If you missed Nintendo’s PictoChat feature from its DS handheld devices, you’re going to like this.
The PicoChat application, developed by Idrees Hassan, adds PictoChat-esque features to Apple’s iMessage. While iMessage already includes built-in drawing via Digital Touch, but PicoChat recreates the distinct aesthetic and interaction style of PictoChat.
PictoChat itself was a built-in messaging application preloaded on the Nintendo DS, Nintendo DS Lite, and Nintendo DSi. It allowed users to communicate using text and drawings over a local wireless connection, functioning as a LAN-only chat service. Messages could be typed using a small on-screen keyboard or handwritten using the DS’s stylus and touchscreen.
Similar to PictoChat, PicoChat allows users to draw and handwrite messages directly within iMessage, supporting pixelated emoji, undo functionality, and the ability to save favorite drawings. Unlike the original PictoChat, PicoChat is not limited to short-range wireless communication within a local network, and it allows users to send messages and drawings through iMessage regardless of distance.
The app’s design remains largely faithful to the original Nintendo DS user interface, and users are presented with a minimalistic drawing space above a tiny keyboard, similar to the DS layout. The interface even includes a stylus animation when drawing.
PicoChat functions as a third-party extension for iMessage, and must be accessed within the Messages app by tapping the “+” button in a chat thread. The app is available for free and requires either iOS 16.6 or later or iPadOS 16.6 or later to install and run.
If you’ve had a chance to try PicoChat, please let us know about your experience in the comments.