A new iMessage app is bringing back a slice of early 2000s nostalgia, transforming Apple’s messaging platform into something straight out of a Nintendo DS. The free app, called PicoChat, faithfully recreates the experience of PictoChat, the built-in chatroom feature that debuted with the DS back in 2004.
A Blast from the Past for iPhone Users
Created by developer Idrees Hassan, PicoChat taps into a wave of digital nostalgia, allowing users to relive the days of doodling and chatting on their beloved handheld consoles. Hassan, known for his previous work on a Pokémon Apple Watch app, has captured the charm of the original PictoChat experience, complete with the retro interface, pixelated emoji, and freehand drawing features that made the DS’s chatroom so memorable.
In a post on Bluesky, Hassan shared his motivation for building the app: he wanted to bring back the feeling of “pulling out your Nintendo DS on the bus and messaging your friends.” For anyone who remembers sending doodles across a high school cafeteria or testing the limits of the local wireless range on a train ride, this app is a direct line to those memories.
How It Works—and Where to Find It
PicoChat isn’t a standalone app that appears on your iPhone’s home screen. Like all iMessage apps, it lives within the Messages app itself. After downloading it from the App Store, users can access it by tapping the “+” button inside a conversation, selecting the PicoChat icon, and instantly transforming their keyboard into a PictoChat-style interface.
For those unfamiliar with iMessage apps, here’s a quick rundown:
- They don’t appear as traditional app icons on the home screen.
- Once installed, they can be accessed from within the Messages app.
- The PicoChat interface takes over the keyboard, mimicking the Nintendo DS layout.
From there, it’s just like the old days—users can send handwritten messages, sketch quick doodles, and pick tiny pixelated emojis to communicate, all within iMessage.
What’s Inside the App?
PicoChat doesn’t just look the part; it packs in plenty of features to make the experience feel authentic. The app includes:
- A nearly identical recreation of the original PictoChat interface.
- Freehand drawing, just like on the DS touchscreen.
- A selection of pixel-art emojis to send to friends.
- Undo and redo buttons for sketching.
- The ability to save favorite doodles for later use.
And since the app is open-source, there’s potential for even more features to be added down the line.
A Nostalgic Ride Back to 2004
For those who grew up in the early 2000s, PictoChat was more than just a chatroom—it was a cultural moment. The DS’s local wireless capabilities allowed users to connect in classrooms, cafeterias, and even random public spaces. It wasn’t uncommon to find yourself messaging strangers on a train or testing how far you could walk before the signal cut out.
Of course, the platform also became infamous for, let’s say, less wholesome uses. Whether it was crude doodles being sent across a middle school lunch table or inside jokes between friends, PictoChat had a unique charm that made it a defining feature of the DS era.
With PicoChat, Hassan has managed to bottle up that nostalgic magic and drop it right into the iPhone’s messaging experience. And for anyone who ever owned a DS, that’s a pretty exciting prospect.
