iMessage boasts many unique features that set it apart from other messaging apps and gives an exclusive experience to iOS users. But, what cool things can you do with iMessage?
Well, one of my favorite things is using iMessage apps from within my conversations. These make it easy to share things like music, location, files, etc. So, in this article, I’ll share with you some of the best iMessage apps for iPhone that will help you do more than just text! Let’s dive right in.
How to get iMessage apps on your iPhone
It’s super simple to download, install, and manage iMessage apps. But first, you might be wondering, what apps can you use on iMessage? Well, the thing to keep in mind is that they are always connected to full-size, standard apps on your phone.
So you can download them as usual from the App Store. For instance, when you download the YouTube app, you automatically get its iMessage functionality too.
However, there’s also a separate App Store you can use if you only want to see apps that work with iMessage. Here’s how to access it:
- Open the Messages app and tap a contact or group chat to view a conversation.
- At the bottom of the screen, tap the blue App Store icon to access the iMessage App Store.
- Here, you can browse through featured and suggested apps or search for the app you want.
- Tap “Get” or the Download icon to install the iMessage app.
Once it’s downloaded, you’ll see it in the iMessage apps bar below the input field in a conversation.
To use any of your installed iMessage apps when chatting, just tap on the grey App Store icon and then select the app you want to use. Slide across the bar to scroll through all your available apps.
To delete iMessage apps, you have to follow the process to delete apps on your iPhone, which will remove the entire app.
However, if you want to keep the full app but just don’t want it appearing in iMessage, follow the below steps.
How to manage iMessage apps on iPhone
- Tap the grey App Store icon to reveal all the apps.
- Swipe across to the far right of the bar and then tap the ‘More‘ icon that appears as three grey dots in a white circle.
- Tap Edit in the top left.
- Now, you can toggle OFF any app you don’t want appearing in iMessage.
- Toggle ON the ones you want to keep using in iMessage.
- You can also use the green plus icons to add apps to favorites and the red minus icons to remove apps from favorites.
10 Best iMessage apps you should try!
- GIPHY
- JibJab
- YouTube
- Venmo
- iTranslate
- Google Maps
- Open Table
- Microsoft OneDrive
- Super Mario Run
- Game Pigeon
1. GIPHY: Best iMessage app for gif
Memes and GIFs are the hallmarks of our times, and GIPHY is among the best free iMessage apps to make the most of them. It allows you to send your favorite GIFs in just a few seconds without the need to open the GIPHY app. No matter what the situation, GIPHY has a meme or gif to perfectly fit the purpose and bring a smile to your face.
I love the easy search function that lets me find an endless variety of animations related to any mood or topic. Moreover, you can also search through text and emojis to create and send custom GIFs. How cool is that!
Although you require a GIPHY account to save your favorite GIFs for future use, the fun makes it worth it! After all, a picture is worth a thousand words and this has never been truer than in this age of visual communication!
Price: Free
2. JibJab: Best for greetings and cards
Want to step up your gifs and add your face to make them more personalized? Here’s a super fun iMessage app that’s designed for just that. You can snap a selfie and create hilarious GIFs, greetings, and ecards that are a breeze to send from within iMessage.
Further, you can even add the faces of friends, family, or your pet to create funny and adorable ecards, dance videos, and gifs.
I love the sheer variety of ecards and fun greetings it offers for various occasions, including Halloween, Christmas, Valentine’s Day, Thanksgiving, St. Patrick’s Day, and more. The collection of GIFs and videos is also updated quite frequently to keep things fresh!
Price: Free (In-app purchases start at $2.99)
3. YouTube: Best for sharing videos and songs
I love sharing fun videos or songs with friends and family, and the YouTube extension for iMessage makes it super easy. As long as you have the YouTube app on your iPhone, you can use it within iMessage to search and send videos without leaving your chat.
This saves the effort of having to go into YouTube and copying the video URL into a chat message. I use this extension innumerable times to express how I’m feeling and share new song discoveries with friends and family. Try it for yourself, and I’m sure you’ll enjoy it. After all, many times, music speaks so much better than just words.
Price: Free
4. Venmo: Best for sending cash
Venmo makes it easy and quick to send and receive cash from anyone. It gets even more convenient with the iMessage extension. It lets you send or request cash without leaving your conversation.
Further, you can also check your Venmo balance from within iMessage and change the privacy settings for a payment. It’s a must-have if you’re a frequent user of this payment app! However, you’ll have to open the Venmo app to do more, like transfer your balance or view your transaction history.
Price: Free
5. iTranslate: Best for multilingual texting
If you love traveling as much as I do or simply need a translation tool, iTranslate is pretty nifty. It seamlessly integrates into iMessage to translate text into over 100 different languages.
All you’ve got to do is select the output language and then type your message. The app will handle the rest and give you a translated message to send to your foreign contacts.
However, you will need a Pro subscription to do more with the app, such as access it offline. It’s pretty useful if you’re frequently abroad because you can use it to translate menus and signs using your phone camera too.
Price: Free (In-app purchases start at $4.99)
6. Google Maps: Best for sharing location
There are innumerable times when you might need to share your location with someone. The Google Maps iMessage extension makes this a breeze.
It shares your exact coordinates so that friends can know where you are and your ETA. it also works great as a safety feature when you’re out and about and want to let someone know how to find you in case of emergencies. It’s quick, convenient, and accurate, a must-have for everyone!
Price: Free
7. Open Table: Best for dining out
Open Table is my go-to app to find and book a great place to eat out. It makes it incredibly convenient to find amazing restaurants near you and reserve a table. The iMessage extension of this app helps you quickly invite others to wherever you’re going.
This helps everyone stay on the same page and know what time you’re supposed to meet. Moreover, the person can choose to accept or decline the invitation, so you know their availability at any time. No more going and back forth endlessly discussing plans. Just fix a place on Open Table, exchange an invite over iMessage, and you’re sorted.
Price: Free
8. Microsoft OneDrive: Best for sharing files
Here’s another one of my favorite and most-used iMessage apps. OneDrive makes it so easy to share files right from my chats without needing any other third-party apps.
You can share anything from your OneDrive account and conveniently search your files to find the right one. Once selected, you can type out a message to explain it and simply send it across.
The recipient will get a link to view or edit the document or photo you send in the OneDrive app on their device. Of course, this requires that both you and the recipients have OneDrive accounts.
Price: Free
9. Super Mario Run: Best iMessage stickers app
Any conversation is always better with stickers! And among my favorite iMessage sticker apps is this adorable one from Super Mario Run. Super Mario was a defining part of my childhood and is one of the most popular game franchises most people relate to.
These stickers capture that with iconic stickers of characters and props from the game. These are sure to add a dash of fun to your chats and make them more memorable. Moreover, you can add stickers to photos to add a bit of Mario to your life! Pretty cool!
Price: Free
10. Game Pigeon: Best iMessage game
What could be more fun than playing a game or two while chatting with your friends? Enter GamePigeon – one of the best iMessage game apps! It has a collection of many fun multiplayer games that will keep you entertained. These include 8-Ball, Mini Golf, Basketball, Chess, Sea Battle, Tanks, and more.
The graphics are fun and colorful, and all the games I tried work well. Moreover, the developer keeps it well-updated, and new ones are added frequently. It also supports multiple languages like French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Russian, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, and Traditional Chinese.
Price: Free
I hope this article gave you all the information you need about iMessage apps on iPhone. Let me know in the comments below if you have any questions!
Read more:
- Change iMessage bubble color on iPhone and iPad
- How to sign out of iMessage on Mac
- How to use Do Not Disturb (DND) on iPhone and iPad
- How to see the most used apps on your iPhone
Mehak has a master’s degree in communication and over ten years of writing experience. Her passion for technology and Apple products led her to iGeeksBlog, where she specializes in writing product roundups and app recommendations for fellow Apple users. When not typing away on her MacBook Pro, she loves being lost in a book or out exploring the world.