Apple Just Improved the Most Important Social Network in Your Life - WSJ

On a related note: The New iMessage Is Great. But Why on Earth Isn’t It on Android? (Wired)

"Right now, when you’re in Facebook Messenger, you can call an Uber or pay a friend back for a Slurpee. In China, my friends use WeChat to pay all their bills—even traffic tickets. Google’s forthcoming Allo app will allow you to make dinner reservations for friends. In Slack, the exploding business-focused messaging service, you can easily add items to a shared to-do list and share articles without ever leaving.

Although we won’t really know if Apple built a better messaging system until we start using it with our loved ones this fall, the updates could keep us from straying to one of those competing options. With a lot of key functionality and openness—and a few well-placed stickers—Apple’s messaging network can carry it into the future."

Apple Just Improved the Most Important Social Network in Your Life - WSJ