Yeah, you read that right. Its been a while since I have posted because I have been busy having a wonderful Valentine’s Day with Becca (you have probably seen the pictures) and planning my buddy Joe’s stag party. However, this article will not be about either of those significant life events. This is about iMessage mini-games. I rediscovered these gems a couple of weeks ago and decided to give them a shot again. You should too! But first, let me give you some background…
Image courtesy of Apple Inc.
iMessage Has an App Store
About two years ago Apple released iOS 10. One of the major changes that iOS 10 brought to the table was the revamp of the Messages app. Apple gave the Messages app its own App Store as well as some flashy visual effects. The iMessage app store has plenty of little “applets” and sticker packs but most of them are useless and get ignored. The only one that I see people use is the GIF keyboard. However, you may soon add “GamePigeon” to your list of frequently used iMessage applets.
What is GamePigeon?
GamePigeon is only one of the coolest iMessage apps out there. It is a suite of free to play ad-supported turn-based games that you access through your iPhone message app. Here is how it works. You or a friend initiates the game via the keyboard and each turn is treated as a new message. There are 23 games including 8Ball, Sea Battle (Battle Ship), Basketball, Archery, Cup Pong, Anagrams, Four in a Row, Mini Golf, Knockout, Crazy 8 (UNO), Paintball, Filler, Tanks, Checkers, Chess, Mancala, Dots & Boxes, Gomoku, Reversi, 9 Ball, and 20 Questions. My favorites include 8Ball, Basketball, Sea Battle (even though I suck at it), Cup Pong, and Archery.
Image courtesy of www.imobie.com
How to Play
- Throw out your Android phone
- Get an iPhone
- Head over to your messages app
- Click on the gray AppStore icon next to the camera icon
Get some friendsClick on the blue AppStore icon on top of the keyboard- Click on the search icon when the AppStore pops up > Type in “Game Pigeon”
- Click on install
- The icon should now be located next to your other iMessage apps (the GIF keyboard)
Bonus: Clean out your App Tray
If you find yourself flicking through rows of apps to get to your precious GamePigeon app then it may time to get rid of some junk. Many apps automatically (annoyingly) install their companion iMessage apps and most of them (if all of them) are useless. Luckily its a pretty easy process to get rid of them all.
- Click on the gray AppStore icon
- Scroll all the way through your iMessage apps
- Click on “More”
- Click on “Edit” in the upper right-hand corner
- Toggle the apps on or off in the “More Apps” list
Well, that’s all I have for this week. Hit me up if you’d like to play a quick iMessage game or if you have any issues finding how to access the app. I’m always down for a challenger (Please, I need a new challenger…Becca keeps kicking my ass)!