How many times have you sent a text only to realize too late that it contained a mistake? Have you ever sent a text to the wrong person? If you're wishing there was a way to reverse all those autocorrect fails, Apple's latest version of iOS lets users edit and unsend messages.
There are some limitations to keep in mind, though. You only have 15 minutes to edit or unsend your message. These features also only work with iMessage, and not SMS or MMS messages, so conversations with Android users are not supported.
You also must be running iOS 16/iPadOS 16 or higher to gain access to these new features. Apple's iOS 16 is out now; iPadOS 16 is expected in the fall. Here’s how to edit or unsend a message.
How to Edit iMessage Texts
Let's say you made a typo in the Messages app. You see the typo and want to correct it for yourself and the recipient. In iOS 16, you can now long-press the text and tap the Edit option from the pop-up menu. Edit out the mistake and tap the checkmark to send the corrected version of your text.
The original message is then replaced with the corrected version, noting that it has been edited. If the recipient has not updated to the latest version of iOS, both the original text and the corrected version will appear with a notice that the message was edited.
Unsend a Text
Now let’s say you want to recall an entire text; maybe you messaged the wrong person. To recall a text completely, long-press on the message and choose Undo Send from the pop-up menu. You are told that you have unsent the text. At the same time, the message disappears for the recipient.
It should be noted that the recipient will also receive a message stating that you have unsent a text in your conversation with them. Also, the unsent message will still appear for anyone who has not updated their device to iOS 16 or has an Android device, so be careful.