How to Unsend Messages on iPhone

If you accidentally send a message from your iPhone or need to remove it quickly, you can now unsend messages by following these steps: Once you delete the message, neither you nor the intended recipient will see the text. However, each party will see an alert that reads, “[Name] unsent a message.” This is fairly standard across other messaging platforms that let you recall messages, such as Facebook Messenger.

Issues With Unsending Messages

Unfortunately, this new feature isn’t without its drawbacks. Most importantly, you can only unsend a message within two minutes of pressing “Send.” So you better catch that typo quickly, as the clock is ticking! Also, this feature is exclusive to iOS 16. If your intended recipient hasn’t upgraded, they will likely still see the message you tried to unsend. The feature also doesn’t work if you are text messaging an Android user. Messages cannot be unsent.

How to Edit Sent Messages on iPhone

In addition to unsending messages altogether, you can edit messages that just have minor typos by following these steps.

Issues With Editing Sent Messages

Unfortunately, editing messages on iOS 16 isn’t a flawless concept either. You have just 15 minutes to edit a message you previously sent. Even then, you can only edit the same message up to five times before it cuts you off. Also, the feature only works with iOS 16, which means those using iOS 15 and lower and Android users will still see each variation of the message when they open the conversation.

How to Recover Deleted Messages on iPhone

Sometimes buttons get pressed and messages get deleted by mistake, but you can now recover deleted messages if you have upgraded to iOS 16. You can only recover messages you’ve deleted within the past 30 days. Image credit: picjumbo.com via Pexels. All screenshots by Megan Glosson.