You Can Send Love Notes On iOS 10

If you're the kind of person who feels like texting and technology in general can be really impersonal, you're about to have your mind blown when your friends start to talk about how to text in handwriting on iOS 10. Yes, that's right — the super futuristic tech giants at Apple have found a way to merge the integrity of technology and the nostalgia of the handwritten note by adding a pen tool that allows users to write with their fingers.

Sure, it's not the same as a good old pen and paper, but it certainly merges the gap and allows you to show a little bit of yourself in a device that typically only gives you so much room for customization. It's their way of letting us see ourselves in our phones, too. And it's pretty neat.

Personally, I have terrible handwriting, so this isn't going to be a go to app for me. The texted word was sort of my savior. If people had to rely on my handwriting for correspondence, there would be a lot more confusion and miscommunication in my life. That said, it is something that I want to get better at and intend on playing around with until I'm able to write a legible note. It's the most un-iPhone addition, and yet it's exactly iPhone. It's a mix of our needs and the things we didn't even know we needed until we're addicted to them and need them to live. Without further ado, this is how to use handwriting in iOS 10:

Get Tilting

This feature is only available when your phone portrait orientation is off tilt-lock and is in landscape mode. So change your settings first, if you need to. Otherwise, simply open up a text message and tilt your phone on its side.

Start Writing

A canvas will open up that will give you a few options. You can pick a pre-loaded salutation at the bottom that will come in a very legible handwriting, or you can use your trusty pointer finger and have a go with your own skills. Don't worry, there's an "undo" button will take you back a step when you spell a word wrong because you still don't really understand script. No? Just me?

Send Away!

Now it's live and ready to go. You can add a caption if you like — personally I'll probably have to add a translation caption so that people can actually comprehend my handwritten notes. Otherwise, it's as easy as that! It's a great way to spice up your text feed by making it more personal. It's also just something fun to play around with when you're waiting in line for a doughnut, or whatever (aka, the thing most worthy of your love notes).

Images: Courtesy of Kaitlyn Wylde