> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.bland.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# May 7, 2026

> iMessage support, the Knowledge Base map, and custom skills for Norm

### iMessage Support \[Enterprise]

Bland now supports iMessage as a third messaging channel alongside voice and SMS. Reach customers from a branded contact with your company name and profile image instead of a random number, with all the iMessage features they already use every day. Read the full announcement: [Bland iMessage: A branded contact in every customer's phone](https://www.bland.ai/blogs/bland-imessage-a-branded-contact-in-every-customers-phone).

* Messages come from a branded contact with your company name and profile image, in iMessage's blue bubbles, with end-to-end encryption
* Send and receive high-resolution photos, videos, PDFs, spreadsheets, and other documents, plus tapbacks, text effects, Live Stickers, and voice memos. Delivery status, read receipts, and typing indicators give you richer analytics than SMS
* One agent powers every channel: iMessage agents share the same pathways, personas, and persona memory as your voice and SMS agents

[https://www.loom.com/embed/2efad77478c247079bce4c16b4cee4f2](https://www.loom.com/embed/2efad77478c247079bce4c16b4cee4f2)

***

### Knowledge Base Updates

A handful of upgrades to the Knowledge Base this week, headlined by a new visual map of your sources and questions.

* The new Knowledge Map tab lays out every source and question as connected nodes, color-coded by source coverage and question status, with a legend for coverage tiers (under 50%, 50 to 79%, 80% and above) and resolved versus open questions
* Aggregate stats are now shown on the Sources tab, giving you a quick snapshot of size and coverage
* The Query Logs tab now displays the full query context inline, so you can see exactly what the agent was working with when each query fired

![Knowledge Base map showing sources and questions as connected nodes with a legend for coverage tiers and question status](https://mintcdn.com/blandai/rZU1iSWysGxLcSAw/changelog_assets/05_07_2026/kb_map.jpeg?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=rZU1iSWysGxLcSAw\&q=85\&s=e3000f1da1fda171746e2964d0540a2f)

An interactive map of every source and question in your Knowledge Base, color-coded by coverage and resolution

***

### Custom Skills for Norm

Teach Norm to do exactly what your team needs. Custom skills are scoped to your organization and live alongside the built-in skill set in the Norm chat.

* Type `/` in Norm chat to trigger any skill or to create a new one via "Create custom skill", with the editor opening in a side drawer with five fields: command, name, description, when to use, and the content Norm should follow
* Use skills for anything your team does repeatedly, like enforcing a brand voice across dialogue prompts, scaffolding common flows such as insurance verification, or generating your standard QA scenarios for every new pathway

> [tab] Slash Menu
>
> ![Norm chat slash menu showing the Create custom skill option above the input](https://mintcdn.com/blandai/rZU1iSWysGxLcSAw/changelog_assets/05_07_2026/Norm_skills_1.jpeg?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=rZU1iSWysGxLcSAw\&q=85\&s=461cb25acc74c4d9f75573c556c5c37a)
>
> Type `/` in Norm to open the slash menu and create or trigger a skill

> [tab] Skill Editor
>
> ![New skill drawer with command, name, description, when to use, and content fields filled in for a Brand Voice skill](https://mintcdn.com/blandai/rZU1iSWysGxLcSAw/changelog_assets/05_07_2026/Norm_skills_2.jpeg?fit=max\&auto=format\&n=rZU1iSWysGxLcSAw\&q=85\&s=1246808e1f9a8e34770a6f76ecf4e0d9)
>
> Build the skill in a side drawer with command, name, description, when-to-use, and content fields

***

### Improvements

**Pathways**

* \[Enterprise] The Scheduling node now supports caller authentication, so you can verify a caller's identity before booking on their behalf
* Outcomes are now surfaced inline during pathway test calls, so you can see how each test resolved without leaving the test panel

**Agent Testing**

* A pathway version selector has been added to the testbed, so you can target a specific version when testing a pathway
* Scenarios can now be tagged with labels, and a Run Batch by label modal lets you execute every scenario sharing a label as a single batch
* Each historical test run now has a unique ID you can copy and search by, making it easier to revisit a specific run

**SMS**

* \[Enterprise] The memory system for SMS now autofills standard conversation fields like the contact's name and number, so memory lookups happen without extra setup

**Web Widget**

* Widget webhooks now include conversation variables in the payload, so downstream systems can use the same context the agent had


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