App Overview

Widget for Messages icon

Widget for Messages

Jerrod Banks · Social Networking

Widget for Messages utilizes the Shortcuts app and Shortcuts automations to display messages from the Messages app onto a widget on the Home Screen

$0.99 · In-app purchases

PRICE
$0.99
In-app purchases
BUSINESS MODEL
Paid
No overall Grossing estimate available
RATING
5.0
1 ratings · Top 5%

Evidence scope: No current overall US chart position is available. Category-chart positions shown in discovery are a separate scope. Revenue is a directional model estimate, not verified earnings.

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A product spec, screen plans, and build steps for your coding agent.

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What's included15 files

A product spec, phased build plan, differentiation notes, and screen references.

  • START_HERE
  • AGENTS
  • EVIDENCE
  • SPEC
  • BUILD_PLAN
  • DIFFERENTIATION
  • skills/
  • screens/
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Illustrative example: an invoice app for independent contractors. Your kit is tailored to the app you choose; this is not its generated content.

Feature spec

Goal: Send a clear invoice after finishing a job.

  • Add a client, line items, a due date, and payment instructions.
  • Preview the total before exporting a PDF.
  • Keep an editable draft if export fails.

Screen plan

Invoice editor: Client at the top, editable line items in the middle, total and preview action at the bottom.

States: Empty draft, validation errors beside each field, exporting, and a retry action that preserves the draft.

Differentiate and validate

Hypothesis: Contractors need faster repeat invoices more than more templates.

First experiment: Test duplicating a previous job with five contractors. Watch where they hesitate before expanding the feature set.

The full kit adds a phased build plan, evidence notes, tool prompts, and implementation guidance. It is a plan for your coding agent, not a finished app.

Usage: Mechanics are fair game; never reuse the original name, branding, assets, or verbatim copy.

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> SELECT BUILD PLATFORM:

Good fit for mobile-first iOS and Android prototypes with managed app scaffolding.

// RORK SYSTEM PROMPT
Rork plan preview for Widget for Messages: map the core Social Networking workflow, choose the smallest differentiated feature set, define the data and monetization boundaries, then prototype the riskiest user journey first.
            

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Opportunities

AI-GENERATED OPPORTUNITY HYPOTHESES

These are generated suggestions, not verified review quotations. Check current App Store reviews and speak with users before treating a possible gap as a requirement.

Hypothesis 1

Offer more themes and styles for widget customization.

Assumption to check: Limited customization options for widgets

Validate with people who use this workflow before building.

Hypothesis 2

Integrate social features like sharing widgets with friends.

Assumption to check: Lack of user engagement features

Validate with people who use this workflow before building.

Hypothesis 3

Implement WebSocket for real-time message updates.

Assumption to check: No real-time updates for messages

Validate with people who use this workflow before building.

Hypothesis 4

Provide clear descriptions and benefits for each in-app purchase option.

Assumption to check: In-app purchases may confuse users

Validate with people who use this workflow before building.

App evidence

Original App Store material. Ratings and screenshots describe the existing app, not proof of demand for your version.

App Store description

Widget for Messages utilizes the Shortcuts app and Shortcuts automations to display messages from the Messages app onto a widget on the Home Screen. The widget will display only the most recent message from each user; tapping the message on the widget will take you to the conversation in the Messages app. Please review the limitations listed below before purchasing the app. This app may not suit your needs due to these limitations. Important Note: Please review the limitations of the app found within this description below or at the support URL listed below prior to purchasing, as the app may not be suitable for your needs. The app does not collect or provide me or anyone else any of your message, contacts or personal contact information in any way. The app requires such information in order to display your conversation data into the widget and to properly work with group conversations. Features - Small, medium, and large widgets. - Open directly to a chat conversation within the Messages app just by tapping on the conversation in the widget. - Badge that displays the unread messages count that can be toggled on/off. - Push Notifications for messages to open directly to the conversation. - Push Notifications can be on a per-message basis, selectable in the three dots on the conversation row. - Group Message support - Display only messages received from different contact groups. - Ties directly into the Contacts app to allow for modifying and creating groups. - Support for international numbers using native iOS APIs. - Support for short codes that the companies and the lame spammers use. - Support for email addresses used for iMessages. - Automatically delete specific or all messages after opening it and it is marked as read. - Supports StandBy widgets. - Support for over 100 countries/regions and the following languages English Spanish German French Japanese Arabic Portuguese Italian Russian Korean Chinese Simplified Limitations *The limitations listed below are due to system level features, functions, or APIs that my app does not have access to or are required in the currently released Apple Operating Systems* - Photos and Videos within messages will not display in the widget or the app. - One-word messages likely won’t come through as the message received trigger relies on having at least one space in the message. - The Widget for Messages app must open first in order to open to the conversation in the Messages app when tapping a message on the widget. - There’s no easy way to detect group messages, but I’ve tried my best with a workaround; therefore, it may or may not work correctly. Apple does not provide an API to achieve this. - Shortcuts will always display a notification when the automation runs; Apple does not offer a toggle to disable it for this automation trigger. - Reading a message in the Messages app without going through the widget does not mark the message read in the Widget for Messages app as this is not possible. - Conversations of group chats with custom group names aren’t able to be opened directly as there is no API to do so.

Written user reviews are not shown here. Check current App Store reviews >

Screenshots

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Build scope

Plan a focused first version with your coding agent. These are planning assumptions, not a delivery guarantee.

Define the first version

Choose one audience and one core workflow. Use the kit to agree on its screens, data, and acceptance criteria before building.

Set boundaries

Decide which secondary features, integrations, and platform support can wait. Your version does not need to reproduce everything in the original.

Check the hard parts

Validate external services, specialist technology, data access, and ongoing costs for your chosen scope.

SUGGESTED BUILD STACK
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BUILD KIT DIFFICULTY
Advanced

From the Build Kit assessment.

A reliable timeline needs an agreed scope and a technical check. Ask your agent to estimate the phases in BUILD_PLAN.md after that review.