iOS 18 Text Messages: Everything You Need to Know

iOS 18 brings a major overhaul to text messages, making them more intuitive and user-friendly. Text messages in iOS 18 can now be up to 4,096 characters long, a significant increase from the previous 2,048 character limit.

You can also expect to see a new format for group chats, with each participant's name displayed at the top of the conversation. This makes it easier to see who's participating in the conversation and who's sent a message.

One of the most significant changes is the introduction of the "Edit" feature, which allows you to edit sent messages. This is a game-changer for those of us who've accidentally sent a message with a typo or a mistake.

With iOS 18, you can now quickly delete multiple messages at once, which is a huge time-saver.

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In iOS 18, you can schedule messages to be sent in advance, which is a game-changer for those who like to plan ahead.

To schedule a message, simply tap on the clock icon when composing a new message. This feature is available for both iMessages and SMS texts, making it a convenient way to send messages at the perfect time.

One of the coolest new features in Messages is the ability to send messages via satellite, but only if you've got a new enough iPhone.

Here are the new features in Messages, summarized in a list:

The ability to unsend and edit iPhone messages after you send them is another great feature that's been added to Messages in iOS 18. This feature works for both iMessages and SMS texts, although SMS limits may apply based on your carrier.

To unsend or edit a message, go to the conversation and tap on the three dots, then select "Unsend" or "Edit."

Take a look at this: Can You Unsend Text Messages

With iOS 18, you can now go back and edit or unsend a message—even after it’s been delivered. This feature works for both iMessages and SMS texts (though SMS limits may apply based on your carrier).

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Editing or unsending a message is a game-changer for those awkward moments when you send something you regret.

You can edit or unsend a message up to a certain point, but the exact timing may vary depending on your carrier's SMS limits.

It's a great feeling to be able to take back a message, and it's a feature that's sure to save you from some awkward conversations.

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You can now customize your text messages with new formatting options in iOS 18. Tap on the "A" icon above the keyboard to add bold, italic, underline, or strikethrough formatting to your text.

To add formatting to just one word, double tap on the word to select it and then tap on the "A" icon. You can also use the Text Effects option from the popup menu.

Rich text formatting options in iOS 18 let you animate the words you send your friends, family, and co-workers via the Messages app. Tap on the text formatting button on the right above the keyboard to see new options for formatting your text.

You can apply various animated text effects to your whole text message or to specific words in it. These effects include big, small, shake, nod, explode, ripple, bloom, and jitter.

Here are the four standard formatting styles and eight special effects you can apply to your text:

Send Later is a feature in the Messages app that allows you to schedule messages to be sent later. This feature is available in iOS 18 and can be used in individual and group chats with other iMessage users.

You can schedule a message up to 14 days in advance, which is handy for sending reminders or happy birthday messages ahead of time. For example, if it's August 1, you can schedule a message to be sent up to August 15.

To schedule a message, tap the "+" button on the left side of the text box, then tap "More" and choose "Send Later." You can type in your message and set a date and time for it to be sent.

Scheduled messages are displayed at the bottom of a conversation, and you can edit the time or delete the message if needed. If you want to change the time of a message, tap the "Edit" button and you'll have options to edit the time, delete the message, or send it immediately.

Messages can be sent even if your iPhone is offline without a Wi-Fi or cellular connection, so you don't have to worry about missing a message.

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Text formatting is a great way to make your text messages more expressive. You can add formatting to your text messages by tapping on the "A" icon above the keyboard.

You can select the text you want to format by tapping on it, or you can double tap on a word to select it. Then, tap on the "A" icon to add formatting.

The classic formatting options include bold, italicize, underline, and strikethrough. You can apply these formats to your whole text message or to specific words in it.

If you want to apply multiple effects to different words in the same message, you can select different words or portions and apply the effects separately. However, you can't combine effects on the same selection.

Here are the standard four formatting styles you can use in iOS 18:

You can also apply eight neat special effects on a per-character basis, including big, small, shake, nod, explode, ripple, bloom, and jitter.

Stickers and Memoji now have their own dedicated sections in the emoji picker, making it easy to add them to your text messages.

You can use stickers or Memoji just like emojis, and they'll be added to the end of your text rather than sent as a separate image. This is a game-changer for those who love to express themselves creatively.

The good news is that you can still send full-size stickers as long as you send them separate from text. This way, you can still get your point across with a big, bold sticker.

Stickers and Memoji sent as emojis will only display as emojis on devices running iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS Sequoia, visionOS 2, and watchOS 11. If you're sending to someone with an earlier version of iOS, they'll still receive the sticker or Memoji as a separate image.

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Notification Summaries make it easier to catch up on multiple messages from the same conversation or group conversation at a glance, showing you what's most important without having to read through everything.

In iOS 18, you can see these summaries on the Lock Screen, and they work for both individual and group conversations.

Apple Intelligence can summarize notifications from the Messages app, making it simpler to stay on top of your messages.

With the new satellite messaging feature, iPhone 14 and newer users can send full text messages via satellite, even in areas with no cell signal.

This feature is currently free for iPhone 14, 15, and 16 owners, but Apple plans to make it a paid service in the future.

You can enable RCS Messaging in iOS 18 to enjoy more secure texting between iPhone and Android users, including high-resolution images and videos.

To do this, go to Settings > Apps > Messages and toggle on RCS Messaging.

If this caught your attention, see: How to Turn on Rcs Messaging Ios 18

With iOS 18, you can now edit or unsend a message even after it's been delivered. This feature works for both iMessages and SMS texts.

The edit or unsend feature is a game-changer for anyone who's ever sent a message in a rush and regretted it later. You can go back and edit or unsend a message to avoid any potential embarrassment or misunderstandings.

SMS limits may apply based on your carrier, so keep that in mind if you're planning to use this feature with SMS texts.

Broaden your view: How to Edit Text Messages

Scheduling messages is a game-changer. You can type out a reminder and schedule it to send later, which is super helpful if you're someone who struggles to remember things.

This feature works even if the other person isn't running iOS 18, so you can start using it right away. Just hit the + button, then scroll down and tap Send Later.

You can schedule messages up to a week in advance, which is plenty of time to get your thoughts together. To edit the contents of the message itself, tap and hold on the bubble and tap Edit - unlike editing messages after they're sent, you can make unlimited edits on your scheduled message.

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To see all your scheduled messages, scroll down below the current conversation. Tap Edit for a few options: Send Message will send it right away, Edit Time lets you change when your message will go out, and Delete Message will delete your scheduled message.

Here are the options you have when editing a scheduled message:

Notification Summaries are a game-changer for anyone with multiple notifications from the Messages app.

You'll get notification summaries in iOS 18.1, which means you can catch up at a glance and see what's most important.

Apple Intelligence will summarize notifications for individual conversations and group conversations alike.

You can see these summaries on the Lock Screen, making it easy to stay on top of your messages.

This feature works seamlessly, saving you time and effort by condensing multiple notifications into a single, easily digestible summary.

With iOS 18, you can edit or unsend any message, even after it's been delivered, for both iMessages and SMS texts.

This feature works for both iMessages and SMS texts, but SMS limits may apply based on your carrier.

You can send full text messages via satellite with your iPhone 14 and newer, even in areas with no cell signal. This feature is currently free for iPhone 14, 15, and 16 owners.

You can now send any emoji as a message tapback with iOS 18.

The classic thumbs up, heart, and more tapbacks get a facelift in iOS 18, with full color and new designs.

You can reply to a message with any emoji, not just the six stock images, by tapping and holding on the message.

The emoji picker is available by tapping the emoji button, giving you access to a wide range of emojis to choose from.

The new emoji Tapbacks work in RCS messages, which also send over Wi-Fi as well as cellular.

You can send pictures and videos in higher quality, and even files and audio messages, with RCS.

A fresh viewpoint: Ios 18 Rcs Messaging

RCS Messaging is a game-changer for secure texting between iPhone and Android users.

With iOS 18, Messages supports the RCS Messaging standard, which means you can enjoy more secure texting, including high-resolution images and videos, typing indicators, and read reports.

To enable RCS Messaging, head to Settings > Apps > Messages and toggle it on.

This isn't enabled by default, so don't forget to make the switch if you want to take advantage of these features.

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Emoji Design Updates are a game-changer in iOS 18. A single emoji now appears much larger, making it easier to see the detail.

The emoji picker has been revamped, displaying emojis larger and with more space between them. This makes it easier to browse and select the perfect emoji for your message.

Tapping on the two icons at the bottom left of the emoji picker takes you to Memoji and Stickers, where you can create and customize your own. You can even make new stickers directly from this section.

Additional reading: How to Remove Stickers from Text Messages Iphone

In iOS 18, text or emoji with an effect applied to it will continually animate when viewed. This adds a fun and dynamic touch to your conversations.

Tapbacks have also gotten a major upgrade in iOS 18. You can now send any emoji as a message tapback, giving you a much wider range of options.