How to Unsend Messages on iPhone, iPad, and Mac

Previously, when you accidentally sent the wrong, angry, or misspelled iMessage, it was impossible to undo it. And tricks to stop an outgoing message by turning airplane mode on immediately or turning off cellular data have not always been successful.

Luckily, in iOS 16, iPadOS 16, and macOS Ventura, you can undo a message in just a couple of steps. And you have two minutes to do it!

What is needed?

To unsend messages, you and the recipient must:

• iOS 16 on iPhone
• iPadOS 16 on iPad
• macOS Ventura on Mac

iOS 16 is currently publicly available, but iPadOS 16 and macOS Ventura are in beta and should be released to everyone this fall (Sep-Oct 2022).

How to unsend an iMessage

iPhone or iPad

Follow these steps to unsend messages in iOS 16:

1. Open the Messages app and navigate to a conversation.
2. Tap and hold on the message you want to cancel.
3. Tap Undo Send.

The message will be instantly deleted from your device and the recipient’s device.

Poppy

Here’s how to unsend iMessage on macOS Ventura:

1. Open the Messages app on your Mac and get into a conversation.
2. Place the pointer on the message you want to cancel and right-click while holding down the “Control”key.
3. Click Cancel Send.

This message will be deleted from both ends.

Don’t see the Cancel Send button in the Messages app?

This is why you don’t see the option to unsend iMessage on iPhone, iPad, or Mac:

• You have not updated your device to the required OS version.
• You are trying to unsend a message after 2 minutes.

What if the receiver is running iOS 15, macOS Monterey, or earlier?

If the recipient’s device is not up to date and you cancel the message from your end. In this case, it will not actually delete the sent message from the recipient’s device. Second, if the recipient uses iMessage on two devices (say, an iPhone and a Mac), the unsent message will only be deleted from the device that has compatible software installed.

How long do I have to unsend an iMessage?

You have only 2 minutes to unsend the message. Second, you can unsend a message even after the recipient has read it. And in case the recipient has not read your message, and it is in his Notification Center, this notification itself will disappear.

What can I undo in iOS 16?

You can cancel anything you can send via iMessage. In testing, I found that I could unsend a text message, photo, video, voice note, stickers, Memoji, GIF (#images), and Digital Touch messages.

Is the recipient informed that the message was not sent?

After you unsend the message, the recipient will see the phrase “Your name/email address/phone did not send the message.”This is in line with other apps such as WhatsApp which also inform the recipient that the sender has deleted the message for everyone.

Can I unsend text SMS on iPhone in iOS 16?

No. Text messages are sent through your carrier, and once they leave your iPhone, Apple won’t be able to unsend them. Unsend only works for iMessage, Apple’s encrypted messaging service that works over Wi-Fi or cellular data.

What should I do if I want to edit the message instead of canceling it?

Apple allows you to not only delete messages, but also edit them. That way, if there is a typo or a minor mistake, you can simply edit the post instead of deleting it.