Apple Messages Application Features and Settings Explained

The Apple Messages application is a convenient way to stay in touch with friends and family. It's a built-in feature on Apple devices, making it easily accessible.

One of the key features of Apple Messages is the ability to send and receive text messages, as well as make voice and video calls. This is made possible through the app's integration with the user's phone number.

You can also use Apple Messages to share photos and videos with others. Simply tap the camera icon to capture a new photo or video, or select one from your library to share.

The app's interface is clean and intuitive, making it easy to navigate and find the features you need.

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To start using the Apple Messages application, you'll need to open the Messages app on your device.

Click Messages located in the top left corner to access the app.

Conversation Management is a breeze in the Apple Messages application. You can access a range of actions for individual messages and conversations by pressing VO-Command-Space.

The Actions menu is similar to the rotor on iOS and iPadOS, so if you're familiar with those, you'll feel right at home. This menu allows you to view options for a specific message or conversation.

To manage conversations, you can pin them to the top of the conversations collection, mark them as unread, or hide alerts. You can also open a conversation in a new window, which is useful if you want to quickly switch between multiple open conversations.

The available actions for conversations include:

Individual messages also have their own set of actions, such as reacting with expressions, emojis, and stickers, sending inline replies to iMessages, unsending iMessages, and copying, forwarding, and deleting messages.

Creating a new conversation in the Apple Messages application is a breeze. Simply navigate to the "File" menu, select "New message" (or press Command-N), or click the compose button in the toolbar.

To add a recipient, focus on the "To" field and type their name or email address. As you type, VoiceOver will announce contact suggestions and existing conversation participants. Use the up and down arrow keys to select an option and press Return to add it as a recipient.

You can add multiple recipients by typing their names or email addresses in the same field, separated by commas. Each recipient is read as a single object, so you can delete one by navigating to it with the left and right arrow keys and pressing the Delete key.

To start editing the message text, press VO-Space. Type your message and press Return to send it. If you want to insert a line break, press Option-Return instead.

Here's a quick rundown of the available actions for conversations:

You can unsend an iMessage if it's been two minutes or less, or edit the message after it's been sent if it's been fifteen minutes or less.

If you accidentally sent an iMessage, focus on the message in the messages collection and choose "Undo send" from the Actions menu. The recipient will no longer see the message, but will see that a message was unsent.

The recipient can view previous versions of the message by clicking the "Edited" button to the right of the message.

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You can send brief audio messages by clicking the "Record audio" button and recording a short message.

To play an audio message, simply focus on it and press VO-Space.

Audio messages are automatically deleted after two minutes, unless you click the "Keep" button to retain them.

The "Keep" button is located immediately to the right of the message.

Animoji is a fun feature on your iPhone that lets you create animated videos of your face. You can animate a monkey, robot, skull, alien, poop, and many more.

To use Animoji, you'll need a device that supports Face ID, which has a TrueDepth camera to capture your face data. This camera is necessary for the animation to work properly.

To access Animoji, scroll left on your app drawer and tap the monkey-faced Animoji button. You can then scroll through a lineup of faces to select the one you want to animate.

Bring your device close to your face until the real-time animation preview begins, and you're ready to create. If you want to record a video, press and briefly hold the big red button to capture up to 30 seconds of audio or video.

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You can stop recording by tapping the red button a second time, and the animation will instantly play as a preview. You can see the preview again by tapping the blue Replay link, and swipe sideways during the preview to change between faces.

Once you're satisfied with your creation, tap the blue button to send it immediately, or discard it by clicking on the red trashcan icon and start again.

For another approach, see: Why Are My Text Messages Blue

To access Apple Messages settings on your iOS device, go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Messages. This is where you can toggle on the "Use on this iPhone/iPad" switch to sync your existing messages between devices.

To enable text message forwarding on your Mac, go to Settings > Apps > Messages > Text Message Forwarding and toggle your Mac on in the list of devices. This feature allows you to send and receive RCS and SMS/MMS messages on your Mac without syncing Messages via iCloud.

To set up your Apple Messages app, make sure all your devices are signed into the same Apple Account, and any email addresses and phone numbers you want to use with iMessage are enabled on all your devices.

Curious to learn more? Check out: Why Are My Text Messages Not Syncing across My-apple Devices

Enabling iMessage on your MacOS device is a straightforward process. To start, open the Settings app or System Preferences, depending on your MacOS version.

The next step is to click on the iMessage tab in the pop-up window that appears. This is where you'll find the settings to enable iMessage.

Check the boxes next to Enable This Account and Enable Messages in iCloud to activate iMessage. This will allow you to send blue chat balloons to recipients using Apple devices.

If you've followed these steps correctly, you should now be able to send iMessage to your contacts.

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Make sure all your devices are signed into the same Apple Account to send and receive messages on multiple devices. This will enable iMessage automatically.

To use iMessage on your Mac for the first time, you may be asked to sign in again after opening Messages. Once signed in, you should be able to use iMessage.

Related reading: IMessage

To enable email addresses and phone numbers for iMessage on your iOS or iPadOS device, go to Settings > Apps > Messages > Send & Receive and select the desired options. On macOS, choose Messages > Settings or press Command-Comma and click the iMessage button in the toolbar.

Make sure the “Start new conversations from” setting matches on all your devices, so your messages appear consistently to their recipients. This ensures a seamless messaging experience across all your devices.

To sync your existing iMessage, RCS, and SMS/MMS messages between devices, toggle the “Use on this iPhone/iPad” switch on in Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Messages on your iOS or iPadOS device. Alternatively, select the “Enable messages in iCloud” checkbox on your macOS device.

If you want to forward text messages to your Mac without syncing via iCloud, go to Settings > Apps > Messages > Text Message Forwarding on your iPhone and toggle your Mac on in the list of devices.

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You can quickly navigate the Messages app with VoiceOver hotspots, assigning conversations, messages collections, and the message text field to hotspots 1, 2, and 3 respectively.

To set a hotspot, focus on the element and press the VO keys, along with the Shift key and a number ranging from 0 to 9. For example, to set the conversations collection at hotspot 1, navigate to it and press VO-Shift-1.

There are 15 Apple apps that appear automatically in Messages on your iOS device, including Camera, Photos, Stickers, and Apple Cash. You can also use existing iMessage apps, such as Audio, Send Later, and Genmoji.

To use an iMessage app, open the Messages app on your iPhone or iPad and go inside a conversation. Then, tap the plus button and select an Apple or third-party app you see here.

Here are some of the Apple apps that are available in Messages:

You can move the apps you use more often to the first page and bury the rest on the second screen under the More tab.

To reorder iMessage apps on iPhone, start by tapping the plus button in a message conversation to see your iMessage apps.

Touch and hold the app icon, then drag it up or down to move it to its new spot. You can also drag it all the way down to put it at the bottom.

Additional reading: Messaging Apps That Delete Messages

If you no longer need an app to show in your iPhone or iPad Messages app, you can remove it by following these steps.

To delete an iMessage app, open the Settings app and scroll down to tap Apps > Messages.

Tap iMessage Apps to view the list of installed apps.

To remove an iMessage exclusive app, tap the red minus button next to its name and hit Delete.

You can also stop a regular iOS app from showing its iMessage version in the Messages app by turning off the toggle next to its name.

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Here's a quick rundown of the steps:

The Apple Messages app has a wide range of features that make it a powerful tool for communication. You can use existing iMessage apps, including 15 Apple apps that appear automatically in Messages on your iOS device.

Some of these apps include Camera, which lets you take a picture and edit it before sending, and Photos, which allows you to pick an existing image or video from your Photos app. You can also use Stickers to send a sticker, and Apple Cash to send money from your Apple Cash account.

To access these apps, simply open the Messages app, tap the plus button to open the app drawer, and select the app you want to use. You can also use third-party apps, such as Shazam or Zoom, if they support iMessage.

Here are some examples of iMessage apps that you can use:

In terms of security, iOS 26 may bring a significant security boost to sending texts between an iPhone and an Android device. Apple is reportedly working on implementing end-to-end encryption when sending messages using the RCS protocol between iOS and Android.

Related reading: E2ee Rcs Apple Android Messaging

Using existing iMessage apps is a great way to enhance your messaging experience. You can access these apps by opening the Messages app on your iPhone or iPad and starting a conversation.

Apple apps like Camera, Photos, and Stickers appear automatically, and you can use them to send pictures, stickers, and more. Tap the plus button to open the app drawer and select an app to use.

You can also use third-party apps like Shazam or Zoom, which will show up automatically if they support iMessage. For example, if you have Shazam on your iPhone, its iMessage app will appear in the app drawer.

To use an iMessage app, tap the plus button, select the app, and use it accordingly. Then, hit the blue send button to send your message.

Some Apple apps, like Genmoji, allow you to create custom AI-emojis based on quick prompts. Image Playground is another app that lets you create pictures based on another person's face, image, or text description.

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You can also use the Store app to download or purchase new iMessage apps. More on that later.

Here are some Apple apps that appear automatically in the Messages app:

These apps can be accessed by tapping the plus button and selecting them from the app drawer.

Apple is finally working on a significant security boost for RCS messages between iPhones and Android devices. This is a big deal, as it could address a flaw that's been unaddressed for too long.

iOS 26 might include end-to-end encryption when sending RCS messages between an iPhone and an Android device. This would make cross-platform texting safer for iOS and Android users alike.

The GSMA, which implements and updates RCS, announced in March 2025 that end-to-end encryption would be added to RCS. Apple has previously outlined that end-to-end encryption would be coming to RCS on the iPhone in future software updates.

The code snippets in iOS 26 suggest that Apple is internally testing RCS encryption. This includes the string "GisRCSEncryptionEnabled", which implies that RCS encryption is being assessed.

There's no guarantee that iOS 26 will implement RCS encryption, but the presence of these code snippets gives us hope. Apple took a long time to implement RCS in the first place, partly due to its weaker security compared to iMessage.

Additional reading: Apple Security Phone

You can quickly view a new message without opening the Messages app by pressing VO-O to access Notification Center from anywhere in macOS, and finding the message in the notifications list.

To turn off all notifications for new messages, head to System Settings > Notifications, or choose to hide alerts for specific conversations as described earlier.

To change the sound that is played when receiving a new message, click Messages > Settings, (or press Command-Comma), click the general button in the toolbar, and select a sound from the “Message receive sound” popup menu.

Attachments can be sent as photos, videos, and other files, similar to email.

Attachments are a convenient way to share files and media with others, similar to email and other messaging apps. You can send photos, videos, and other files as attachments to messages in the Messages app.

To attach a file, you can copy it from Finder and paste it into the message text field. Alternatively, you can navigate to it in Finder and choose "Share" from the context menu, then click Messages in the resulting dialog.

Attachments can be previewed with Quick Look or saved to the Downloads folder from the context menu. To access the context menu, focus on the attachment and press VO-Shift-M.

The Photos app also makes it easy to attach photos or videos to a message. Simply click the "Apps" button and choose "Photos" from the menu, then press VO-Space on the photos or videos you want to attach.

Attachments can be easily located within a conversation by tapping the contact's name at the top and selecting the type of attachment you're looking for.

Notifications can be a double-edged sword, keeping you informed but also distracting you from your work.

You can quickly view a new message without opening the Messages app by pressing VO-O to access Notification Center from anywhere in macOS.

To open the message in the Messages app or send a quick reply, press VO-Space or choose the “Show more” action from the Actions menu.

You can turn off all notifications from the Messages app in System Settings > Notifications, or hide alerts for specific conversations.

To change the sound that is played when receiving a new message, select a sound from the “Message receive sound” popup menu.

The default setting is to receive notifications for new messages, but you can customize this to suit your needs.