Beyond Texting: 16 Cool Tricks Hidden Inside Apple Messages

The Messages app has long been a mainstay on the iPhone and iPad as the default way Apple would like you to send messages. But it can handle a lot more than just plain, old text

messages. You can spruce up your messages with photos, videos, emoji, stickers, music, animated GIFs, and other cool content. You can switch between typing and dictating your

message. To organize your texts, you’re able to filter out unknown senders and pin frequent conversations at the top. And with the latest version of iOS/iPadOS, you can edit and

even unsend a text.To enjoy the most recent enhancements, make sure you’re running the current operating system for your device. Go to Settings > General > Software Update

to see if your software is up to date. If not, you’ll be prompted to download and install the latest update.Now, let’s check out 16 of those top tricks to help you use

Apple’s Messages app.1. Edit a Sent MessageWith iOS 16 or higher, you can revise a text that you’ve already sent in case you need to fix a typo or other mistake. If your

recipient is running iOS 16, iPadOS 16, or macOS Ventura or higher, the corrected message will replace the original one. If they’re still using an older version of the OS on

their mobile device or Mac, that person will receive a new message with the corrected text. The original message remains, and a notice tells them that the message was edited.

Either way, you have only 15 minutes to edit a sent message, so don’t delay if you spot an error.To try this out, send someone a text with an intentional mistake. (Credit:

Apple/Lance Whitney) Press down on the sent text and select Edit from the menu. Fix the mistake and then tap the checkmark to send the new and corrected version. The new message

replaces the original one on the recipient’s end. (Credit: Apple/Lance Whitney) 2. Unsend a Sent MessageYou’ve sent a message to the wrong person or want to recall it for some

other reason. With iOS 16 or higher, you can unsend it. If your recipient is running iOS 16, iPadOS 16, or macOS Ventura or higher, the original message will simply vanish. If

they’re still using an older version of the OS, the original message remains with a notice that it was unsent. The full effect works only with iMessage texts and not with SMS or

MMS messages. And you have just 2 minutes to unsend it, so you’ll need to be quick here.To try this, send a text to someone. Press down on that text and select Undo Send from the

menu. The text then disappears on the recipient’s end with a notice that you unsent a message. (Credit: Apple/Lance Whitney) 3. Add a Photo or VideoYou can easily attach a photo