Use Messages on your iPhone or iPad

Send texts, photos, videos and more. Pin your conversations. Set Messages to automatically delete verification codes after you’ve used them with AutoFill.

Send a message on your iPhone or iPad

Open Messages.
Tap the Compose button to start a new message. Or go to an existing conversation.
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 bring specific messages and people to attention 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

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

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

If you have an iPhone X device 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.

In Messages, use the pin icon to choose which conversations to keep at the top of your conversations page.

Pin important conversations

In Messages, tap Edit or the More button.
Tap Edit Pins, then tap the Pin button.
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.

In Messages, you can choose the name and photo you share in conversations.

Change your name and photo

In Messages, tap Edit or the More button.
Tap your Name & Photo.
Tap Edit to edit your photo or tap your name to edit your name.
Tap Done.

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.

Stop notifications for a conversation

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

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

Find attachments from a conversation

Open the message.
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.
You’ll see Photos, Links, Documents and more. Touch and hold an image or attachment to show options, such as 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, such as a dog, car, person or text.

Find out more about search in Messages

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

In the Settings app, tap General.
Tap AutoFill & Passwords.
Turn on Delete After Use.

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