Take Control of Big Sur

Enhance Your Messages

Apple’s Messages app brings in some features that were previously present only in the iOS/iPadOS version of the app, and adds some new ones (which are also shared across platforms). Here’s a quick overview of what’s new.

Notice the Small Improvements

There are several small but interesting changes that are worth pointing out even though there’s not much to say about them:

• Sidebar: One of the first things you may notice when opening Messages is that the sidebar, where your recent contacts are listed, may display only icons rather than names and message snippets. This is done to save space, but it’s unhelpful if most of your contacts don’t have photos or avatars. To restore the sidebar to full width, drag the vertical divider ...