iOS added animations to the iMessage app a while back. When it detects that you’ve said certain things or sent certain emojis, it shows an animation. I think one of those things is that “yay” or “congrats” gets you confetti all over the screen.
Not sure why it’s happening for “I think we should see other people,” though.
I mean, how do you think spelling correction works? Local on-device “reading” of text is a pretty simple feature that’s used for a bunch of stuff (detecting URLs, email addresses…)
Sure, as you do with any software. A computer is always looking at your data and input. That’s how it works. Unless you audit it yourself, you have to take someone else’s word it isn’t doing something it isn’t supposed to.
I am absolutely not an Apple Stan. I hate Apple. I’m on Linux for a reason, and my phone is running Android (which I also hate, but whatever). You’re reasoning was just bad.
Lol. I don’t. However, you’re acting like just displaying something is an indication of them sending the data off. You do know the text message itself is not just displayed on the screen, right? It takes in some bytes of data and processes it, and them uses that to select characters to print to the screen. It has to process the messages no matter what. This little effect isn’t anything more dangerous than the characters being rendered to the screen. Both of them are just processing the data in a message to choose what to display.
While Apple’s code isn’t open-source, I believe they’ve subjected their code to third-party audit in the past for confirmation that the data isn’t being sent off-device.
Yes, iOS displays your messages. In order to do that it has to read your messages. That’s just how computers work. Same for Windows, iOS, Android, Linux, and even Temple OS.
Doesn’t look like it’s reading it over the network or sending up any data. It seems like it’s just doing it locally, in the process of loading the message.
Ironically, this is the comment in this thread that’s not paranoid enough, because to my knowledge both Google and Samsung use their own closed-source message and phone apps, along with other standard apps. (Idk about other vendors, but the same is pretty likely for major brands.)
Google integrates its own services in both the phone and messaging apps: namely spam reporting and blocking. I’m guessing that other major brands also have services to that end.
Google’s ‘Messages’ also has a button to make a video call, and I dunno even what app and protocol would be used for that, as I never used video calls and don’t have any Google apps for that functionality.
Signalgate was most likely caused because Siri thought a journalist was a Trump official and added his number to the contact book. (Well caused by both AI and gross incompetence)
Ah ok. I don’t use iOS but I thought they could have been trying to use an LLM to assess messages for automatic effects instead of just using keywords like Facebook.
Definitely just keywords. I don’t use iOS either, but I think I remember early on people were getting wildly incorrect reactions because of stuff that basically boiled down to the Scunthorpe Problem.
iOS added animations to the iMessage app a while back. When it detects that you’ve said certain things or sent certain emojis, it shows an animation. I think one of those things is that “yay” or “congrats” gets you confetti all over the screen.
Not sure why it’s happening for “I think we should see other people,” though.
You can manually show whatever animation you want just hold down the send button
We could also consider the possibility this is a meme made for funny.
I choose to trust my fellow human. If the meme says it happened, who am I to say I know better?
I think there’s a reason the message before is hidden.
It’s because it’s typical fake bs. iOS wouldn’t do confetti on a conversion like this.
Siri thought a journalist’s phone number belonged to a Trump official and helped cause signalgate
https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/06/signal-group-chat-leak-how-it-happened
Definitely possible, but I’ve seen Apple release weirder bugs. Especially when they brought this functionality over to FaceTime.
so… is ios reading all your messages now or what
I mean, how do you think spelling correction works? Local on-device “reading” of text is a pretty simple feature that’s used for a bunch of stuff (detecting URLs, email addresses…)
you’d have to take it at their word all of this stays inside the device.
None of what’s been mentioned above requires server-side processing.
Sure, as you do with any software. A computer is always looking at your data and input. That’s how it works. Unless you audit it yourself, you have to take someone else’s word it isn’t doing something it isn’t supposed to.
haha touché, computers always invade your privacy anyway!
apple stans always with the very best reasoning.
I am absolutely not an Apple Stan. I hate Apple. I’m on Linux for a reason, and my phone is running Android (which I also hate, but whatever). You’re reasoning was just bad.
for starters, foss code is audited collectively, not individually.
please don’t believe what apple marketing says at face value.
Lol. I don’t. However, you’re acting like just displaying something is an indication of them sending the data off. You do know the text message itself is not just displayed on the screen, right? It takes in some bytes of data and processes it, and them uses that to select characters to print to the screen. It has to process the messages no matter what. This little effect isn’t anything more dangerous than the characters being rendered to the screen. Both of them are just processing the data in a message to choose what to display.
While Apple’s code isn’t open-source, I believe they’ve subjected their code to third-party audit in the past for confirmation that the data isn’t being sent off-device.
So kind of, but not entirely.
Yes, iOS displays your messages. In order to do that it has to read your messages. That’s just how computers work. Same for Windows, iOS, Android, Linux, and even Temple OS.
Doesn’t look like it’s reading it over the network or sending up any data. It seems like it’s just doing it locally, in the process of loading the message.
a lot of things “seem” that way on android devices too, tbh.
On Android devices, the apps are auditable as part of the AOSP. If they were exfiltrating data, a security researcher would already have flagged it.
Ironically, this is the comment in this thread that’s not paranoid enough, because to my knowledge both Google and Samsung use their own closed-source message and phone apps, along with other standard apps. (Idk about other vendors, but the same is pretty likely for major brands.)
I just looked, and you’re absolutely right. I had no idea that the Messages app wasn’t part of the AOSP. Very interesting (and not in a good way)
Google integrates its own services in both the phone and messaging apps: namely spam reporting and blocking. I’m guessing that other major brands also have services to that end.
Google’s ‘Messages’ also has a button to make a video call, and I dunno even what app and protocol would be used for that, as I never used video calls and don’t have any Google apps for that functionality.
Looks like it delegates to Meet, for me.
Yeah, honestly, spam reporting is good. Call screen is amazing. I would be loath to give it up.
AI doing AI things.
Signalgate was most likely caused because Siri thought a journalist was a Trump official and added his number to the contact book. (Well caused by both AI and gross incompetence)
https://youtu.be/KFYyfrTIPQY
But it’s not Ai? You can send animations for any message on iMessage, people just don’t realize you have to hold the send button to open the menu.
The animations (and this image, actually) predate the current idea of AI by several years.
Ah ok. I don’t use iOS but I thought they could have been trying to use an LLM to assess messages for automatic effects instead of just using keywords like Facebook.
Definitely just keywords. I don’t use iOS either, but I think I remember early on people were getting wildly incorrect reactions because of stuff that basically boiled down to the Scunthorpe Problem.
The animation (and this meme) have been around for way longer than modern AI. IIRC I remember seeing this meme in 2019.
Looks like the first message has an engagement ring and heart emoji
That’s how the contact is saved in their phone, a name with a ring and heart.
Huh, I wonder if it set off the confetti anyway
It did not because that’s not how it works
That appears to be part of the contact’s name