Apple removed the old landscape handwriting/doodle option in iMessage and added a dedicated Drawing app in the (+) iMessage menu. It uses the standard iOS drawing tools and attaches sketches as images.
The new Drawing app exposes the standard iOS drawing toolbar (pens, tools, colors) and attaches drawings to messages as images.
To send a drawing: open Messages, tap (+) left of the text field, choose Drawing, create the sketch, tap the checkbox to attach, then send.
# What changed
# How the new Drawing app works The Drawing app appears in the same list as other iMessage apps accessed via the (+) button. Its interface gives you the standard iOS drawing pens, color options, and tool choices that you see elsewhere in the operating system, like Markup and Notes. When you finish a sketch you tap the checkbox in the top-right corner and the drawing is attached to your outgoing message as an image.
Short, concrete steps to send a drawing
# Why Apple made the change There are two explanations discussed in the article. One is usability: the old landscape method was easy to miss because it required rotating the phone and hitting a small unlabeled control. Replacing it with a visible app in the (+) menu makes the feature discoverable and consistent with other iMessage tools.
The other explanation is hardware-related speculation. Some people connect the change to an expected folding iPhone arriving alongside iOS 27. A larger folding display would create a bigger canvas better suited for drawing, so moving the handwriting feature into a full Drawing app could prepare the software for that device. The article's author favors the simpler explanation: consolidation and consistency with system drawing toolsets that already exist in Markup and Notes.
# What this means for users If you used the landscape handwriting feature, you'll now find drawing tools inside the (+) app list rather than by rotating your phone in a message thread. You get more familiar controls (the same pens and options used elsewhere in iOS) and a clearer place to access the feature. Drawings are sent as image attachments, not as a distinct animated Digital Touch object.
# Context and source The change is part of iOS 27, described in Macworld by Jason Cross (Senior Editor). Macworld's writeup outlines the workflow, shows how the app fits among other Messages apps, and discusses the possible motivations behind the move, including the folding iPhone speculation and the long tenure of the original feature.
# Practical tip If Drawing doesn't show immediately in your (+) list, scroll the list of iMessage apps — it may be further back in the collection.
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