How to unsend a message on iMessage

We’ve all been there — we’ve sent online messages to people and later regretted it, wishing we could take them back. Whether under the influence of alcohol, anger, or frustration, we have all said things that we were later unable to walk back. But with the introduction of the iOS 16 and macOS Ventura beta, a new iMessage feature has emerged — the ability to edit or unsend messages. Here’s an overview of the new feature, but everybody has to be on the new operating system version to be able to use it.

Read more: How to enable iMessage on iOS, macOS, and Apple Watch

How to unsend a message on iMessage

Since iOS 16 and macOS Ventura have only just been released as a public beta, features such as the iMessage unsend function are still very much in the testing experimental phase. As time goes on, the feature may be heavily changed or even removed by Apple entirely. Assuming it isn’t, here’s how the feature will work. The following is an iOS screenshot, but it works in an identical way on the Mac.

After sending the message, long-press on the message with your finger. When the menu pops up, select either Edit to edit the message, or Undo Send to wipe it from both devices.

This only works on iMessage messages, so if you have sent an SMS, the Edit and Undo Send options will not appear. So keep track of your speech bubble colors. Both sides also have to be on iOS 16 or macOS Ventura. Anything older and it won’t work either.