Soon you won't be able to download one of the smartest Message apps.
While Apple's new messaging apps (known as iMessage) are one of the best parts of iOS 10, there's at least one new Apple app that the company isn't happy about, and that's why it's likely to soon remove it from the App Store.
Phoneys was created by developer Adam Howell. It's actually pretty clever. It comes with a set of stickers that look like message bubbles that already have phrases like "you're so smart," "you're my hero," and "your team is better than mine.".
If you simply select one of the phrases, the app shares it as a sticker – it looks like a message bubble, but no one would mistake it for one. However, if you drag the sticker over a friend’s message in your chat, it sticks to that bubble so that it looks like they typed the message themselves. And because the app uses the same font, the result is pretty convincing.
Of course, Apple doesn't like this, even though it initially approved the app. After climbing to the top of the App Store's paid app charts last week, Apple appears to have reached out to Howell.
The issue, according to the project's creator, was the use of Apple's San Francisco font, the choice of colors (Apple uses blue and green for its Messages app), and the marketing of it as a "prank" app (Howell denies this)
Although they said they wouldn't remove the app, Howell says an Apple representative who contacted him said he had a week "to fundamentally change the app so that the bubbles don't look anything like Messages bubbles." Howell points out that while that would make Apple happy, "it would lose the whole spirit of the app."
He says he's not sure what he'll do. Another option would be to not make another update and let Apple remove it, so those who have already paid for the app could continue to use it, although there won't be any more updates. Either way, Howell's deadline is approaching — Thursday, Oct. 6 — so if you want to try the app, hurry.
Just know that if you buy the app for $0.99 your investment may not last long.
