iMessage #images Search In iOS 10 Messages App Not Working? Here’s A Workaround Fix

Can’t find Apple’s #images iMessage app in iOS 10 Messages? Want a fix for it not working or missing? Here’s why that maybe happening and what you can do about it.

It’s probably fair to suggest that a great deal of iPhone and iPad owners who have taken the opportunity to download and install iOS 10 are spending a large percentage of their time playing around in the new iOS 10 Messages app environment. There is literally so much that’s new in there that you can keep discovering new ways to send messages every time you visit. One of those new features is the ability to add GIFs and images into a conversation via Apple’s own #images app within Messages, but unfortunately it isn’t available to everyone.

ios-10-messages-images

So the story goes a little like this; all throughout the testing phase of iOS 10 Apple made the new image and GIF search functionality – which incidentally is powered by Bing – available to all testers in all regions. The new feature basically provides a quick interface to seamlessly search for images, either still or animated, that can then be added to a message with a single tap.

Of course, like Sticker packs within iOS 10, a press and hold also allows an image to be added as a reaction to a message. But for one reason or another, Apple actually removed access to this feature for a lot of regions when iOS 10 went live.

As it stands, only those iOS 10 owners in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, India, Singapore, Philippines, and Japan can instantly access the #images search functionality within the iOS 10 Messages app. Those residing in these regions can add hilarious GIFs to any message with minimal fuss.

(Apple’s #images app in iOS 10 Messages)

Unfortunately, anyone outside of those territories will simply have to wait until Apple flips the switch at its end, and adds the feature for those users, or simply use a third-party service that offers the same level of functionality, like Giphy.

(Giphy app in iOS 10 Messages)

The great news is that Giphy has actually updated its service to offer a native iOS 10 Messages extension, meaning that it’s just a simple case of downloading the app via Messages, or through the normal App Store if you already have it installed, and then activating it via the iOS 10 Messages app. Giphy can then be used to search for content in exactly the same format as Apple’s #images offering, resulting in stunning and hilarious animated images for all.

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