In iOS 10, the Messages app is gaining Digital Touch, a communication feature that was previously limited to watchOS. With Digital Touch, you can send friends and family drawings, heartbeats, fireballs, kisses, and more, all with just a few taps.
The Digital Touch feature that debuted on the Apple Watch is now available in iOS 10 on your iPhone as part of the Messages app. Digital Touch allows you to send a hand-drawn sketch, haptic taps, or sensor-read heartbeats. To send a digital touch message, open the Messages app and tap on a conversation.
Sending Digital Touch content can only be done on an iPhone running iOS 10 or an Apple Watch running watchOS 2 or 3, but it can be viewed on iOS devices running older versions of the operating system and on Macs in the Mac Messages app.
Accessing Digital Touch Open the Messages app. Open an existing conversation or start a new one. Tap the icon that looks like two fingers over a heart. Tap on the arrow on the right hand side to expand the Digital Touch window.
Digital Touch lets you personalize your iMessages in various ways. Follow the step-by-step instructions to learn how to send a sketch, a tap or even a heartbeat with your Apple iPhone 11. Go to the Home screen. Choose the messaging symbol. If this screen appears, choose Continue.
Digital Touch allows you to send a hand-drawn sketch, haptic taps, or sensor-read heartbeats. To send a digital touch message, open the Messages app and tap on a conversation. Then, tap the heart icon with two fingers on it to the left of the iMessage text box.
Digital Touch lets you personalize your iMessages in various ways. Follow the step-by-step instructions to learn how to send a sketch, a tap or even a heartbeat with your Apple iPhone 11. Go to the Home screen. Choose the messaging symbol. If this screen appears, choose Continue.
The Digital Touch feature on your Apple Watch allows you to send sketches, taps, or even your heartbeat to another friend who also has an Apple Watch or an iPhone.
Send a Digital Touch effect in Messages on iPhone
Add a Digital Touch effect to a photo or video
Holding two fingers on the screen will send a heartbeat animation effect, holding one finger on the screen sends a “Fireball”, tapping on the screen sends a circle tap effect. If the default black square drawing pad is too small and fiddly, you can expand it to full screen by tapping the small arrow next to it.
A feature of the Apple Watch that lets users communicate with friends who also have one. A wearer can tap a pattern on screen that is felt on the friend's wrist and also finger draw a sketch that is rendered in real time at the other side.
The various kinds of things you can send from your Apple Watch with Digital Touch are: