How to Send & Receive Audio Text Messages on Your iPhone

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Within the Messages app, you can send and receive audio messages with other iPhone users. Sending and receiving audio messages is a fun way communicate with your voice without being on the phone, and without using the talk-to-text iPhone feature. Here’s how to send and receive audio text messages.

Jump to:

• How to Send an Audio Message on the iPhone
• How to Listen to a Received Audio Message on the iPhone

How To Send a Voice Message on the iPhone in the Messages App

The audio messages you send will disappear after a set amount of time unless the recipient taps Keep. To send an audio text message from your iPhone:

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1. Open the Messages app and start or continue a conversation thread.
   
   
    
2. Press and hold the audio icon on the right side of the text box to record. The icon looks like a collection of lines.
   
   
    
3. Speak your message while still holding the icon.
4. Lift your finger to end recording. 
5. To hear your recorded message before you send it, tap the playback arrow.
   
   
    
6. To delete the recording, tap the X icon.
   
   
    
7. To send the message, tap the send arrow.
   
   

Related: How to Use Effects in Messages

How To Listen to an Audio Message You Received on Your iPhone

Once you've opened a message that contains an audio recording, follow the steps below to access the voice message on your iPhone.

1. Tap the play button on the recording.
   
   
    
2. You can tap Keep to save a recording you've sent or received.
   
   
    
3. If you do not opt to keep a message, it will automatically delete after two minutes.

With these steps, you can now easily navigate sending and receiving audio or voice messages in the Messages app on your iPhone.