Use Messages on your iPhone or iPad

Send texts, photos, videos, and more. Pin your conversations. Set Messages to automatically delete verification codes once you use them with AutoFill.

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.

Send a message later in iOS 18

Send a text message via satellite with an iPhone 14 or later in iOS 18

Send a poll in your group messages in iOS 26

Format your messages and use text effects in iOS 18

Delete or edit messages on your iPhone or iPad

Delete a message

Recover deleted messages

Edit a message

Undo a sent message

If you need help

What to do if you can't send or receive messages

What to do if you can't sign in to Messages

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.

Proofread or rewrite your texts in Messages in iOS 18.1

On Apple Intelligence capable devices with iOS 18.1 and iPadOS 18.1, you can use Writing Tools to proofread, rewrite, summarize, or change the tone of text. Highlight the text you want to change, tap the Forward button >, then tap Writing Tools to get started.

To use Apple Intelligence features on your iPhone, you need an iPhone 16, iPhone 16 Plus, iPhone 16 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro Max, iPhone 15 Pro, or iPhone 15 Pro Max. Apple Intelligence is available in beta starting with iOS 18.1, iPadOS 18.1, and macOS Sequoia 15.1 when your device language and Siri language are set to the same supported language.

Apple Intelligence uses generative models and outputs may vary. Check important information for accuracy.

Pin important conversations

  1. In Messages, tap Edit or the More buttonMore button.

  2. Tap Edit PinsEdit Pins, then tap the Pin buttonPin button.

  3. Tap the Done button.

    Pin your favorite conversations in Messages on iOS 26.

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 buttonMore button.

  2. Tap your Name & PhotoPhoto.

  3. Edit your photo or choose a different image, or tap your name to edit your name.

  4. Tap the Done button.

    In iOS 26, you can edit your name and image so that it appears for others in Messages.

You can share your name and photo 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 & Photo Sharing on or off.

Change the background for a Messages conversation in iOS 26

  1. Open the conversation that you want to add a background to.

  2. Tap the name of the person or group at the top.

  3. Tap Backgrounds.

  4. Tap the type of background that you want to use.

  5. Tap the Done button.

Stop notifications for a conversation

  1. Open Messages.

  2. Swipe left over the conversation that you want to mute.

  3. Tap the Hide Alerts buttonAlerts button.

    To stop notifications for a specific message, swipe left and tap the Alerts button.

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

Learn more about Messages notifications

Use Messages summaries in iOS 18.1

In iOS 18.1 with an iPhone 16 or an iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, and later Pro models, Messages can summarize your unread texts through Apple Intelligence.

To turn Messages summaries on or off:

  1. In the Settings app, tap Apps.

  2. Tap Messages.

  3. Turn Summarize Messages on or off.

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 buttonInfo 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.

Learn more about search in Messages

Set Messages to automatically delete verification codes in iOS 17 or later

  1. In the Settings app, tap General.

  2. Tap AutoFill & Passwords.

  3. Turn on Delete After Use.

    In iOS 26, you can turn on Delete After Use in the AutoFill & Passwords settings to delete verification code messages automatically.

With this setting on in iOS 17 or later, your phone automatically deletes verification codes in Messages or Mail after the code has been used with AutoFill.

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