Apple Messages is getting better support for groups on iOS and macOS

With iOS 14, Apple introduces a couple of cool new features for its Messages app. The largest of them will benefit your group’s messages, with support for online responses and better notification options. Apple also announced that it will be able to fix its most important chats, and is adding new Memoji options. Many of these new features also arrive in the Messages app on Mac with Apple’s Big Sur macOS update.

Apple says its new group response options should make it easier to track conversations in group chats. Instead of each message replying to the group chat as a whole, its online reply function allows you to reply to specific messages and start a conversation thread that can be viewed separately from the main group chat. You can also modify the group chat settings so that you only receive a notification when they specifically mention you.

Image: Apple

The interface for group chats is also being redesigned. At the top of a chat, you’ll see a collection of profile pictures of people with photos of the most active participants displayed larger, or you can replace it with a single group chat icon.

Soon you will also be able to anchor your most important chats in Messages. These will appear at the top of the Messages app in their own section.

Image: Apple

Finally, Apple is also adding a number of new Memoji to use for Messages. Apple says it is adding 20 new hair styles and hats, along with facial liners. There are new age options, as well as three new Memoji sticker options: hug, fist bump, and blush.

Along with many of the above new features, the Messages app on macOS is getting a couple of unique updates with Apple’s Big Sur update for macOS. Apple promises a more powerful search tool, a redesigned photo picker, and support for message effects. If you’re a Memoji fan, you’ll probably be happy to know that you can now edit and create them from the Messages app on Mac.