Sending the right messages can be tricky sometimes. But with iOS 16, you can now unsend and edit your texts in Messages. Of course, there are a few caveats — including time limits — but these are still great features that are long overdue. Here's how to use them.
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If you're going to unsend a message, it's very important to remember that you only have a two-minute window to do so. Simply long-press on the message, tap Unsend , and you'll immediately see an animation where your message explodes into small pieces before disappearing completely.
While the other person may not see the text , both parties will see a notification that a message has been deleted in the message window. Those who sent a message will see a line that says “You sent a message.” Meanwhile, those who received the text will see a notification that says the sender’s name and “no message sent.”
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But the feature will only work if both people are using iOS 16 on iPhones . If you unsend a message while texting someone using iOS 15, the text will disappear from your phone but will remain on the other person's device. You'll also get a notification that says "You didn't send a message. The message may still appear on devices where the software hasn't been updated."
To edit a message, long-press on the text and tap Edit. From there, a small text box will appear where you can rewrite the entire message or correct a typo. Once you’re done, tap on the blue check mark on the right and the edited message will appear. Whenever a text changes, you’ll see a blue “Edited” label below it. When you tap on it, it will display the entire history of edits (based on how many times it’s been edited) in chronological order.
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As with the Unsend message, it will only work if both you and the person you're messaging are using iOS 16. If someone is on iOS 15, they'll get a message that says "Edited to [insert new edited message]" below the original message.
It's worth noting that there is a time limit for editing messages. You'll have 15 minutes to edit a text, but you can only edit it five times in total. So choose your edits wisely.
