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With iOS 16, Apple is adding some major updates to the Messages app and introducing features that many people have been asking for for years. This guide highlights everything that’s new in the Messages app in “iOS 16”, iPadOS 16 and also in macOS Ventura, as many of the Messages features are cross-platform.
iMessage editing
When you send an iMessage in iOS 16, you can edit it for up to 15 minutes after you send it. To edit an iMessage, just long-press the message you want to fix, add your edit, then press the blue check mark to resend.
There are some limitations to be aware of when using this feature. It only works with iMessages, not SMS messages, so both people must have an iPhone for it to work effectively. Edited messages are repeated for those who are not on iOS 16.
Intended use of the message editing feature requires participants to be using the latest updates from Apple, including iOS 16, iPadOS 16, macOS Ventura, and watchOS 9.
People using an earlier operating system or Android will see text that says “Edited on [text]” when receiving an edited iMessage.
The Messages app doesn’t provide a history of the edited iMessage, so the person on the other end doesn’t know what the change was.
iMessage Undo Send
If you send an iMessage and then change your mind, you can use the unsend feature to retract it. You can retract an iMessage up to 15 minutes after it was sent.
As with iMessage editing, unsending iMessage also has limitations that you need to be aware of. If you use the Undo Send feature on a message sent to someone running an earlier version of iOS, it won’t work and the message won’t be undone.
In this situation, the person on the other end won’t see that you didn’t send it, even though it disappears from your “iPhone”. If someone is running an earlier version of iOS, they will see:
“You didn’t send a message. [Person] may still be able to see your message on devices running older iOS versions.”
To undo sending to work, participants must be running iOS 16, iPadOS 16, macOS Ventura, and watchOS 9 on their devices. iMessage is required as the feature doesn’t work with SMS messages.
To mark as unread
There’s a new mark as unread feature in ‘iOS 16’ that lets you mark a text message or iMessage as new so the blue dot will remind you to go back there.
Mark as unread is useful when you receive a message and don’t have time to read or address it at the moment, as it will be saved as a new message with a notification badge in the Messages app.
To mark a thread as unread, long press on the conversation and then tap on the “Mark as unread” option.
Recover deleted messages
Under the Filters interface in the Messages app, there’s a new Recently Deleted section that summarizes all the texts you’ve deleted. If you accidentally delete a message that you didn’t mean to delete, you can restore it here.
This interface has dedicated Delete All and Restore All options to edit all messages at once, or you can select a single message and delete or restore it.
SharePlay support
SharePlay, the feature that lets you use apps, watch TV, listen to music, and more with friends and family over FaceTime, has been extended to the Messages app. In any app that supports SharePlay, you can start a SharePlay session with the Messages app.
Participants in the SharePlay experience can see and discuss the same content via iMessage. This comes in handy for collaborating on different apps, playing games, working out, talking about TV shows and movies, and just about any other SharePlay interaction. SharePlay is now compatible with both Messages and FaceTime, so you can choose whichever method of communication you prefer.
collaboration integration
Collaboration is a new feature built into iOS apps. You can collaborate with co-workers, friends, or family in Files, Keynote, Numbers, Pages, Notes, Reminders, and Safari, and send a collaboration invite through Messages.
Once a collaboration has started, all invitees will see message updates as the shared project is edited in the app. Collaborations can be initiated via messages or “FaceTime”.
Junk News Reporting
Apple is extending the built-in Report Junk feature in the Messages app to cover SMS/MMS messages, allowing spam messages to be reported to select US carriers.
In iOS 16, in the Unknown Senders section of the Messages app, if you long-press an SMS/MMS message, you can select the Report Junk option. This option allows you to junk a message, send it to Apple and Verizon, and delete the message.
The Report Junk feature was previously available for iMessage, but the option to report SMS/MMS messages to both Apple and carriers is new.
Developer APIs
Apple makes the Shared with You API available to developers so they can build their apps with a dedicated “Shared with You” section that aggregates app content you’ve received from friends into that app. So, for example, if a friend sends a Zillow entry, you might be able to see it in a new “Shared with you” section in the Zillow app.
This is an opt-in for third-party apps and an extension of the Shared with You feature that Apple introduced in iOS 15. Shared with You takes Safari links, photos, music and more and makes them accessible in the relevant areas of the app so you don’t miss content from friends.
Apple also has a Messages Collaboration API that allows third-party apps to take advantage of the new Collaboration feature, which allows users to communicate in the Messages app while collaborating in another app.
Guide Feedback
Have questions about the iOS 16 Messages app, know of a feature we missed, or want to provide feedback on this guide? Email us here.
