The edit messages option introduced by iOS 16 works quite strangely with devices that have older versions of the operating system. Hopefully Apple finds a solution before the stable release is released.
During WWDC 2022, Apple offered us some interesting new software. One of them related in particular to the iMessage application with now the possibility of editing a message sent.
While this feature seems like a boon for all iPhone users, it could however become problematic if your recipient is not using the same version as you.
A compatibility issue with earlier versions of iOS
People who already have the beta of iOS 16 can edit their message with a long press on it within 15 minutes of sending the message. After the change, the recipient is notified in the conversation. If no change has occurred at the end of this period, the option disappears.
This option does not appear to be backward compatible, which means that Apple had to find a way around this lock for iPhones running iOS 15 or earlier with a rather restrictive solution.
Developers who have had access to beta 2 of iOS 16 have indeed noticed that edited messages sent from a device running iOS 16 to a device with an earlier version of the operating system end up being resent a second time. And this, with the mention ” Edited to (modified from).
A solution destined to last?
This method is not the most harmonious and is surely (at least we hope) a temporary solution while Apple engineers find a way to operate the same features on older versions of the system.
This solution also implies that even if you just deleted a message, you might not be entirely sure that the person who received it no longer has access to it. Strangely, this reminds us of what Google was able to do at one time with emoji reactions on messages between iOS and Android.
Let’s hope that the Cupertino company will have solved the problem by the release of the stable version of iOS 16, because this solution definitely does not seem to be the right one.
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