Manage safety settings in Messages
In the Messages app 
, you can send text messages in two different ways:
Over Wi-Fi or mobile data, using iMessage with others who also use iMessage on an iPhone, iPad or Mac. Your iMessage texts appear in blue bubbles.
With SMS/MMS messages forwarded from your iPhone to other devices. Your SMS/MMS messages appear in green bubbles.
You can use iMessage to send messages, photos or videos to another iPhone, iPad or Mac over Wi-Fi or mobile data networks. These messages are always encrypted and appear in blue text bubbles on your iPhone, iPad and Mac.
Find out how: To view a task below, select the plus button 
next to its title.
Limit Messages to one device
If you want to limit Messages to one device, you must sign the account out of Messages on the devices you no longer want to receive messages on, and turn off Messages in iCloud.
Do one of the following:
On your iPhone or iPad: Go to Settings
> Messages, then turn iMessage on or off.On your Mac: In the Messages app
, choose Messages > Settings, click iMessage, then click Sign out. Confirm you want to sign out, then click Sign out again.
Turn off Messages in iCloud from iPhone or iPad
When you use Messages in iCloud, all the messages you send, receive and delete are updated on all your Apple devices automatically.
On your iPhone or iPad: Go to Settings
> [your name], then tap iCloud.Under Apps using iCloud, tap Show All.
Tap Messages, then turn off Sync this [iPhone][iPad].
Repeat this task on each device to remove the messages from iCloud.
Turn off Messages in iCloud from Mac
When you use Messages in iCloud, all the messages you send, receive and delete are updated on all your Apple devices automatically.
In the Messages app
on your Mac, choose Messages > Settings, then click iMessage.Click Settings, then deselect Enable Messages in iCloud.
Choose one of the following:
Disable All: Turns off Messages in iCloud on all your devices. Messages are no longer stored in iCloud and are instead stored on each device.
Disable This Device: Turns off Messages in iCloud on your Mac only. Messages on your Mac are no longer stored in iCloud; on any other device where Messages in iCloud is turned on, messages continue to be stored in iCloud.
Turn iMessage on and off
iMessage uses end-to-end encryption, protecting your messages across all your devices so they can’t be accessed without your passcode by anyone, including Apple. Because iMessage conversations take place over Wi-Fi and mobile data networks, information related to the person you message doesn’t appear on your phone bill. iMessages can be backed up, so that if your device is lost or stolen, you can still reproduce important message threads.
Important: For Messages to be saved to iCloud, you must have enabled backup. If you haven’t, your messages won’t be restored. See Set up iCloud for Messages on all your devices in the iCloud User Guide.
When iMessage is on
You can send an iMessage using a Wi-Fi connection when you don’t have access to mobile service. The Recently Deleted feature saves deleted messages for up to 30 days, so if you’re concerned someone may have deleted messages from your device, those messages may still be in this tab.
When iMessage is off
When iMessage is turned off, features like message editing, message unsend and read receipts aren’t available. Messages are sent using SMS/MMS instead.
Important: When using SMS/MMS, records of these messages may appear in your phone bill and those message records may be released through the network provider to the account owner for that phone number.
On your iPhone or iPad: Go to Settings
> Messages, then turn iMessage on or off.On your Mac using macOS 13 or later: Open Messages
, choose Messages > Settings, click iMessage, then click Sign out. Confirm you want to sign out, then click Sign out again.On your Mac using macOS 12 or earlier: Open Messages
, choose Messages > Settings, click iMessage, then click Sign out. Confirm you want to sign out, then click Sign out again.
Turn read receipts on and off
iMessage read receipts let iMessage users know when their messages have been read. With read receipts on, the person who sent you the iMessage gets a Read indicator below the message after you’ve read it. With read receipts off, they see only that the message has been delivered.
You have the option to send read receipts for all conversations, or only for individual ones. If you’ve turned on read receipts for all conversations, you can still turn them off for individual ones — and vice versa.
Note: Read receipts aren’t supported with SMS messaging and with group texts.
On your iPhone or iPad: Go to Settings
> Messages, then turn Read Receipts on or off.On your Mac using macOS 13 or later: Open Messages
, go to Messages > Settings, click the iMessage tab, then select or deselect Send Read Receipts.On your Mac using macOS 12 or earlier: Open Messages
, go to Messages > Preferences, click the iMessage tab, then select or deselect Send Read Receipts.
Edit a sent message
In iOS 16, iPadOS 16.1 and macOS 13, or later, you can edit a recently sent message up to five times within 15 minutes of sending it. This allows you the opportunity to fix a typo. Recipients see that a message was edited and are able to view the edit history.
Note: SMS messages can’t be edited.
If your recipients have Apple devices with earlier versions of iOS, iPadOS or macOS, they receive follow-up messages with the preface “Edited to” and your new message in quotation marks.
On your iPhone or iPad: Tap Messages
, touch and hold the message bubble, tap Edit, then edit the message and send it again.On your Mac using macOS 13: Open Messages
, Control-click the message bubble, select Edit, then edit the message and send it again.
Unsend a message
In iOS 16, iPadOS 16.1 and macOS 13, or later, you can unsend a recently sent message for up to 2 minutes after sending it. This allows you the opportunity to pull back a message that was accidentally sent to the wrong person. Recipients see that a message was unsent.
Note: SMS messages can’t be unsent.
On your iPhone or iPad: Tap Messages
, touch and hold the message bubble, then tap Undo Send.A note confirming that you unsent the message appears in both conversation transcripts — yours and your recipient’s.
On your Mac using macOS 13 or later: Open Messages
, Control-click the message bubble, then select Undo Send.A note confirming that you unsent the message appears in both conversation transcripts — yours and your recipient’s.