iOS 18 is bringing main modifications to the Messages app, with Apple including Tapback response modifications new formatting, up to date results, satellite tv for pc assist, higher texting with inexperienced bubble individuals, and ultimately, a number of enjoyable Apple Intelligence options.
This information highlights every little thing that is new within the iOS 18 Messages app, and what’s coming later.
Ship Later
iOS 18 provides the choice to schedule an iMessage to be despatched to somebody at a later time or date. If somebody’s birthday is arising, for instance, you possibly can schedule a cheerful birthday textual content to them forward of the date so it is able to go.
Scheduling a message will be solely be carried out in conversations with different iMessage customers, and it’s not an possibility when texting with an Android person. It really works in each particular person and group chats, so long as all members have an Apple gadget and entry to iMessage.
To schedule a message, observe these steps:
- Open up a dialog within the Messages app.
- Faucet on the “+” button on the left aspect of the textual content field.
- Faucet on Extra.
- Select Ship Later.
- Kind in your Message.
- To alter the ship time, faucet on the blue bubble that defaults to Tomorrow 9:00 am. From there, you should have a slider that permits you to enter a date and a time.
- Along with your time chosen and your message typed in, faucet on the blue arrow to schedule it.
Messages will be scheduled as much as 14 days upfront, so if it is August 1, for instance, you possibly can schedule as much as August 15. Messages are despatched even when your iPhone is offline with no Wi-Fi or mobile connection.
Scheduled messages are displayed on the backside of a dialog. If you wish to change the time of a message or cancel it, faucet on the “Edit” button. You’ll have choices to edit the time, delete the message, or ship it instantly.
Tapback Reactions
Tapbacks are these little characters you should use to reply to a message by lengthy urgent on it, so that you needn’t sort out a complete response to one thing that may be answered with a thumbs up or a coronary heart. iOS 18 has two key updates for Tapbacks.
Up to date Design
The six normal Tapback icons now function colour and extra element. You possibly can see the brand new look when lengthy urgent on a textual content to reply, and within the Tapbacks that you simply obtain.
If you faucet on a Tapback you have acquired on a message, now you can see who despatched what, which is helpful if you’re in a gaggle chat and get a number of Tapback responses.
Emoji Help
Together with the six basic Tapback responses, now you can select any emoji character when utilizing Tapback. After lengthy urgent to reply to a message, swipe to the left to see frequent emoji responses or faucet on the generic emoji icon thought bubble to convey up the emoji picker.
You possibly can select any emoji, however it’s also possible to choose out of your stickers or your Memoji. Faucet on the Memoji icon on the backside left to get to Memoji, or the sticker icon to see your sticker choices. So as to add one as a Tapback, simply faucet in your choice.
Stickers will be exhausting to see on the small measurement of a Tapback, however most emoji characters and Memoji work effectively.
RCS
RCS, or Wealthy Communication Companies, is a brand new textual content message protocol changing SMS and MMS. You will see it when texting individuals who do not have iMessage, akin to Android customers. RCS has nothing to do with iMessage conversations, aka the conversations you’ve got with different Apple gadget house owners (blue bubbles), however it does enhance texts with inexperienced bubble Android customers.
RCS is a extra trendy know-how than SMS, and it permits for extra function parity in iPhone to Android textual content message conversations. Lots of the frustrations you may need encountered when texting somebody with an Android gadget are resolved with RCS, akin to errors sending photographs and movies.
This is what you will get with RCS:
- Help for increased decision photographs and movies.
- Help for bigger file sizes and file sharing.
- Audio messages.
- Actual-time typing indicators.
- Learn receipts.
- Means to ship messages over mobile or Wi-Fi (SMS is mobile solely). There isn’t any value to ship an RCS message over Wi-Fi.
- Improved group chats.
Once more, RCS solely comes into play if you’re texting somebody who has an Android gadget. iMessage remains to be the default for conversations between Apple gadget house owners, and blue bubbles and inexperienced bubbles aren’t altering.
We have a full information on RCS if you wish to know extra about what to anticipate.
Messages through Satellite tv for pc
Messages through satellite tv for pc is a brand new function that permits you to ship texts even when you do not have a Wi-Fi or mobile connection, leveraging the satellites that Apple makes use of for the Emergency SOS through satellite tv for pc function.
Messages through satellite tv for pc is obtainable on the iPhone 14 or later, and you’ll ship and obtain each iMessage and SMS messages, so you are not restricted to texting with simply iPhone customers.
Proper now, Messages through satellite tv for pc is free, identical to Emergency SOS through satellite tv for pc. Apple gives two free years of satellite tv for pc entry with an iPhone 14 or later, however the firm has expanded free entry for the iPhone 14 till November 2025. Apple has not supplied any perception into how a lot it is going to ultimately cost for satellite tv for pc entry.
Good Replies (Apple Intelligence – iOS 18.1)
Utilizing Apple Intelligence, your iPhone can analyze the content material in a message that you’ve got acquired, suggesting Good Reply choices you could faucet for a fast response.
If somebody asks a query like “Do you need to go to the films?” Messages suggests responses like “Certain!” or “Sorry, busy tomorrow.” Good Replies aren’t an possibility for each message that you simply obtain, however Apple usually has a suggestion.
Good Replies present up on the high of the keyboard, the place options have been in prior variations of iOS. Good Replies are much like options, however are extra clever and are sometimes full phrases and responses quite than phrase options that pop up as you sort.
To make use of a Good Reply, simply faucet it and it will populate the textual content field so you possibly can ship it. In case you do not take care of the suggestion, simply ignore it, and sort in your individual response. You will nonetheless see options when you disregard a Good Reply.
Good Replies are an Apple Intelligence Messages function in iOS 18.1, which Apple is at the moment beta testing.
Writing Instruments aren’t particular to the Messages app, however are a systemwide possibility wherever you possibly can enter textual content. In Messages, you possibly can write out a textual content after which choose it with a faucet and drag gesture to convey up the Writing Instruments interface.
This is what Writing Instruments can do for a textual content message:
- Proofread what you have written for spelling and grammar errors, together with phrase selection and sentence construction.
- Rewrite with a special tone, with choices that embody Pleasant, Skilled, and Concise.
- Summarize what you have written. You may get a fast abstract, pull out key factors, create a listing of matters, or make a desk.
You possibly can faucet on the assorted choices to make use of the Writing Instruments, and you’ll preview modifications and resolve to not use them or swap them in for what you have written.
The Writing Instruments function is ready to be accessible in iOS 18.1.
Notification Summaries (Apple Intelligence – iOS 18.1)
When you have a number of notifications from the Messages app, Apple Intelligence will summarize them for you so you possibly can catch up at a look and see what’s most necessary with out having to learn via every little thing.
This works for each particular person conversations and group conversations, and you’ll see the summaries on the Lock Display. You will get notification summaries in iOS 18.1.
Emoji Design Updates
If you ship a single emoji to somebody in iOS 18, the emoji now seems a lot bigger than earlier than so the element is less complicated to see. Emojis in different portions are nonetheless displayed on the similar measurement.
Apple has additionally up to date the emoji picker. Emoji are displayed bigger and with more room between them, plus the Sticker and Memoji interfaces have been built-in into the emoji window.
Tapping on the 2 icons on the underside left of the emoji picker will take you to Memoji and Stickers, respectively. You possibly can create Memoji and make new stickers instantly from the 2 sections which are within the emoji picker. For stickers, choose the sticker part and faucet on the clean sticker icon. For Memoji, faucet into the Memoji part, faucet the three dots, after which select New, Edit, or Duplicate.
Stickers and Memoji as Emoji
Stickers and Memoji have new devoted sections within the emoji picker as a result of now you can use a sticker or a Memoji identical to an emoji. In case you add a sticker when typing a textual content, for instance, it’s added to the top of your textual content quite than despatched as a separate picture.
You possibly can nonetheless ship a full-size sticker so long as you ship it separate from textual content.
Stickers and Memoji despatched as emoji solely show as emoji on gadgets operating iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS Sequoia, visionOS 2, and watchOS 11. On earlier variations of iOS, stickers are despatched as separate photographs as earlier than.
Textual content Formatting
You possibly can improve your textual content messages with new formatting choices. After typing one thing, faucet on the “A” icon above the keyboard. What you have typed is chosen, and you’ll add daring, italic, underline, or strikethrough formatting.
So as to add formatting to only one phrase, double faucet on the phrase to pick out it after which faucet on the “A” icon. You can too use the Textual content Results possibility from the popup menu. Formatting can be utilized with emoji, however the daring and italic choices do not do something.
Textual content Results
Together with the daring, italic, underline, and strikethrough formatting, there are new animated textual content results that may be utilized to your complete message, a single phrase, a phrase, and even an emoji or sticker.
Simply choose the textual content that you simply need to add an impact to with a double faucet after which faucet on the “A” icon to get to the textual content results interface.
Choices embody Massive, Small, Shake, Nod, Explode, Ripple, Bloom, and Jitter.
In a dialog with somebody operating iOS 18 or one among its sister updates, the textual content or emoji that has an impact utilized to it is going to regularly animate when seen. These results don’t work on earlier variations of Apple’s working techniques and easily do not present up.
Math Notes
The systemwide Math Notes function that lets your iPhone resolve equations for you works in Messages. To see it in motion, sort in an equation and you will get a direct reply if you add in an equals signal.
Math Notes additionally works for conversions within the Messages app, together with foreign money conversions, temperature conversions, measurement conversions, and extra. You should utilize it by typing in your conversion, akin to “20 euros to {dollars}” after which including in an equals signal to get the end result.
Hyperlink Card Replace
Apple tweaked the design of hyperlink playing cards within the Messages app, and the playing cards now have colourful backgrounds that match the colour of the principle picture within the hyperlink, if accessible.
You possibly can see hyperlink card previews earlier than a hyperlink is distributed, and in the event you lengthy press, you will get customization choices. Hyperlink playing cards will be transformed to a less complicated card type or reworked right into a textual content hyperlink that solely reveals the hyperlink with no preview in any respect.
Picture Playground (Apple Intelligence – Coming Later This 12 months)
Picture Playground is an upcoming Apple Intelligence function that’s designed to allow you to create photographs utilizing text-based prompts, very similar to you are able to do with different AI picture technology platforms.
Apple is integrating Picture Playground into the Messages app, so you possibly can create and ship photographs with out having to swap over to a different app. Apple Intelligence can glean the gist of your dialog from the Messages app and provide you with options for photographs that you simply may need to ship.
Picture Playground may even incorporate photographs of your family and friends, so in the event you’re chatting with a buddy, you possibly can create a foolish picture that makes use of the buddy’s contact picture. Apple provides a mode to every picture, so there isn’t a choice to generate one thing that could possibly be mistaken for an actual picture.
You possibly can select from Animation, Illustration, and Sketch types, and all picture technology is finished on-device.
Genmoji (Apple Intelligence – Coming Later This 12 months)
Primarily based on Picture Playground, Genmoji helps you to create customized emoji with a textual content immediate. Have you ever at all times wished an emoji of a mint chocolate chip ice cream cone? It may be made with Genmoji.
Want a cat constructed from pizza, or a flower that is not a rose or a sunflower? Genmoji will make it attainable. With the Genmoji interface, you possibly can describe a Genmoji and Apple Intelligence will generate a number of choices so that you can select from.
You possibly can even create an emoji primarily based on the contact picture of a buddy or member of the family, much like Picture Playground.
Genmoji behave identical to emoji and can be utilized rather than emoji.
Apple Intelligence Notes
To make use of the upcoming Apple Intelligence options Apple will add to iOS 18 in iOS 18.1 and past, you want an iPhone 15 Professional, iPhone 15 Professional Max, or any iPhone 16 mannequin. M-series iPads and Macs additionally assist Apple Intelligence.
Learn Extra
Extra info on new options that Apple has added in iOS 18 will be present in our iOS 18 roundup.