Sending screen and bubble effects via the iOS and iPadOS Messages app expands your options for expressing yourself while chatting with friends. You can use iMessage effects to emphasize a point, convey a mood, commemorate an occasion, or simply create unique effects for fun.
However, in order to take full advantage of iMessage effects, you’ll need to check a few settings.
Here’s how to enable and use effects in Messages.
How to Customize iOS Message Effects
A few settings in your Settings app will affect the appearance and playback of message effects. This section describes how to locate and configure those settings to ensure that you can use the effects feature without encountering any issues.
- Launch the Settings application.
- Click on Accessibility.
- Select Motion from the Vision menu.
Reduce Motion and Auto-Play Message Effects are the two relevant settings.
Reduce Motion may not work properly if it is turned off, so toggle it to On (green).
The Auto-Play Message Effects option is not required. Turn it on to begin playing effects immediately upon opening a message that contains one. If you disable it, the effect will not activate until you tap a command.
How to Send an iMessage with Animated Messages
After configuring your settings, you can begin sending and receiving message effects. How to access them is as follows.
Bubble or screen effects can be applied to text (including emojis) and images.
- Launch the Messages application.
- Tap an existing conversation or the New Message button to initiate a new one.
- Type the message to which you wish to apply the effect.
- While holding the Send button adjacent to the text field, tap and hold it.
- The window labeled Send with effect will open. By default, the Bubble options are displayed, which apply various animations to the message itself.
- To see a preview of the effect, select an option. The options are as follows:
- Slam: From above, the text bubble will “slam” into the window, shaking the other messages.
- Loud: The message will rise off the screen and shake, implying that it is being shouted.
- Gentle: The message’s text will begin small, as if whispered, and then expand to its normal size.
- Invisible Ink: Messages will obscure your message until the recipient swipes to reveal it.
- To access full-screen effects, tap the Screen tap at the top.
- Swipe to the left to access additional options. You have the following options:
- Echo: On the screen, a swarm of duplicates of your message appears.
- Shooting Star: A single point of light creates an arc across the text.
- Spotlight: Except for a single pool of light highlighting your message, the display goes dark.
- Balloons: Behind the conversation, multicolored balloons appear.
- Lasers: Except for colored lasers that sweep from the bottom to the top of the display and back down, the screen goes dark.
- Confetti: From the top of the screen, colored scraps of paper rain down.
- Love: A large heart shape floats away from your text.
- Fireworks: Your message is accompanied by a pyrotechnic display.
- Celebration: Golden sparks rain down from the screen’s upper-right corner.
- Click the Send button to send your message in effect.