You Can Edit or Unsend an iMessage Up to 15 Minutes After Sending in iOS 16

iOS 16 adds a long-awaited feature set allowing you to edit and unsend iMessages that you've sent to someone, but as it turns out, there is a time limitation.

messages editing ios 16
You can edit or unsend an iMessage up to 15 minutes after it's been sent, but after that, it is uneditable and can no longer be unsent.

Unsending an iMessage or editing an iMessage requires both Messages users to be running iOS 16. If you try unsending an iMessage to someone running iOS 15 or earlier, it does not work, nor does the editing feature.

Apple warns that people running earlier versions of iOS are able to see messages that have been unsent, even if it is no longer visible on your end.

You can edit or undo an iMessage by long pressing on it in an iMessage conversation and tapping on either "Edit" or "Undo Send." Note that these features are limited to blue bubble iMessages and do not work with green SMS messages.

There's also a new option to recover recently deleted messages, and deleted messages can be recovered for up to 30 days after deleting them. Deleted messages are located in the Recently Deleted section under the Filters list. Recently deleted works for both iMessage and SMS messages.

In addition to these two features, there is a "Mark as Unread" option for when you want to respond to a message at a later time but don't want to forget, and all of your unread messages can be seen in the new "Unread Messages" folder under Filters.

Related Forum: iOS 16

Top Rated Comments

kc9hzn Avatar
20 months ago

We went from Steve Jobs annoucing the iPod, the iPhone, the iPad, the Macbook Air.... to some random guy annoucing we can unsend a message.
To be fair, Steve… had a tendency to monopolize keynotes. To the point where he became the public face of every team of the company. Tim Cook seems to prefer letting the lead developers/project managers/VPs for each team present (and get credit for) their contributions. The latter goes a long way towards dissociating Apple from being that one guy
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
TheYayAreaLiving ?️ Avatar
20 months ago

Wonder if read receipts are affected if someone marks as unread?
Leave "read reciepts" (OFF). Problem solved :)
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
vanylapep Avatar
20 months ago
We went from Steve Jobs annoucing the iPod, the iPhone, the iPad, the Macbook Air.... to some random guy annoucing we can unsend a message.
Score: 9 Votes (Like | Disagree)
4jasontv Avatar
20 months ago

Leave "read reciepts" (OFF). Problem solved :)
I have no idea why people would enable read receipts.
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Thebrochure Avatar
20 months ago
Screenshot says, "Hold my beer."
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)
apparatchik Avatar
20 months ago
We need an “uncall” feature for certain nights
Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Popular Stories

ios stolen device protection

iOS 17.3 Beta Adds New Stolen Device Protection Feature to iPhone

Tuesday December 12, 2023 10:20 am PST by
The first iOS 17.3 beta rolling out to developers today includes a new "Stolen Device Protection" feature that is designed to add an additional layer of security in the event someone has stolen your iPhone and also obtained the device's passcode. Earlier this year, The Wall Street Journal's Joanna Stern and Nicole Nguyen reported about instances of thieves spying on a victim's iPhone...
iOS 17

33 New Things Your iPhone Can Do in iOS 17.2

Tuesday December 12, 2023 1:57 am PST by
Apple has made available for download its major end-of-year iPhone software update, iOS 17.2, featuring a large number of features and changes that users have been anticipating for quite a while. Below, we've listed 33 new things that your iPhone can do once you've installed the update. Check Settings ➝ General ➝ Software Update on your device to get downloading. 1. Help You Keep a Daily ...
iPhone 16 Mock Back 1

iPhone 16 Early Prototypes: What Apple's Next-Generation iPhone Will Look Like

Tuesday December 12, 2023 3:07 pm PST by
With the launch of the iPhone 15, Apple introduced design changes like a curved frame and a frosted glass back. Information acquired by MacRumors suggests that Apple's next-generation iPhone 16 will build on these updates with modifications to the buttons and the camera layout. We have details on early pre-production designs for the iPhone 16, including a look at the variants and hardware...
CarPlay Phone Call

GM Says It's Nixing CarPlay to Make Drivers Safer

Tuesday December 12, 2023 1:47 pm PST by
Earlier this year, General Motors (GM) announced plans to phase out Apple's CarPlay and Android Auto in its future electric vehicles, with the company instead relying on an infotainment system co-developed with Google. This has not been a popular decision with iPhone users, and today, GM provided some additional insight into the decision in a discussion with MotorTrend. According to Tim...
iPhone 16 Side Feature

iPhone 16 Pro Rumored to Have These 12 New Features

Monday December 11, 2023 10:46 am PST by
While the iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max are still over nine months away from launching, there are already several rumors about the devices. Below, we have recapped new features and changes expected for the devices so far. These are some of the key changes rumored for the iPhone 16 Pro models as of December 2023:Larger displays: The iPhone 16 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro Max will be equipped...
Apple TV 2022 Feature Blue

Apple Releases tvOS 17.2 With Revamped Apple TV App

Monday December 11, 2023 9:58 am PST by
Apple today released tvOS 17.2, the second major update to the tvOS 17 operating system that came out in September 2023. tvOS 17.2 comes more than a month after tvOS 17.1, an update that expanded the availability of the Enhanced Dialogue feature. tvOS 17.2 can be downloaded using the Settings app on the ‌Apple TV‌. Go to System > Software Update to get the new software. ‌Apple TV‌...
maxresdefault

Top Five Features in macOS Sonoma 14.2

Wednesday December 13, 2023 3:21 pm PST by
When Apple releases new software, iOS updates tend to get most of the attention, and there are sometimes useful new features in Mac updates that go under the radar. That's the case with macOS Sonoma 14.2. It doesn't have flashy features like the Journal app that came in iOS 17.2, but there are a number of useful improvements that make it worth installing. Subscribe to the MacRumors YouTube ...