Sony has unexpectedly launched a stand-alone PlayStation Messages app for iOS and Android.
Once downloaded, the new app will enable you to stay in contact with your PS4-using friends even when away from your console. It’ll also issue a launch prompt when you try to send a message in the main PlayStation App, and you can jump between the two apps within their respective interfaces.
Up to now, the aforementioned PlaySation App has enabled gamers to carry their PSN messaging across from the fiddly PlayStation 4 controller itself to the much more convenient confines of their smartphones.
This all-singing, all-dancing app launched two years ago, providing a way to manage your downloads, control your PS4 remotely, buy game content from the PlayStation Store, and message your gaming friends.
With such a multi-functional app, it’s perhaps understandable that individual elements weren’t as polished as they could be. The messaging element, in particular, wasn’t anywhere near as slick as stand-alone services like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger.
Related: Best PS4 games 2015
That’s evidently why Sony has opted to spin off the function into a stand-alone PlayStation Messages app. It adds a streamlined new interface, a full friends list, Favourite Groups for frequent group messaging, as well as stickers.
You can download the PlayStation Messages app for free from the iOS App Store and the Google Play Store.
Next, take a look at our PS4 review video:
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
