Use Messages on your iPhone or iPad

Send texts, photos, videos, and more. Pin your conversations. And learn how to edit or undo messages.

Send a message on your iPhone or iPad

1. Open Messages.
2. Tap the Compose button to start a new message. Or go to an existing conversation.
3. Type your message, then tap the Send button .

With iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 and later, you can also use inline replies and mentions to call attention to specific messages and people within the messages.

Undo a sent message on your iPhone or iPad

1. In Messages, tap a conversation.
2. Touch and hold the message you want to unsend.
3. Tap Undo Send .

The message disappears and a notification that says "You unsent a message" appears. You can undo a message for up to two minutes after you send it.

To undo messages, everyone must use iMessage with iOS 16, iPadOS 16.1, macOS Ventura, or later. If you unsend a message to someone on an older version of iOS, iPad OS, or macOS, your contact might still see the message.

Edit a sent message on your iPhone or iPad

1. In Messages, tap on a conversation.
2. Touch and hold the message you want to edit.
3. Tap Edit .
4. Make your edits, then tap the checkmark to finalize the message or the X to revert to the original message.

If you make edits, the word "Edited" appears under the message. You can edit a message up to five times within 15 minutes after you send it. After you edit a message, anyone can tap the word "Edited" to see the edit history.

To edit messages, everyone must use iMessage with iOS 16, iPadOS 16.1, macOS Ventura, or later. If you edit a message to someone on an older version of iOS, iPadOS, or macOS, the updated version will appear as a second message.

Reply from the Lock Screen

1. From the Lock Screen, touch and hold the notification that you want to reply to. Or depending on your device, you might need to swipe left over the notification and tap View. *
2. Type your message.
3. Tap the Send button .

If you have an iPhone X or later, or an iPad with Face ID, and can’t reply to a message from the Lock Screen, go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode, and turn on Reply with Message. If you have an iPhone SE (2nd and 3rd generation), iPhone 8 or earlier, or an iPad, go to Settings > Touch ID & Passcode > Allow Access When Locked, and turn on Reply with Message.

* Touch and hold is available on most devices that support iOS 13 and later, or iPadOS.

Pin important conversations

1. In Messages, tap Edit or the More button
   

   .

2. Tap Edit Pins
   

   , then tap the Pin button

   

   .

3. Tap Done.

You can also touch and hold a conversation to pin it. In iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 and later, you can pin up to nine conversations.

Change your name and photo

1. In Messages, tap Edit or the More button .
2. Tap Edit Name and Photo .
3. Edit your name. Or tap the image circle to choose an image, photo, emoji, or Memoji.
4. Tap Done.

Your name and photo can be shared with anyone using iMessage, but you’ll be asked to confirm that you want to share with someone when sending or replying to a new message. You can also turn sharing on and off. Just complete steps 1-2, and turn Name and Photo Sharing on or off.

Turn on Hide Alerts

1. Open Messages.
2. Swipe left over the conversation that you want to mute.
3. Tap the Alerts button .

When Hide Alerts is on, the Alerts button appears next to the conversation. This stops notifications only for that conversation, not your device. You’ll still receive all other messages and see notifications for them on your Lock Screen.

Find attachments from a conversation

1. Open the message.
2. Tap the name of the contact at the top of the message. If you’re using iOS 14 or earlier, or iPadOS, tap the Info button .
3. You’ll see Photos, Links, Documents, and more. Touch and hold an image or attachment to show options like Save, Copy, Share, and Delete.

From your conversations page in iOS 16.2 and later, you can also search to find photos in Messages based on their content, like a dog, car, person, or text.

Share TV and music, your projects, or your location

• Use Shared with You to find and share content like TV shows, images, music, or websites.
• Use group messages to collaborate on a project from apps like Notes or Pages in iOS 16 or later.
• Use Messages to share your location.