The stock Messages.app on the Apple iPhone is undoubtedly one of the most used apps that exists on the device. Sending and receiving text messages as well as multi-media communications and iMessages are all handed through Apple’s native Messages app, and although it hasn’t changed a great deal in the last six years, it still remains extremely functional. It’s usually been left up to the jailbreak community to bring additions to this application in the past, and now is no different with the new MessageSwiper package that brings additional power to the app that is likely to be extremely well received.
The basic usage and interface of the Messages app is simple. Incoming and outgoing messages are held in a tabled list, with new and existing conversation streams being added to that table when required. Users can delete conversations as necessary and drill-down into individual messaging streams to see the content. One thing that users can’t do however is easily swipe between available conversation streams from within the app. MessageSwiper is the solution to this problem that makes it extremely easy to go back and forth between text message streams.
The package itself doesn’t come with any additional home screen icons or preference entries, nor does it actually make any physical or visual amendments to the native Messages application. After installation, it is a simple case of going into the Messages.app, selecting a conversation from the initial tabled list and then invoking a left or right swipe gesture to go between the available conversations from different contacts.
Whether knowingly or unknowingly, users generally use left and right swipe gestures in different apps on an almost daily basis. That level of familiarization with gesture based navigation means that it should be extremely intuitive for us to simply swipe through the available screens within the Messages app. MessageSwiper is yet another example of a simple tweak landing on Cydia that introduces simple yet effective functionality into iOS, and best of all, it is available entirely free-of-charge.
MessageSwiper is available as a free-of-charge download from the BigBoss repository with no specific iOS version requirements being given.
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