Messages

If you have iOS 10 or later, you can challenge a friend to a quick game in the Messages app, provided your friend is also using iMessages! Just find a game you like in the iMessaages App Store, tap to get it, and then start playing with your friend. Playing a game via iMessages is great for when you don't have much to talk about, but still want to keep in touch with someone. Here's how to start and play games in iMessages. 

If you're not able to make a phone call, you can send a text! For experienced iPhone users, texting is generally second nature. But other iPhone users are unsure where to get started. This tip is for them. Sending and receiving text messages is quick and convenient. I prefer texting since it's quiet and talking on the phone isn't my favorite thing to do. I can also send a text and maybe get a reply faster than if I had to call and leave a voicemail. Here's how to send a text message on your iPhone. 

Texting can be a quick way to communicate, as long as the other person reads the message. Here's how to see if someone's read your texts, so you can stop worrying your text didn't go through. The people you text will have to be using iMessages and have Read Receipts enabled.

Group texts can help keep everyone in the loop, but sometimes the conversation keeps going when you're done and want to stop being notified of what people are texting. Here's how to leave a group text for iOS or iMessage users, and how to mute the conversation if some members aren't using iMessages, like Android users.

​It can be a hassle to scroll through several pages of Emojis on your iPhone just to find the right one. Here's how to quickly find the perfect Emoji so your text messaging doesn't become a drag.

Adding a picture to a text message in Apple's Messages app used to be quick and easy; you just tapped the little camera icon to the left of the text field, chose an image, or multiple images, to attach, and sent your text as usual. If you're stumped, here's how to add a photo to a text message on your iPhone. Starting with iOS 12, the familiar process for sending photos in Messages has changed: The camera icon is still there, but it only offers the option to take a new image to send and accessing your Photos app from there requires a second step. Don't worry though, it's still very simple to send images from the Photos app on your iPhone; let's learn the new way right now!

Have you ever received a text message that's obviously a spam text? We've already gone over how to block a call on iPhone, as well as how to block telemarketers, scammers, and spammers on iPhone calls, but what if you're getting spoof text messages? There is a way to report spam texts right in the Messages app; when you do this, the content and sender's information is sent to Apple. Once you've made your report, you can block the number that the potential text message scam came from, and never receive a call or message from that number again! Let's get started learning how to report fake text messages on iPhone. 

Here's a fun one! Did you know that Apple's animated emojis, Animojis, can not only be sent as video messages but also as stickers in your iPhone's Messages app? You're only able to use this feature if you have an iPhone X, as the TruDepth camera is needed to create Animojis. Good news, though, your friends and family who don't have the iPhone X can still receive your Animoji videos and stickers. Let's get started learning how to make and use Animoji stickers in Messages right now. 

If you've just bought your first iPhone, or if you're one of the many people who just never got around to setting up their voicemail until now, you may be wondering how to open and listen to voicemail on your phone. You'll also want to learn how to delete voicemail messages, since too many undeleted messages will mean new messages can't be added to your voicemail. Voicemail on iPhone is quick and easy to use, once you learn a few quick steps. Let's get started learning how to check voicemail on iPhone, and how to delete voicemail as well, so you never miss a message. 

Lately I've noticed that the app switcher at the bottom of my messages is getting cluttered with icons that I never added. You can remove apps from the app switcher in the switcher's More Options menu. The overabundance of icons on my app bar has made me want to pare down my selection, so I'm not forever scrolling back and forth searching for my favorites. Let's get started learning how to add and remove apps from Messages on the iPhone, so we can have just the ones we need and want available for our texts. 

If you've ever wanted to create your own emoji, then you're going to have a lot of fun playing with Memojis, a feature in the new iOS. Think of Memoji as an iPhone emojis update that can be used in real time as live, talking avatars in FaceTime or Messages, similar to Snapchat filters, but better. It's like being able to create your own Animoji, but not just any Animoji, Animojis of yourself or any character you can dream up. You can design as many designer Animojis as you want, some for family, some for friends, and you can customize their features, hairstyles, accessories, and much more. These personalized and animated emoji faces can only be created on the iPhone X, iPhone Xs, iPhone Xs Max, and iPhone XR since these are the only versions of the iPhone to incorporate the front-facing TruDepth camera. If you don't have or don't plan on buying a new iPhone, you'll still be able to receive Animoji and Memoji messages, although you won't be able to create them. If you still want some of the fun of custom Memojis, check out this article about a free emoji creator app. Let's go over how Memojis work, so you can make your own avatar.

iOS 11.4 is here, and one of the most long-awaited features included is the ability to store photos and other message attachments in iCloud and sync them across devices. This means, of course, that when you delete a message or attachment it will now be deleted on every iPhone, iPad, or Mac you own (previously, you had to delete the message individually on each device); and when you purchase a new device, all your messages will be there as soon as you sign in to the device. This new capability will offer not only convenience, but also save space on your iPhone and iPad while preserving your privacy with end-to-end encryption. Let's learn more about how messages in iCloud works and what you need to do to use this feature, and how to turn on messages in iCloud, as well. 

Group iMessages allow everyone in the conversation to communicate with each other and share information, mute notifications, or leave the group as they see fit. If you belong to or have started several group text conversations, it's important to be able to see at a glance which chat is which, so you don't send the wrong comment to the wrong group! We've gone over how to create a group message on your iPhone in a previous article; Let's get started learning how to name a group chat on your iPhone so you can keep track of who's who in your group messages. 

Apple announced the Apple Business Chat platform at WWDC 2017 and iOS 11.3 has finally introduced us to the program. The Business Chat platform allows iPhone users to connect with companies through iMessages, or from the businesses' app or website, rather than talking on the phone. Apple is rolling out Business Chat slowly; it's only available as a beta version right now, with a limited number of partner companies. Let's stay ahead of the curve and learn how to use Business Chat on our iPhones. 

You've been trying to get in touch with a friend or family member, but they haven't returned your calls or messages. Are they just busy, is something wrong with their phone, or have they blocked your number? How can you tell if someone blocked your number? There's not a surefire way to know if your number is blocked, but there are a few telling signs that indicate someone blocked your number from texting or calling. We've already gone over how to block a number, as well as how to block your number or call privately, now let's go over the clues that calls and messages from your iPhone are being blocked.

We've gone over how to block a phone number on the iPhone, which includes how to block calls and text messages, but what happens when you block someone on your iPhone? Did you know that even when someone's number is blocked, they can still leave you voicemails? It seems odd to be able to receive voicemails from someone you've put on your block list, but there it is, and in a way, this peculiar feature has its merits. For example, if you've blocked an ex or cyberbully, it can be useful to know if they've moved on or if you may have cause to worry. So let's get started learning what happens when you block a caller, how to find out if someone you blocked has called you, and how to listen to voicemails from blocked numbers, as well. 

Getting iMessage on a PC is a tall order. Apple is famous for its closed-system standard, and apps like Messages are no exception. If you have a PC running Windows and you want to use iMessage on your PC, I’ve got both good and bad news. First, it is possible to get iMessage on PC. But the best option for getting iMessage on PC requires a remote desktop, which means you need a Mac for it to work. We will go over how to do this, and it will allow you to have iMessage on your PC running Windows. However, I would imagine most people looking to do this don’t have a Mac, which is where the not-so-great news comes in. Overall, Apple is not making it easy for users to have iMessage on a PC. I’ll go over other options I've seen bloggers promote, but I don’t recommend doing them. If you don’t have a Mac and you want to use iMessage on PC, I highly recommend using a different messaging service. Whatsapp,  for example, allows you to use its messaging platform across all devices. But if you’re insistent upon using iMessage on your PC running Windows, let’s go over your options and the only method I do recommend. Here’s how to get iMessage on a PC, and the methods I don't reccomend that are potentially harmful to your devices. 

Animoji is a new iMessage feature that currently is only available on the iPhone X. Animojis are animated emojis, and the technology required to create them is really incredible, with far-reaching potential applications. The Animojis feature allows iPhone X owners to animate various characters in ten-second videos and send them to friends. When you move your face, the Animoji automatically moves with you. With Animojis, you are essentially animating your own face, as though you were in a cartoon right from the comfort of your iPhone. The first iteration of Animojis allowed you to be a unicorn, the poop emoji, a panda, a chicken, and more. With iOS 11.3, Apple has added a bear, a dragon, a lion, and a skull.  Here’s how to use Animojis on your iPhone X.

Message attachments are the photos, GIFs, and videos your friends and family send you. They’re stored as a part of each text message, and they can take up a lot of space without you ever thinking about it. Before iOS 11, you had to select each attachment you wanted to delete in the Message app. But there’s an easier way to delete message attachments and free up storage with iOS 11 on your iPhone. Here’s how.