Open Radar

 
Summary:
Messages extensions currently cannot access the content (text, images, stickers, attachments, etc) entered by the user in the iMessage input field. It would be nice if message extensions could request access to that content and optionally clear it out of the input field (capturing it into the extension itself). Obviously users would have to approve this.

Steps to Reproduce:
1. User types text in the iMessage field and/or adds a photo (and does not send it yet)
2. User taps on the Apps icon and selects a Message extension
3. The message extension launches

Expected Results:
4. The message extension can detect that the user has entered content in the input field
5. The message extension requests access for that content
6. iOS shows the user a permission alert asking if the extension can have access to that content
7. The user approves the permission request
8. The extension gets access to the entered content
9. The extension can optionally clear out the content that it just captured from the input field

Actual Results:
The message extension has no way to detect if any content is entered or have any way to retrieve it

Version:
iOS 10.0 (14A5297c)

Notes:
Our app (Confide) is a secure, confidential, ephemeral, screenshot-protected messaging app. We are planning on building a Messages extension to allow users to send ephemeral and screenshot-protected messages from within the Messages app. It would be nice if a user started typing a message in the regular input field and then realized "this would be better sent using the Confide extension" they could easily move that content into our extension.