How to unsend messages on iPhone

iOS 16
How to unsend messages on iPhone (Image credit: Apple)

"How to unsend messages on iPhone" continues to be a popular search query on Google Search. The useful ability of recalling texts in iOS 16 was announced at WWDC 2022 in June, but now that you can download iOS 16, the feature is finally available for anyone with an iPhone 8 or newer.

Do you know what that means? No more pangs of regret over texts sent during inebriated nights. You can yank the embarrassing messages from the recipient's phone with ease. 

How to unsend messages on iPhone

You must have iOS 16 to unsend messages on iPhone. This update reached general release today on Sept. 12, so you'll need to make sure you download that update by going to Settings > General > Software Update and then following the instructions to download and install the update first.

Once that's done, this is how you unsend messages on iPhone.

iOS 16 offending message

iOS 16 offending message (Image credit: Apple)

1. Press and hold the offending message you wish to recall.

iOS 16 offending message

iOS 16 offending message (Image credit: Apple)

2. Tap "Undo Send."

3. Voila! The message will disappear from the recipient's device.

Users will have a 15-minute window to unsend texts. Once the 15 minutes are up, you will not have the ability to recall messages. It's also worth noting that the recipient will be notified that you unsent a message. They won't be able to see what you unsent, of course, but they will know that you recalled the text.

Keep in mind that not all iPhone users will get to enjoy the new, forthcoming unsend feature. If you have the original iPhone SE (2016) or an iPhone 7 (or older), you won't get iOS 16 support. Only users with iPhone 8 (or newer) will get the iOS 16 update.

Kimberly Gedeon

Kimberly Gedeon, holding a Master's degree in International Journalism, launched her career as a journalist for MadameNoire's business beat in 2013. She loved translating stuffy stories about the economy, personal finance and investing into digestible, easy-to-understand, entertaining stories for young women of color. During her time on the business beat, she discovered her passion for tech as she dove into articles about tech entrepreneurship, the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) and the latest tablets. After eight years of freelancing, dabbling in a myriad of beats, she's finally found a home at Laptop Mag that accepts her as the crypto-addicted, virtual reality-loving, investing-focused, tech-fascinated nerd she is. Woot!