iOS 16: how to edit and unsend messages

This article is devoted to the new features that will soon come to the Messages app and shows how these options will work. Our story is based on iOS 16’s public beta version, so there might be some differences with the official release.

How to edit a message in Messages

1. To edit a message in the Messages app, hold your finger on the bubble with the message you want to change.

2. In the menu that just opened, choose the “Edit” option. Now you will see that your words have appeared in the text field.

3. Rewrite your message and tap on the blue checkmark. You will now see the new version of your message with a new “Edited” status below it that shows that the message has been changed.

However, you can’t change messages whenever you want. You can only edit messages during the first 15 minutes after you have sent them. After that, the edit option is no longer available. Also, you should know that if the person on the other end is not running iOS 16 — meaning they don’t have the edit feature on their Messages app — they will see the edited version as a new message. So, in other words, they will be able to see your original text and its edited versions even after you have rewritten them.

How to unsend a message in Messages

1. To unsend a message in the Messages app, hold your finger on the bubble you want to recall.

2. In the menu that appears, choose “Undo Send.” After a sweet new animation, your unwanted message will disappear into the abyss.
Keep in mind that you have only 15 minutes to unsend a message before the Undo Send option disappears. Also, if the person on the other side isn’t running iOS 16, your message will disappear only for you. The individual on the other end will still see the recalled text.

How to mark a conversation as unread

1. To mark a conversation as unread, open the Messages app and hold your finger on the thread you want to mark.

2. In the just-opened menu, you will now see a new option called “Mark as Unread.” When you tap on it, the menu will close, and a blue dot will appear near the conversation, showing that it is now unread.

How to recover already deleted messages

1. To recover recently deleted messages, open the Messages app and tap on the “Edit” button in the top left corner.

2. In the newly displayed menu, select “Show Recently Deleted.” Now you will see how many recently deleted messages you have and from which conversations they have been removed. Then simply tap on the conversations containing the texts you wish to restore and press “Recover.” Your iPhone will display a message showing how many messages will be recovered and the option to cancel the recovery process.

3. To continue with the message recovery, tap on the Recover button, and to end the process, press “Cancel.” Now, if you open the chosen threads, you will see that the recently deleted messages have returned to their conversations.

Here too, however, you have a time window during which you can recover your recently deleted messages. You have 30 days to bring your deleted messages back from the grave. After that, they are beyond saving.

Do the edit and unsend options work with Android?

No, they don’t. In order to use the new edit and unsend options, you and the person on the other side must be texting on an iPhone using iMessage. When you send messages with the Messages app to Android phones, these new features just don’t appear in the menu.