How to Unsend a Message on iPhone [2023]

What to know

• Messages you ship to somebody might be simply retrieved using the Undo Send characteristic on the iPhone.
• Undo Send instantly removes a particular out of your aspect of the dialog in addition to on the recipient’s aspect.
• This possibility will solely be obtainable for as much as 2 minutes after you ship the unique message after which the despatched message can’t be recalled perpetually.
• You can unsend a message contained in the Messages app by long-pressing on a just lately despatched message and tapping on Undo Send.

It is not any disgrace to confess that all of us have that one message that we remorse sending out bearing that embarrassing typo that was neglected and is full of harmful potential to land you within the swamp of humiliation. Well, you simply would possibly be capable to save your self from repeating such a situation.

Why? Because you possibly can “unsend” a message you despatched by way of the iMessage app below two situations. The situations are:

• You should take the initiative to unsend the message inside 2 minutes of sending it
• Both the sender and recipient are using iOS 16, iOS 17, or newer variations on their iPhone

If you possibly can fulfill these two easy, easy but unbending guidelines of the sport, then right here’s how one can get it completed.

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How to unsend a message with the Messages app on iPhone

You can unsend messages you ship from the Messages app so long as they had been despatched someday throughout the final 2 minutes and it was despatched to somebody with an iPhone or iPad. Messages despatched to different telephones (i.e. Android) can’t be retrieved because the Unsend possibility received’t be accessible on them. 

To unsend a message out of your iPhone, open the iMessage app.

Inside Messages, choose the chat containing the message you wish to delete. When this dialog opens, lengthy press on the message you want to unsend.

If there may be nonetheless time left of the 2-minute countdown, you will note an choice to “Undo send” on the overflow menu. Tap on Undo Send from this menu.

Done! That’s all it takes to recall a despatched message on the iMessage app.

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What occurs while you unsend a message in your iPhone?

The message will probably be instantly eliminated out of your display screen of the dialog thread in addition to in your recipient’s aspect of the dialog. What stays of the unsent message is only a label that reads “You unsent a message” and it’ll seem below the final despatched message. A message as soon as unsent can’t be recovered as it is going to be deleted perpetually from the dialog.

Although the recipient received’t be capable to learn your message after you faucet on Undo Send, they’ll nonetheless know that you simply recalled the message as they’ll additionally get an identical alert that reads “<your contact name> unsent a message” inside the identical dialog. 

However, if the recipient’s iPhone is operating an older model of iOS (like iOS 15 or earlier variations), then the message wouldn’t be faraway from their inbox no matter finishing all of the steps out of your finish. In such circumstances, you’ll see the next alert instead of the unsent message in your finish of the dialog. 

The caveat right here is that there’s a chance of the message not getting retracted from the receiver’s inbox even when you took the initiative to “unsend” it on time.

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What messages are you able to unsend on the Messages app?

You can use the Undo Send possibility on all kinds of messages together with texts, emojis, images, movies, hyperlinks, and Memojis. All you’ll want to be certain that is that your iPhone is operating on iOS 16, iOS 17, or a more moderen model. 

If a message you wish to unsend seems inside a blue bubble, you possibly can unsend it any time properly throughout the 2-minute deadline. Messages that seem inside blue bubbles are those despatched by way of iMessage and because it’s Apple (not your network operator) who controls what you are able to do with such messages, these messages might be unsent or edited inside a brief length of sending them out of your iPhone. 

What messages are you able to NOT unsend on the Messages app?

The messages that can’t be unsent are those who seem inside inexperienced bubbles. These messages are despatched by way of SMS or MMS as a substitute of iMessage and get delivered as quickly as ship them out of your iPhone. Since Apple can not management what you ship exterior of iMessage, you received’t be capable to unsend or edit such texts using the Messages app. These messages embrace contacts who don’t use iPhones and iPads and as a substitute use Android gadgets. 

When you long-press on inexperienced bubble messages, you received’t see the Undo Send possibility even when you haven’t gone past the 2-minute mark. 

Can you unsend a message after 2 minutes?

It is a tough no. When you long-press on a message anytime after 2 minutes of sending it, Undo Send will disappear as an possibility from the overflow menu. So, you possibly can solely hope that you simply catch errors or get hit with remorse inside 2 minutes of sending the message to behave.

However, Apple presents a option to mend your errors by letting you edit a message properly past this 2-minute timeline. Although you received’t see the Undo Send possibility contained in the message’s overflow menu, you should still use the Edit possibility to vary the content material of the message you initially despatched. The Messages app permits you to edit a message with completely different content material as much as 5 occasions inside quarter-hour of sending the unique message. 

This, nevertheless, received’t be as environment friendly as unsending a message since each you and the recipient will be capable to see the edit historical past of the message you modified together with the unique textual content that you simply remorse sending. 

► What Happens When You Edit a Message on iPhone? [Explained]

Does deleting a textual content unsend it on Messages?

No. Delete and Undo Send are two completely different choices on the Messages app. Unlike unsending a message, while you delete a message from a dialog, the motion solely removes the chosen out of your aspect of the dialog. This message will proceed to indicate up on the recipient’s iPhone for so long as they keep it. 

Another factor to notice is that unsent messages aren’t recoverable by you or the recipient. Deleted messages, nevertheless, might be recovered by going to the “Recently Deleted” display screen on the Messages app at any time.

I unsent a textual content however the recipient can nonetheless see it. Why?

As we defined above, the Undo Send possibility is barely obtainable on newer variations of iOS together with iOS 16 and iOS 17. If the individual to whom you despatched a message earlier has an iPhone operating iOS 15 or earlier, your message received’t be unsent on their device, that means this message will proceed to indicate up on their iPhone with out fail. 

In such circumstances, you will note a banner that tells you that this individual “may still be able to see your message”. In this situation, there’s not a lot you are able to do however confront the recipient in regards to the message you despatched them by mistake. 

That’s all, people! Share your ideas and suggestions with us within the feedback!