iMessage
By MacRumors Staff on September 30, 2026
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iMessage How Tos
Delete Messages Attachments on iPhone and iPad
Tuesday November 19, 2024 9:00 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple's Messages app offers one of the most convenient ways of having a text-based conversation with your contacts on iPhone and iPad, but messages aren't the only things you can send and receive. Apple's iMessage service enables all manner of files and attachments to be shared, such as photos, links, documents, audio messages, and more.
Files that are sent to you can of course be accessed...
How to Quickly Reply to Messages on iPhone
Thursday February 1, 2024 12:41 am PST by Tim Hardwick
With iOS 17, Apple brought some headline features to iPhones, like StandBy Mode and NameDrop, but Apple also introduced some smaller quality-of-life improvements that are well worth familiarizing yourself with. Inline replies in the Messages app is one of them.
If you use WhatsApp, you're probably aware of the quick reply feature that the platform has had for several years. To reply to an...
How to Send Funny Exploding Images Over iMessage
Monday March 13, 2023 11:41 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
In the Messages app on iPhone and iPad, Apple includes a bunch of screen effects that add fireworks, confetti, and more to the whole screen when you send an iMessage to someone.
Because it's not obvious how to access these iMessage screen effects, they're often overlooked, which is a shame because they can surprise recipients, make them smile, or even laugh out loud – if you use the right...
iOS 16: How to Edit a Sent iMessage
Thursday August 4, 2022 2:14 pm PDT by Tim Hardwick
In iOS 16, Apple has added some major updates to the Messages app, introducing some features that rival third-party messaging platforms have had for years. One of these changes is the ability to edit iMessages in iOS 16. Keep reading to learn how it works.
Almost everyone with a smartphone can relate to the situation where you send a text message only to immediately realize that the meaning...
iOS 16: How to Unsend a Sent iMessage
Thursday August 4, 2022 2:12 pm PDT by Tim Hardwick
In iOS 16, Apple has added some major updates to the Messages app, introducing some features that rival third-party messaging platforms have had for years. One of these changes is the ability to unsend sent iMessages in iOS 16. Keep reading to learn how it works.
Have you ever sent a text message only to immediately wish that you hadn't? In previous versions of iOS, if you sent a message...
How to Create Polls in iMessage Group Chats
Wednesday April 20, 2022 4:27 pm PDT by Tim Hardwick
This article explains how to create polls in group chats on Apple's Messages app for iPhone and iPad. Keep reading to learn how it works.
If you often participate in group chats over iMessage, you'll know how hard it can sometimes be to decide on something or make plans when there's a lot of people in the group. Other messaging apps like Telegram – and soon WhatsApp – get around the...
How to Set Up iMessage on Your Mac
Monday November 11, 2019 9:40 am PST by Tim Hardwick
The Messages app in macOS offers users a convenient way of communicating with friends, family, and colleagues across a variety of Apple devices.
With Messages for Mac, you can send unlimited messages to any Mac, iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch that uses iMessage, Apple's secure-messaging service. If you have an iPhone, you can also send and receive SMS texts.
The following steps show you how ...
How to Use the Redesigned Messages App Drawer in iOS 11
Wednesday September 20, 2017 4:02 pm PDT by Mitchel Broussard
In iOS 10, Apple introduced the Messages App Store, allowing users to jump into miniature versions of their favorite apps so they could do things like choose a movie time, send their location, pay a friend, give a recommendation from Apple Music, and attach stickers. With the launch of iOS 11, the app drawer and selection experience of Messages apps have been streamlined, and this guide will walk ...
How to Send and Respond to Messages on Apple Watch
Thursday May 7, 2015 11:06 am PDT by Lory Gil
One of the main focal points of the Apple Watch is communication, and as such, it offers a Messages app much like the one on the iPhone. It's not quite as robust as the Messages apps available on other iOS and Mac devices, but Messages on Apple Watch lets you send pre-made replies, animated and non-animated emoji, and full voice-to-text messages.
For those of you who want to learn the ins and ...
iMessage Articles
DoorDash Unveils AI Food Ordering Through Apple's Messages App
Wednesday September 30, 2026 7:24 am PDT by Hartley Charlton
DoorDash is inviting U.S. customers to join a waitlist for an AI assistant that can take food orders through Apple's Messages app (via Bloomberg).
The phone number used in the conversation connects the request to a customer's DoorDash account. The assistant can use previous purchases and preferences to help put together an order, then use a saved payment method at checkout. Customers can...
Singapore Orders Changes to iMessage by December
Tuesday November 25, 2025 6:39 am PST by Hartley Charlton
Singapore has ordered Apple to block or filter messages on iMessage that impersonate government agencies, requiring the company to implement new anti-spoofing protections by December as part of efforts to curb rising online scams, the Straits Times reports.
Singapore's Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) said that it had issued an Implementation Directive to Apple under the Online Criminal Harms...
iOS 26: New Messages and Phone App Features Leaked Ahead of WWDC
Friday June 6, 2025 7:27 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
Apple is planning to announce several new features for the Messages and Phone apps on iOS 26, according to Bloomberg's Mark Gurman.
In a lengthy report outlining his WWDC 2025 expectations today, Gurman said that the two main changes in the Messages app will be the ability to create polls, as well as the option to set a background image within a conversation.
9to5Mac was first to report...
Apple Says Some Users Experiencing iMessage and FaceTime Issues [Updated]
Monday September 23, 2024 6:31 am PDT by Joe Rossignol
iMessage and FaceTime are acting up for some users, according to Apple's system status page.
Some users are "experiencing a problem" with iMessage and FaceTime, the page says. Apple says it is "investigating" and will provide a status update when possible.
The issues began shortly after 5 a.m. Pacific Time, according to Apple.
At this time, there does not appear to be a widespread...
Apple Announces 'Groundbreaking' New Security Protocol for iMessage
Wednesday February 21, 2024 6:00 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple today announced a new post-quantum cryptographic protocol for iMessage called PQ3. Apple says this "groundbreaking" and "state-of-the-art" protocol provides "extensive defenses against even highly sophisticated quantum attacks."
Apple believes the PQ3 protocol's protections "surpass those in all other widely deployed messaging apps," according to its blog post:Today we are announcing...
Apple's iMessage Avoids EU's Digital Markets Act Regulation
Tuesday February 13, 2024 4:07 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple's iMessage will avoid regulation requiring interoperability with other messaging platforms under the EU's Digital Markets Act (DMA), following the conclusion of an investigation by the regulator (via Bloomberg).
The probe concluded that the iMessage platform and Microsoft's Bing do not hold a dominant enough position to be brought under the DMA's strict rules for services provided by...
Vision Pro Gets iMessage Contact Key Verification on visionOS 1.1 Beta
Wednesday February 7, 2024 6:16 am PST by Joe Rossignol
Apple on Tuesday released the first visionOS 1.1 beta. Along with improved Personas, the update adds iMessage Contact Key Verification to the Vision Pro.
iMessage Contact Key Verification is an optional security feature that allows you to manually verify who you are messaging with by comparing verification codes in person or on a phone call. The feature launched on the iPhone, iPad, Apple...
Department of Justice and FTC Looking Into Beeper iMessage Controversy
Friday December 22, 2023 6:35 am PST by Hartley Charlton
The United States Department of Justice (DOJ) and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) are intensifying their investigations into Apple's alleged anti-competitive practices following the recent blocking of the iMessage for Android app Beeper Mini, the New York Times reports.
Following calls from a bipartisan group of senators for a DOJ investigation into the matter, Beeper founder Eric Migicovsky...
Beeper Mini Says Jailbreak iPhone Solution is Final Effort
Thursday December 21, 2023 10:09 am PST by Juli Clover
As we shared this morning, the team behind the Beeper Mini iMessage for Android app has announced a plan that will let Android customers use a jailbroken iPhone to register a phone number with iMessage in order to get the Beeper Mini service working.
Just days after Beeper Mini launched on December 5, Apple objected to the way it was using iMessage servers with "fake credentials," and blocked...
Beeper Mini Resorts to Jailbreaking iPhones to Rescue Blue Bubbles
Thursday December 21, 2023 6:04 am PST by Tim Hardwick
The developers of Beeper Mini, the iMessage for Android app, are back with another attempt to keep Apple's blue bubbles onside, and this time they will ask users to generate their iMessage registration data with the help of jailbroken iPhones, MacRumors has learned.
Beeper Mini operates by identifying text message conversations from iMessage users and converting them to the recognizable blue ...
Beeper Mini on Continued Outages: 'It's Super Annoying That Apple is Penalizing Their Own Customers'
Thursday December 14, 2023 1:21 pm PST by Juli Clover
iMessage for Android app Beeper Mini is once again having connectivity issues, which it has attributed to Apple. Last night, Beeper Mini stopped working for some people, and the company confirmed that Apple was "deliberately blocking iMessages from being delivered" to approximately five percent of Beeper Mini users.
At the time, Beeper Mini said that uninstalling and reinstalling Beeper Mini ...
iMessage for Android App 'Beeper Mini' is Back, Apple ID Sign In Now Required and Phone Numbers Don't Work
Monday December 11, 2023 10:53 am PST by Juli Clover
After Apple shut down the mechanism that Android app Beeper Mini was using to bring iMessage to Android users, Beeper Mini's developers today said that they have found a way to bring the app back, albeit with some major changes.
The new version of the app requires users to sign in with an Apple ID, which was not needed with the prior version. All iMessages are also now sent and received...
Apple Confirms It Shut Down iMessage for Android App Beeper Mini
Sunday December 10, 2023 3:44 am PST by Hartley Charlton
Apple today confirmed that it took steps to shut down the functionality of Beeper Mini, an app that enabled Android users to send and receive iMessages.
Apple emphasized its commitment to user privacy and security, explaining that the move was necessitated by the potential risks Beeper Mini's techniques posed, including metadata exposure and susceptibility to spam and phishing attacks....
Apple's iMessage May Dodge EU Regulatory Demand for Interoperability
Wednesday December 6, 2023 5:36 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Apple's iMessage chat service may dodge EU regulatory demands for platform interoperability after all. Bloomberg reports that an investigation by the bloc's antitrust watchdog has tentatively concluded that the chat service is not popular enough with business users to warrant being subject to the new rules.
The EU has been working on legislation under the Digital Markets Act (DMA) that would ...
Beeper Mini Brings iMessage to Android With No Need for Apple ID Sign-In
Tuesday December 5, 2023 9:02 am PST by Hartley Charlton
Beeper Mini, a new app that ostensibly brings iMessage to Android devices with no need for sign-in with Apple ID credentials, today launched on the Google Play Store.
Beeper Mini operates by identifying text message conversations from iMessage users and converting them to the recognizable blue bubbles associated with Apple's exclusive messaging service. This enables Android users to interact ...
Sunbird Shuts Down iMessage App for Android Over Security Concerns
Wednesday November 22, 2023 11:13 am PST by Juli Clover
Sunbird, an app that is designed to deliver iMessages to Android devices, has been temporarily shut down due to security concerns. Sunbird this week sent out a notification to users letting them know about the shutdown (via 9to5Google).
Sunbird said that it was investigating security issues that had been raised by the Nothing Chats iMessage app, and shortly after, told users that Sunbird...
Google, European Telecoms Giants Call on EU to Force Open iMessage
Wednesday November 8, 2023 3:58 am PST by Tim Hardwick
Google and European telecom groups have urged EU regulators to designate iMessage a "core" service that would force Apple to make the communications platform interoperable with competing chat services, reports the Financial Times.
In a letter sent to the European Commission, the EU's executive body, the signatories including Google and some of Europe's largest telecoms operators claimed that ...
EU Asks iMessage Users and Rivals If Service Should Be Regulated
Tuesday October 10, 2023 3:57 am PDT by Tim Hardwick
EU antitrust regulators have asked Apple's users and rivals to rate the importance of Apple's iMessage and Microsoft's Bing versus competing services, reports Reuters.
According to people familiar with the matter, the European Commission sent out the questionnaires earlier this month, asking if there was anything specific to iMessage and Microsoft's Bing, Edge, and Microsoft Advertising that ...
Apple Argues iMessage Isn't Popular Enough in the EU to Be Regulated
Tuesday September 5, 2023 4:38 am PDT by Hartley Charlton
Apple argues that iMessage is not sufficiently popular to be classified as a "gatekeeper" under EU law, the Financial Times reports.
The discussion comes ahead of the publication of the first list of services to be regulated by the Digital Markets Act (DMA). The legislation introduces new rules that apply to tech giants that meet its "gatekeeper" criteria and force them to open up their...
Microsoft Completes Rollout of Basic iMessage Support on Windows 11
Monday May 15, 2023 1:19 pm PDT by Joe Rossignol
Microsoft today announced it has completed its rollout of iPhone support for its Phone Link app on Windows 11, as spotted by The Verge.
With the Phone Link app for Windows 11 and the Link to Windows app for iOS, iPhone users can make and receive phone calls, send and receive text messages, and view notifications directly on their PC. Notably, this means Windows 11 technically supports...
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