How to undo send iMessages in iOS 16

The Apple overlords have simultaneously answered some of our prayers and terrified the rest of us with this new iOS 16 feature: the ability to undo a sent iMessage.

Undoing a text is great for when you shamefully send a "U up?" text at 2 a.m. and immediately regret it, or perhaps for a typo in a text to your boss. For the more mischievous-minded, it's also useful for denying you ever said something when it conveniences you.

Regardless of your intentions with the feature (we're not here to judge), here's how to actually do it.

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There's just one loophole, though: Undoing a sent message will only fully work if both iPhones are running iOS 16. If your recipient is still on an older version of iOS, the incriminating message will not be deleted from their phone, even though it will appear gone on yours. And if your recipient is using iMessage on an Apple computer or iPad, it will likely also remain visible on that device unless they are running macOS Ventura or iPadOS 16. Undo carefully!

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1. Send a message that you regret.

You might regret sending this one. Credit: Apple

Whether it's a typo or something much worse, we've all been there.

2. Long press on the shameful text.

Press and hold to make your regrets disappear. Credit: Apple

Press and hold on the text bubble you'd rather never see again. A pop-up menu should appear.

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SEE ALSO: How to edit an iMessage in iOS 16

3. Tap on "Undo Send" and watch your regret dissipate.

TAKE HEED: Undo message send won't work if the receiver's software hasn't been updated. Credit: Apple

The text bubble will fizzle out of sight, and a message will appear in its place reminding you that you unsent a message. It will also remind you that the recipient may still be able to see it.

4. Breathe a sigh of relief. Or keep panicking if you don't know what version of iOS they're running.

We can only help you out so much here!

SEE ALSO: How to mark an iMessage as unread in iOS 16