Use message effects with iMessage on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch

Make your iMessages even more expressive with Memoji sticker effects, bubble effects, full-screen animations, camera effects, and more.

You need iMessage to send message effects. Learn the difference between iMessage and SMS/MMS texts. Depending on your carrier, messaging rates might apply when you send SMS/MMS. If you use iMessage and Wi-Fi is unavailable, cellular data rates might apply.

Send a message with effects

With message effects, you can use bubble effects to change the way your message bubbles look, or use full-screen effects to animate the screen. You can even add a Memoji sticker with bubble effects or full-screen effects.

Add a bubble effect

Use bubble effects to animate your messages with different expressions:

  1. Open Messages and tap  to start a new message. Or go to an existing conversation.
  2. Enter your message or insert a photo, then touch and hold send message button.
  3. Tap the gray dotpreview message bubble to preview bubble effects.
  4. Tap send message button to send.

To replay a message effect that you receive, tap Replay replay message effect button under the message. If you can't receive bubble effects, check your Reduce Motion settings.

 

Add a full-screen effect

Use full-screen effects to animate your screen with an echo, spotlight, and other effects:

  1. Open Messages and tap  to start a new message. Or go to an existing conversation.
  2. Enter your message. 
  3. Touch and hold send message button, then tap Screen.
  4. Swipe to the left to see full-screen effects.
  5. Tap send message button to send.

To replay a message effect that you receive, tap Replay replay message effect under the message. If you can't receive full-screen effects, check your Reduce Motion settings.

Send a message with Camera Effects

With Camera Effects in iOS 12 and later, and iPadOS, you can liven up your conversations even more. Quickly create and share a photo or video with Animoji, Memoji, filters, text, fun stickers, and more. Follow these steps:

  1. Open Messages and tap  to create a new message. Or go to an existing conversation.
  2. Tap the camera button camera icon.
  3. Tap the Effects button effects icon, then select Animoji* Animoji icon , Filters filters icon, Text text icon, Shapes shapes icon, Memoji Stickers , Emoji Stickers , or an iMessage app. You can add more than one effect to a photo or video.
  4. After you select the effect that you want to use, tap Done.
  5. Tap send message icon to send or tap Done to add a personal message. If you don't want to send the photo, tap x icon in the upper-right corner of the photo.

You need a compatible iPhone or iPad to use Animoji or Memoji.

 

Respond to a message with expressions

With Tapback, you can quickly reply to messages with expressions, like a thumbs up or a heart. To reply to a message with a Tapback, follow these steps:

  1. Open a conversation in Messages.
  2. Double-tap the message bubble or photo that you want to respond to.
  3. Select the Tapback that you want to send.

You can also use Tapback in group messages. To see who replied with a Tapback, tap it.

Send a handwritten message

You can personalize your messages by adding a note in your own handwriting. Your friends and family will see the message animate, as if it were being written in front of them. To send a handwritten note, follow these steps:

  1. Open Messages and tap  to start a new message. Or go to an existing conversation.
  2. If you have an iPhone, turn it sideways. If you have an iPad, tap sideways icon on the keyboard.
  3. Write your message or select one of the options at the bottom of the screen.
  4. If you need to start over, tap Undo or Clear. When you're finished, tap Done. Then tap send message to send.

Do more with Messages

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