Snap and Send – An iOS 8 Message Trick

Thanks to Helen, one of our most loyal readers, we can share with you another efficient iPhone trick. It’s made available by iOS 8 and offers you the possibility to capture a photo or a video while you’re in the middle of a message conversation and instantly send it to your contact. It’s yet another simple shortcut that spares you from opening the Camera app, recording the media, returning to the conversation and sending it to your text partner.

For example, if you’re texting your family, to inform that you’ve arrived to your latest travel destination, you can instantly snap an image with your hotel’s balcony view and share it with your loved ones. Or, if you’re walking in the park and something funny is happening, you can record a short video and instantly send it to your conversation partner.

How To Snap and Send?
Simply tap and hold the ‘Camera’ icon, available at the left side of your text input field. A small menu sphere open-up above the camera icon, with 3 icons, while the rest of the screen hosts the camera app and shows live feed from iSight. The three available options are:
– Camera Icon: if you press this button your iPhone will take a picture and immediately add and send the photo to your current text conversation.
– Video Icon: the red shutter button will start recording a video when pressed. You need to maintain the tap for as long as you wish to record. As soon as the recording stops, you’ll be able to play the video and check it out, by pressing the play button, which replaced the red start video one. If you fancy your capture add it to your text chat by pressing the Up-arrow icon. Else, tap on ‘X’ and return to the conversation without adding any new captured media. Check the video below for more details!
– X Icon: in case that you changed your mind, tap ‘X’ and the small Camera command panel will disappear and you can resume your conversation.

Snap and Send Tips
Consider the following facts before using this efficient iOS 8 messaging trick:
– If you wish to shoot and send a photo, do take in account that the image will be sent instantly, after snapping. So, there is no way you can edit it before your contact sees it.
– In case of video recording, the situation changes, as you are able to play the capture before sending.
– This trick works both with iMessage conversations as well as in SMS conversations. However, do mind that if you are sending media files with carrier messages you could acquire additional fees on your monthly bills.

Tip: You can also rapidly share a recently snapped photo or video via this trick.