✏️ [ FEAT REQ ] Design (also) for small screens

[sphh]

Is your feature request related to a problem? If so, please describe the problem. I use a phone with a very tiny screen (240x432px). When writing a text message, the input field is very small:

Describe the feature you'd like I would like to have a larger space to compose the text and see more of the conversation.

1. + and send button On the screenshot above you might notice, that a lot of screen space is wasted by the + and the Send button being on the opposite site of the text input field. Moving them to one side would free up a substantial area to increase the text input field. The delayed sending button could then simply replace the send button. That has the added advantage, that it will not be far from the send button. For this to work, the message has to stay where it is, when it waits to being sent (at the moment it moves upwards into the conversation).
2. Replace the + button with ⋮ By replacing the big + button with a ⋮ would increase the space for the input field even further. I think, it is now well established, that ⋮ reveals further possibilities, so it might be suitable for that task. Another possibility is to slim down the + button to the width of the Send button.
3. Remove the profile initials/photo from the conversation Showing the profile photo/contact initials left of the correspondent's replies is a very nice touch, if you have enough screen space. On small screens or with big display fonts this again eats away a lot of space which could be used to display message. These icons also do not reveal new information, because the name is already displayed at the top. Maybe this could be an option in the settings?
4. ‘Do something’ with the SIM card button In the low right corner of the text input field an icon is displayed to change the SIM card used for sending. It is easy to accidentally click that button when composing a text message! Maybe this functionality could be moved into the ⋮ button suggested above, because it is not needed very often (mostly when sending a text message for the first time – later the SIM card, where the message had been received, is used). The information about the active SIM card could be displayed in the send button?

Here is a mock-up of the suggestions described above (without the change from + to ⋮):

[octoshrimpy]

I agree on the ability to hide profile images in the convo thread, and would like to refactor the bottom bar to make it easier to use on smaller screens, still thinking about a solution that won't have users fat-fingering the send button when attempting to attach an image.

[sphh]

Thank you for considering making the life for us owners of mini-phones easier!

Pressing Send instead of adding an image/contact/… could actually be a problem. Could this feature be put into the menu, which pops up after a long-press? But that probably gives rise to a lot of complaints, why this feature is missing…

That button (in a small form) could also take the place of the SIM-card switching button in the lower right corner – if the text flows around it, that is.

[octoshrimpy]

the long-press I believe is OS-based? not sure if I could add something in there, and I don't want to override it, as that's also the right click menu when using keyboard/mouse.

removing the sim button would then also remove the visual for which sim you're sending from. this is a UX problem i'm almost ready to tackle. I'm gonna let it simmer a bit longer. :)

[sphh]

That SIM button is somewhat awkwardly placed: When you want to put the cursor at the end of the message you are currently composing, it is easy to accidentally hit that button and you send the text message from the wrong number. That's why I suggested to add the number (or name?) of the card as a badge to the send button. And since you very rarely change the SIM card after a conversation has started, so I suggest to move the SIM button also into that new menu.

As when starting a new conversation, the SIM card to be used is not known yet. In that case a question mark could be shown on the badge and a question asking for the SIM card can pop up after hitting the Send button.

That new button which opens the menu offering the add image/contact/… functionality and for changing the SIM card could be a ⋮ …