in the Cloud also means if you delete a message on your iPhone, the deletion will be reflected on your Mac, a major update to a major annoyance noticed by anyone who’s ever used the Messages app on an Apple desktop or laptop. The company has also redesigned the app drawer in iMessage, and the cloud integration will allow for smaller backups, as nearly all of your messages except for your most recent ones are stored in the cloud and not on your device.

Apple understands that iMessage is one of the core anchors of iOS as an operating system, keeping people locked into its closed ecosystem by way of blue-bubbled group texts with friends and family. Last year Apple revamped iMessage by adding third-party app extensions, stickers, emoji animations, and a number of other well-known chat app features to make it more competitive against Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Snapchat.

The company borrowed a handful of the best messaging features across the entire chat app marketplace to make iMessage more hip, fun, and versatile, and this year, it’s bringing the chat service to the cloud. Also announced today as part of its WWDC keynote is an iMessage and Apple Pay integration, to let you perform peer-to-peer payments, like with Venmo or Square Cash, right from the chat app.