Video Chatting and Texting
- Text Messaging with the Messages App
- Video Chatting and More with FaceTime
- Group Video Meetings with Zoom
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
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In this chapter, you learn how to communicate with friends and family using the Messages and FaceTime apps.
Text Messaging with the Messages App
Video Chatting and More with FaceTime
Group Video Meetings with Zoom
You’ve learned how to communicate with friends, family, and businesses with email. But email is slow (relatively) and not at all like having a conversation in real time.
For that, we turn to text messaging and video chatting. Text messaging, using the iPad’s Messages app, is great for sending short thoughts and notes. Video chatting, using the FaceTime app, is better when you want one-on-one, face-to-face conversation.
Text Messaging with the Messages App
Let’s start with text messaging, like you do on your phone. On your iPad, you use the Messages app to send text messages over Wi-Fi via Apple’s iMessage service. Your messages can include photos, videos, and other files you attach to the basic text.
SEND AND RECEIVE TEXT MESSAGES
The Messages app lets you send text messages to any of your friends and family who have an iPad, iPhone, or Mac computer. It’s as easy as tapping out a message on the onscreen keyboard and then tapping the Send button.
Tap the Messages icon to open the Messages app.
Previous conversations are listed in the left column. Tap a conversation to send another message to this person.
Tap the Compose icon to start a new conversation.
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Tap in the To field and use the onscreen keyboard to begin entering the name, email address, or phone number of the person with whom you want to talk.
As you type, the Messages app displays a list of matching people from your contacts list. Tap the name of the person you want to text with or finish entering the contact information for this person.
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Type your message into the iMessage box.
Tap the blue Send icon.
Your message appears on the right side of the message pane.
Messages from the other person appear on the left. Continue typing to continue the conversation.
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SEND AN AUDIO MESSAGE
Instead of sending a plain text message, you can record and send a short audio message. Just tap the Record button and start talking!
In the iMessage box, press and hold the record icon.
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Begin talking. While you talk, continue to hold your finger on the icon. You see the waveform of your voice in the iMessage box.
When you’re done talking, lift your finger from the screen.
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Tap the Play button to hear what you recorded.
Tap the Send button to send the recording to the other person.
SEND A PHOTO
Just as with phone-based MMS (multimedia messaging), you can send photos to people you’re messaging in the Messages app. You can send photos stored in your iPad’s photo library or take a new photo (like a selfie) and send it.
To send a photo stored on your iPad, tap the Photos icon below the iMessage box. (You might need to tap the Apps icon to display icons for Photos and other apps.)
Navigate to and tap the photo you want to send. (You may need to tap Add to add the photo.)
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The photo is added to a message. Tap the Send icon to send the photo(s) to the person with whom you’re texting.
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To take and send a new photo, tap the Camera icon. This displays the camera screen.
Make sure that Photo is selected.
If necessary, tap the Flip icon to switch from the rear camera to the front camera.
Aim your iPad and then tap the big round icon to take the picture.
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You see the picture you just took. If you don’t like it, tap Retake.
If you do like the photo, tap the Done icon.
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The picture is added to the message. Tap the Send icon to send the photo.
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SEND A VIDEO MESSAGE
Just as you can send photos and short audio messages, you can also record and send short video messages, using your iPad’s front-facing FaceTime camera.
From within the Messages app, tap the Camera icon next to the iMessage box to display the camera screen.
Tap Video.
If necessary, tap the Flip icon to switch to the front-facing camera.
Look into the camera and tap the red Record button. Start talking!
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When you’re done talking, tap the Record button again to stop the recording.
You now see the video you recorded. Tap the Play button to play the video if you want.
If you like the video you recorded, tap the Send icon to send the message to the recipient.
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