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The Complete Guide to Every iOS 27 Feature

How to reach the top of the iPhone screen with one hand

by Dave Johnson

After you set up your first sleep schedule, you can set additional schedules. For example, you can create separate schedules for weekdays and the weekend. You can modify any schedule, too, for example, to change its wake up time.

You can also change sleep options like the duration of your wind-down period, how many hours of sleep you want to get, and more. It’s all in the Sleep section of the Health app, under Full Schedule & Options.

Here’s how to edit sleep schedules in Health on iPhone.

The edit your sleep schedule screen in Health, with a Days Active section and a Bedtime and Wake Up clock.

Add or change a sleep schedule

  1. Open the Health app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Browse and tap Sleep. Tap Sleep again.
  3. Scroll down to Your Schedule, then tap Full Schedule & Options.
  4. Do one of the following:
    • Add a sleep schedule: Tap Add Schedule.
    • Change a sleep schedule: Tap Edit for the schedule you want to change.
  5. Do any of the following:
    • Set the days for your schedule: Tap a day or remove it from your schedule. The schedule applies only to days shown with solid-color circles.
    • Adjust your bedtime and wake up schedule: Drag the Bedtime button to change your bedtime, the Ringing Alarm button to change your wake up time, or the semicircle between the icons to shift both times simultaneously.
    • Set the alarm options: Turn Alarm on or off.

When Alarm is turned on, you can choose a sound, its volume, a vibration, and the snooze option.

Note: There’s no way to select a song for a sleep schedule alarm, but you can select one for an alarm with the Clock app.

  1. When you’re finished, tap Add or the Done button.

When you tap the Done button, the changes apply to every day in the schedule.

Change only your next schedule

Need a temporary change to a sleep schedule? You can make one.

  1. Open the Health app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Browse and tap Sleep. Tap Sleep again.
  3. Scroll down to Your Schedule and tap Edit (below Next).
  4. Drag the Bedtime button to change your bedtime, the Ringing Alarm button to change your wake up time, or the semicircle between the icons to shift both times simultaneously.
  5. Choose alarm options.

When Alarm is turned on, you can choose a sound, its volume, a vibration, and the snooze option.

  1. When you’re finished, tap the Done button.

Note: To change your next sleep schedule alarm, you can also use the Clock app.

Your normal schedule resumes after your next wake up time.

Change your wind-down period, sleep goal, and more

  1. Open the Health app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap Browse and tap Sleep. Tap Sleep again.
  3. Scroll down to Your Schedule, then tap Full Schedule & Options.
  4. Scroll down to Additional Details. Then make any of the following changes:
    • Wind-down period: Tap Wind Down and then select how many minutes or hours to give yourself to wind down before your scheduled bedtime. Your Sleep Focus turns on at the beginning of the wind down period.
    • Sleep goal: Tap Sleep Goal and select a time. Any new schedules you set up reflect your new goal.
    • Sleep notifications: Turn Sleep Reminders on or off.
Tag: accessibility
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How to block features or content with Screen Time on iPhone

by Chris Smith

In the Reminders app, you can create new lists, organize the lists into groups, and pin lists for quick access.

Each new list gets a name, a color, and a symbol, and you choose its type: Standard, Groceries, or Smart Lists. You can also edit and rearrange lists and groups, or delete them, and pin an important list above the other lists for easy access.

Here’s how to organize multiple lists in Reminders on iPhone.

A Reminders screen showing a grid of Smart Lists, such as Today, Scheduled, and Flagged, each showing the number of items. Under the heading ‘My Lists,' shows a list of custom reminder categories like Family, Work, and Camping Trip.

Note: If you use updated reminders in iCloud, every Reminders feature described in this guide is available. With other accounts, some features aren’t.

Make a new list

  1. Open the Reminders app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap the Add List button.
  3. Enter a name and choose a color and symbol for the list.
  4. Tap List Type and choose Standard, Groceries, or Smart Lists.
  5. Tap the Done button.

Pin an important list above the other lists for easy access

  1. Open the Reminders app on your iPhone.
  2. Touch and hold a list and then tap Pin. You can also swipe right on the list and then tap the Pin button.

You can have a maximum of nine pinned lists. To change the position of a pinned list, tap the More button, tap Edit Lists, drag the Reorder button to a new position, then tap the Done button.

Create a group of lists

Groups such as work, school, or shopping can organize your lists.

To create a group, simply drag a list onto another list. You can also do the following:

  1. Open the Reminders app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap the More button and then tap Edit Lists.
  3. Tap Add Group, enter a name and select the lists to include in the group (optional). Then tap the Done button.

Edit and rearrange lists and groups

  1. Open the Reminders app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap the More button and tap Edit Lists. Do any of the following:
    • Rearrange lists and groups: Drag the Reorder button a list or group to a new location. You can even move a list to a different group.
    • Change the name and appearance of a list or group: Tap the Edit Details button.

Delete a list or group

  1. Open the Reminders app on your iPhone.
  2. Swipe left on the list or group. Then tap the Delete button.

If you delete a group, you can choose to keep its lists. Deleted lists or groups move to Recently Deleted, where you can recover them within 30 days. They’re permanently deleted after 30 days.

Tags: Apple Intelligence, Screen Time
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How to view or change cellular data settings on iPhone

by Kevin Hollington

All apps are required to ask your permission before tracking you or your iPhone across websites or apps owned by other companies for advertising or to share your information with data brokers. After you grant or deny permission to an app, you can change permission later.

You can also stop all apps from requesting permission, so they can’t even ask. The list in Tracking settings shows every app that has requested permission to track you.

Review or change an app’s permission to track you

  1. Open Settings, tap Privacy & Security, and then tap Tracking.

    The list shows the apps that requested permission to track you. You can turn permission on or off for any app on the list.

  2. To stop all apps from asking permission to track you, turn off Allow Apps to Request to Track (at the top of the screen).

For more information about app tracking, tap “Learn more” near the top of the screen.

Tag: cellular
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How to use Apple Intelligence with Home cameras and notifications on iPhone

by Abigail Shilets

In the Image Playground app, you can use Apple Intelligence to create original images within seconds. Get started using simple text descriptions, photos, and people from your Photos library. You can also use Image Playground to create images in Messages, Lock Screen wallpapers, contact posters, and more.

You can choose a style, like Illustration, add up to three people from your Photos library, and pick an aspect ratio. Everything you make is saved to your gallery automatically.

Here’s how to create original images with Image Playground on iPhone.

The Image Playground app window showing a created image of a woman holding a cake.

Note: Apple Intelligence on iOS 27 or later is available on an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, or iPhone 16 model or later. Apple Intelligence is not available in all languages or regions. Usage limits may apply.*

Create an image

  1. Start the Image Playground app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap the New Image button.
  3. Do any of the following to customize your image:
    • Describe it: Enter a description.
    • Choose a style: Tap the Style button and then choose an Apple Intelligence style (like Any Style or Illustration) or tap ChatGPT** to describe the style you want. Note: If you choose Any Style, you can describe the style you want as part of your image description. If you choose Genmoji, you can save it with your stickers.
    • Add a person from your Photos library: Tap the Add Person button and select a person. You can add up to three people. Note: If you provide a text description that doesn’t match the person you selected, your image is personalized based on the photo you selected rather than the text description.
    • A photo of something else, like a pet, nature, or food: Tap the Add Photo button and choose an option.
    • Choose the aspect ratio: Tap the Aspect Ratio button and then choose an option.
  4. Tap the Submit button to create your image.

All changes are automatically saved to your gallery. If you created a Genmoji, tap Add Emoji to add it with your stickers. To view the images in your gallery, tap the Back button. All the versions you create for a single idea are grouped together.

Besides the Image Playground app, you can use Image Playground features to create original images in apps like Messages and Freeform. You’ll also find Image Playground in Pages, Keynote, Apple Invites, supported third-party apps, and more.

Edit an existing image

  1. Start the Image Playground app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap an image in the gallery.
  3. Do any of the following to refine your image:
    • Describe a change: Enter a description to transform the background, change the style, or add something entirely new.
    • Make targeted edits: Tap the Edit button and then tap, brush, or circle a specific object. You can move it, resize it, or swap it out with another image. Use the buttons at the bottom of the screen to add elements, or to change or remove the object you selected. Tap Apply Change when you’re ready to save your edits. Note: Swipe up or down to move between versions of your image. You can move to a different version at any time and keep refining from there.
  4. When you’re finished, tap the Done button.

Share, copy, or delete an image

  1. Start the Image Playground app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap an image, then do any of the following:
    • Share your image: Tap the Share button and choose a share option.
    • Copy your image: Tap the More button, then tap Copy or Duplicate.
    • Delete your image: Tap the More button and then tap Delete.

Note: If you delete an image from Image Playground, it disappears from every device where you’re signed in to the same Apple Account.

In Screen Time settings, you can block access to image creation features, like Image Playground.

The recommended age for realistic images is 18+, according to Apple.

*Apple Intelligence is available with Siri and device language set to Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, or Vietnamese. Some features may not be available in all regions or languages. Some devices may not be available in all regions. Siri AI is available in beta in iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, and visionOS 27 and requires an Apple Intelligence–enabled device set to a supported language. Available in English to start. Siri AI will not be initially available in the EU on iOS, iPadOS, and watchOS. Certain Apple Intelligence features that rely on server-side models are subject to daily usage limits, including but not limited to Siri AI, Intelligent Photo Editing Tools, Image Playground, and AFM 3 Cloud models in Shortcuts. Daily limits may vary by feature, request complexity, system demand, system policies, and other factors. Expanded access to such features will be available for a fee in the future. Use of these features is subject to the Apple Intelligence Terms and Conditions.

**ChatGPT uses generative models and outputs may vary. Check important information for accuracy. When using the ChatGPT extension, you choose what content to send to ChatGPT. Your request and attachments, as well as limited data associated with the request, such as current time zone, country, device type, language, and feature being used when making the request, are sent to ChatGPT to answer your request and enable ChatGPT to provide you accurate and relevant results.

Tags: Apple Intelligence, camera
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How to save a video frame as a photo on iPhone

by Moses Johnson

You can express yourself in the messages you send by formatting and animating text, or by adding effects to message bubbles or the entire screen. You can also search #images to find trending GIFs to send, and save GIFs others send to you (not available in all countries or regions).

Bold, italics, and underlining can format your text, and playful effects like explode or shake can go on a single word, emoji, sentence, or your entire message. Bubble and screen effects play when your recipient gets your message.

Note: You and your recipients must use iMessage to send and receive messages with formatting or effects. To see text formatting and text effects, recipients also need a device with iOS 18, iPadOS 18, macOS 15, watchOS 11, or visionOS 2 or later. If they don’t have one, your messages appear in plain text.

Format and animate words

In texts you send using iMessage, you can format the text in your messages with bold, italics, and underlining. You can also add playful effects like explode or shake to any sentence, word, or letter, and even to emoji.

A Messages conversation with a new message selected in the text field, and formatting and effects options shown below it. The selected text appears with a preview of the effect.

  1. Open the Messages app on your iPhone.
  2. In a conversation, enter a message and then select the text you want to format or animate.
  3. Tap the Text Format button above the keyboard and then select your preferred formatting (bold, italic, underline, or strikethrough) or text effect (big, small, shake, nod, explode, ripple, bloom, or jitter).
  4. Tap the Send button.

You can format or apply effects to a single word, emoji, single word, sentence, or your entire message. Tap the Text Format button before entering the text you want to format or apply effects to.

Add effects to the message bubble or the full screen

Add special effects that play when your recipient gets your message, such as these:

  • Bubble effects that change how the message appears—Slam or Loud make it pop out, Gentle makes it arrive softly, and Invisible Ink blurs the bubble until your recipient swipes to reveal it
  • Full-screen animations like fireworks, balloons, confetti, lively lasers, a moving spotlight, or the echo effect, which fills the conversation with copies of your message bubble

A conversation in Messages including a text message and a photo sent with the Invisible Ink effect.

  1. Open the Messages app on your iPhone.
  2. In a conversation, enter a message or insert an image or link.
  3. Touch and hold the Send button and then do one of the following:
    • Tap a gray dot to preview a bubble effect.
    • Tap Screen, then swipe left to preview different screen effects.
  4. Tap the Send button to send the message with the effect or the Close button to cancel the effect and return to your message.

Messages automatically uses the following screen effects for specific text strings:

  • Balloons for “Happy birthday”
  • Confetti for “Congratulations”
  • Fireworks for “Happy New Year”

Add an animated GIF

  1. Open the Messages app on your iPhone.
  2. In a conversation, tap the Add button and then tap #images. (You may have to swipe up.)
  3. To search for a specific GIF, tap “Find images,” enter a keyword (like “birthday”). Then tap a suggestion or tap the Search key on the keyboard.
  4. Tap a GIF to add it to your message. Then tap the Send button.

To save a GIF that you receive in a message to the Photos app so you can use it again later, touch and hold the GIF, then tap Save.

Note: Only the Messages app on Apple devices animates GIFs from #images.

Tag: Photos
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How to change the name of your iPhone

by Chris Smith

If you’re blind or have low vision, you can use the Magnifier app to aim your iPhone camera at nearby text and have it spoken out loud. You can even point your finger at the specific text you want spoken.

It all happens in Detection Mode, which you can add to the Magnifier app on your iPhone if you don’t see its button. Text Detection and Point & Speak aren’t available in all languages, though.

Important: Detection Mode should not be relied on in high-risk or emergency situations, in circumstances where you may be harmed or injured, or for navigation.

The Magnifier app detecting a finger pointing at text on a wall.

Detect text in the camera frame and have it read out loud

The Magnifier app can detect text in the field of view of your iPhone camera, then have it read out loud.

  1. Start the Magnifier app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap the Detection Mode button to start Detection Mode.

    If you don’t see the Detection Mode button, you can add it.

  3. Touch and hold the Detection Mode button and then make sure Text is selected.
  4. Position iPhone so the rear camera can detect text around you.

    If you don’t hear speech feedback, make sure Silent mode isn’t on.

  5. To temporarily pause detection, double-tap the screen with two fingers.

    Double-tap again with two fingers to resume detection.

  6. To stop Detection Mode, tap the Detection Mode button.

Point your finger at text to have it spoken

When you point your finger at text near you, the Magnifier app can have your iPhone speak it out loud.

It’s especially useful for interacting with objects that have text labels, like dials, buttons, or keypads on ATMs or household appliances, or a digital screen at a grocery store self-checkout.

  1. Start the Magnifier app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap the Detection Mode button to start Detection Mode.

    If you don’t see the Detection Mode button, you can add it.

  3. Touch and hold the Detection Mode button. Make sure Point & Speak is selected.
  4. Position iPhone so the rear camera can detect the text and then point your finger to identify which text to read.

    If you don’t hear sound or speech feedback, make sure Silent mode isn’t on.

  5. To temporarily pause detection, double-tap the screen with two fingers.

    Double-tap again with two fingers to resume detection.

  6. To stop Detection Mode, tap the Detection Mode button.

Customize settings for Text Detection or Point & Speak

  1. Start the Magnifier app on your iPhone.
  2. Tap the Settings button and then tap Detect.

    To detect text in other languages, turn on Detect Languages.

  3. Tap Text or Point & Speak and then customize any of the following: Detection Feedback: Turn on any combination of Labels and Speech.

    For Point & Speak, you can also turn on Sound and Haptic feedback.

    Location: For Point & Speak, tap Under (to read text under your fingertip) or Above (to read text directly above your finger).

    Automatic Flashlight: When your environment is too dark to detect text, have Magnifier turn the flashlight on for 10 seconds.

    Border and Color: For Point & Speak, outline the text you’re pointing to in a color of your choice.

  4. To return to the live Magnifier lens, tap the Back button, tap it again, and then tap the Done button.

    Text Detection and Point & Speak work with VoiceOver.

Tags: iCloud, iPhone
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How to play audio from iPhone on HomePod and other wireless speakers

by Emily Long

With Apple Intelligence, you can use Writing Tools to write text and rewrite selected text to find the right wording and tone. You can also proofread and summarize documents. Writing Tools are available in most places you write, including third-party apps and websites.

You can describe a change you want to make, or rewrite text in a Friendly, Professional, or Concise tone. Writing Tools can also summarize the key points of your text, and you can even compose text with ChatGPT.

Note: Siri AI is available in beta on iOS 27 or later on an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, or iPhone 16 model or later with Siri and device language set to a supported language. Available in English to start. Siri AI will not initially be available in the EU on iOS. Usage limits may apply.

An iPhone showing a story being written in the Notes app. At the bottom of the screen is the Compose with Writing Tools dialog that includes options to refine with ChatGPT, rewrite, choose ChatGPT suggestions, and more.

Note: Apple Intelligence on iOS 27 or later is available on an Apple Intelligence-enabled iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 15 Pro Max, or iPhone 16 model or later. Apple Intelligence is not available in all languages or regions. Usage limits may apply.*

Proofread, rewrite, summarize, and organize text with Writing Tools

  1. While writing, select the text you want to refine. Then tap the Writing Tools button.
  2. Choose an option to refine or summarize your text. Here are some of the things you can do:
    • Tap “Describe a change” to describe the kind of change you want to make.
    • Tap Rewrite. To choose a particular tone, tap Friendly, Professional, or Concise.
    • Tap Proofread.
    • Tap Summarize or Key Points to only summarize the most important points of your text.
  3. When you’re finished, tap the Done button.

Compose text with ChatGPT in Writing Tools

  1. While typing, tap the text field and tap the Writing Tools button.
  2. Swipe up, then tap Compose.
  3. Describe what you want ChatGPT** to write—for example, “A bedtime story about a girl who visits a magical world where she befriends a caterpillar on its journey to becoming a butterfly”— choose Include All Text or Selected Text. Tap the Send button.
  4. If you’re asked for more details, tap a field and enter a response. Then tap the Send button—or tap Ignore to continue without adding details.

After you view the text, you can rewrite text, incorporate ChatGPT’s suggestions, and revert to the original version of your text.

*Apple Intelligence is available with Siri and device language set to Chinese (Simplified), Chinese (Traditional), Danish, Dutch, English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Norwegian, Portuguese, Spanish, Swedish, Turkish, or Vietnamese. Some features may not be available in all regions or languages. Some devices may not be available in all regions. Siri AI is available in beta in iOS 27, iPadOS 27, macOS 27, watchOS 27, and visionOS 27 and requires an Apple Intelligence–enabled device set to a supported language. Available in English to start. Siri AI will not be initially available in the EU on iOS, iPadOS, and watchOS. Certain Apple Intelligence features that rely on server-side models are subject to daily usage limits, including but not limited to Siri AI, Intelligent Photo Editing Tools, Image Playground, and AFM 3 Cloud models in Shortcuts. Daily limits may vary by feature, request complexity, system demand, system policies, and other factors. Expanded access to such features will be available for a fee in the future. Use of these features is subject to the Apple Intelligence Terms and Conditions.

**ChatGPT uses generative models and outputs may vary. Check important information for accuracy. When using the ChatGPT extension, you choose what content to send to ChatGPT. Your request and attachments, as well as limited data associated with the request, such as current time zone, country, device type, language, and feature being used when making the request, are sent to ChatGPT to answer your request and enable ChatGPT to provide you accurate and relevant results.

Tag: AirPlay
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How to choose a photo album and manage storage on Apple Watch

by Stacey Butler

Refer to the following resources to get more Apple Watch-related software and service information. They cover managing your Apple Account, using iCloud, finding your Apple Watch serial number, obtaining warranty service, and battery service. There’s more, too.

+—————————————————————————–+—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–+
| To learn about | Do this |
+===========================================================================+=======================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================================+
| Apple Watch service and support, tips, forums, and Apple software downloads | See the Apple Watch Support website. |
+—————————————————————————–+—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–+
| The latest information about Apple Watch | See the Apple Watch website. |
+—————————————————————————–+—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–+
| Getting personalized support (not available in all countries or regions) | See the Apple Support website. |
+—————————————————————————–+—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–+
| Managing your Apple Account | Sign in to your Apple Account. |
+—————————————————————————–+—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–+
| Using iCloud | See the iCloud User Guide. |
+—————————————————————————–+—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–+
| Finding your Apple Watch serial number, IMEI, or ICCID | You can find your Apple Watch serial number on the Apple Watch packaging. Or, on your Apple Watch, go to the Settings app, then go to General > About. |
+—————————————————————————–+—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–+
| Obtaining warranty service | First follow the advice in this guide, then see the Apple Watch Support website. |
+—————————————————————————–+—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–+
| Viewing Apple Watch regulatory information | On your Apple Watch, go to the Settings app, then go to General > Regulatory. |
| | |
| | You can also view this information on the paired iPhone—go to the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, tap My Watch, tap General, then tap About. Scroll to the bottom and tap Legal to view Legal Notices, License, information on where to find the Warranty, and RF Exposure information. |
+—————————————————————————–+—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–+
| Battery service | See the Battery Service and Recycling website and the Apple Watch Service and Repair website. |
+—————————————————————————–+—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–+
| Viewing the Apple Watch User Guide from the Apple Watch app | Go to the Apple Watch app on your iPhone, tap Discover at the bottom-right, then tap Apple Watch User Guide. |
+—————————————————————————–+—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–+
| Viewing the Apple Watch User Guide from the Tips app | Go to the Tips app on your iPhone, scroll down, then tap Apple Watch below User Guides. |
+—————————————————————————–+—————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————————–+

Tag: Photos
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How to type to speak using Live Speech on iPhone

by Stacey Butler

You can design your own personalized Memoji: choose skin tone, glasses, body, and more. You can create multiple Memoji to use in different contexts, and each one automatically generates a range of poses and expressions.

On supported models, you can send animated Memoji messages that record your voice and mirror your facial expressions. And if you want a new Memoji that’s only slightly different from one you already have, you can duplicate it and edit the copy.

Create Memoji

  1. Start the Messages app on your iPhone.
  2. In a conversation, tap the Add button.
  3. Tap Memoji. (You may have to swipe up.)
  4. Tap the Add Memoji button.

    Tip: To make a new Memoji whose outfit or appearance differs slightly from one you already have, tap to select it, tap the Edit button, then tap Duplicate.

  5. Tap each feature (Skin, Hairstyle, and others to the right) and choose the options you want.
  6. Tap the Done button to save the Memoji to your collection.

Send animated Memoji or Memoji recordings

If you have a supported model, you can send Memoji messages that mirror your facial expressions and record your voice.

  1. Start the Messages app on your iPhone.
  2. In a conversation, tap the Add button.
  3. Tap Memoji, then swipe and tap to choose a Memoji.
  4. Tap the Record button to record your facial expressions and voice and tap the Stop button to stop.

    Tap Replay to review your message.

  5. Tap the Send Recording button to send your message or the Discard Recording button to cancel.

Memoji can also capture your movements, facial expressions, and voice when you use video effects in a video call.

Tag: accessibility
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