iMessage has secret games hidden you may not have known about

Did you know that there's actually a whole bunch of games hidden away on iMessage? Well, there is.

They've actually been available for quite some time now, but some Apple iPhone and iPad users are only just discovering them.

From classics like Connect Four and chess to Word Hunt and Tanks, a wide range of iMessage-compatible games are available to download from Apple's App Store to play with your friends while texting.

(Yes, on the same screen as your conversation, so you don't even have to bother shuffling through apps and wasting precious seconds.)

All you have to do to download them is open an iMessage conversation and then click on the app store button (the blue one with an 'A' made out of ice cream sticks).

Then, simply browse through until you find the game you want to play with your gran. So, for example, if you wanted to start up a round of Simon Says, you could open the app, play your turn and then send the game-in-progress as a message to her.

Presuming you won't want to pay for the majority of games, there are some decent free-to-install games with optional in-app purchases available, like Game Pigeon, which comes with over 20 "tasty" multiplayer arcade games, including Mini Golf and 20 Questions.

There's also the playfully titled Let's Puck It!, which is a sort of digital version of air hockey, but the fun part is that players get to place pre-selected bets. So you could set it up so that the loser has to buy you dinner or be your personal footstool for a month.

Or how about Moji Bowling? Uncaringly lob emojis down an alley and watch them satisfyingly smash against 10 solid pins.

There are plenty more out there, and all it takes a few thumb strokes.

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