Messages conversation. At the top is the title bar with the name of the person you’re texting or name of the group conversation, along with the Messages button and Details button. Below the title bar are the text messages sent and received during a conversation, and a photo included in the conversation. At the bottom of the screen are the attach media button for sending photos and videos, the text entry field, and the record audio button for adding your voice to the conversation


Start a conversation. Tap the compose button, then enter a phone number or email address, or tap the add button, then choose a contact.


You can also start a conversation by touching and holding a phone number in Mail, Calendar, or Safari, then choosing Send Message. Or, on iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, press the phone number, then choose the Message quick action.


Start a conversation from the Home screen. On iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, press Messages, then choose the New Message quick action. 


Note: An alert the alert badge appears if a message can’t be sent. Tap the alert in a conversation to try sending the message again.


Ask Siri. Say something like:

  • “Send a message to Emily saying how about tomorrow”

  • “Read my messages”

  • “Read my last message from Bob”

  • “Reply that’s great news”


Preview a conversation. On iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, press a conversation in the Messages list to get a peek at the conversation, then press a little deeper to open it.


Quickly respond to a message. On iPhone 6s and iPhone 6s Plus, press a conversation in the Messages list, then swipe up to see available actions.


Resume a conversation. Tap the conversation in the Messages list.


Use picture characters. When you type a message, tap the next keyboard button or the switch keyboard button to change to the Emoji keyboard. 


Tap to Talk. Touch and hold the record audio button to record a message, then swipe up to send it immediately. Lift your finger, then tap the play message button to listen to your message before you send it, or tap the Delete button to delete it.



Voice recording controls, with the record button on the right edge of the screen and the send button above that. The voice pattern and the length of recording appear to the left



To save space, Tap to Talk audio messages that you receive are deleted automatically two minutes after you listen to them, unless you tap Keep. To keep them automatically, go to Settings > Messages > Expire (under Audio Messages), then tap Never.


Raise iPhone to listen or reply to an audio message. Raise iPhone to your ear, as if you were talking on the phone, to play incoming audio messages automatically. Raise iPhone to your ear again to reply to an audio message. Turn this feature on or off at Settings > Messages, under Audio Messages.


See what time a message was sent or received. Drag any bubble to the left.


See a person’s contact info. In a conversation, tap Details, then tap the info button. Tap the info items to perform actions, such as making a FaceTime call


Send messages to a group (iMessage and MMS). Tap the compose message button, then enter multiple recipients. With MMS, group messaging must also be turned on in Settings > Messages, and replies are sent only to you—they aren’t copied to the other people in the group.


Give a group a name. While viewing the conversation, tap Details, drag down, then enter the name in the Subject line.


Add someone to a group. While viewing the conversation, tap Details, then tap Add Contact. The person you add doesn’t see messages sent within the group prior to you adding him or her.


Leave a group. Tap Details, then tap Leave this Conversation

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Keep it quiet. Tap Details, then turn on Do Not Disturb to mute notifications for the conversation.


Block unwanted messages. On a contact card, tap Block this Caller. You can see someone’s contact card while viewing a message by tapping Details, then tapping the info button. You can also block callers in Settings > Messages > Blocked. You will not receive voice calls, FaceTime calls, or text messages from blocked callers. 


Filter unknown senders. Go to Settings > Messages, then turn on Filter Unknown Senders. This turns off notifications for iMessages from people who are not in your contacts and sorts them into a separate Messages list.