Messages

If it’s too late at night or too important to forget, you can schedule a text message to be sent at a later time.

Messages can be scheduled as far as 14 days ahead, and your recipient won’t know the message was scheduled. It shows a dashed line until it’s time to send, and it’s delivered even if all your devices are offline. You can also change the send time, edit the message, or delete it.

Note: You must be using iMessage to schedule a message like this. Your recipient can be on any device and won’t know the message was scheduled. To reschedule, edit, or delete a scheduled message, you need to be online.

Schedule a message

You can schedule a message up to 14 days into the future.

1. Go to the Messages app on your iPad.
2. Go to the conversation where you want to schedule a message or start a conversation.
3. Tap the Add button, then tap Send Later.
4. Tap the time to open the scheduler and then choose when you want to send your message.

   The border of the text field turns into a dashed line, and the time your message will be sent appears at the top of the message.

5. Enter a message, then tap the Send button.

Until it’s time to send it, the message appears with a dashed line, and it’s delivered even if all your devices are offline.

Note: Scheduled messages are encrypted and stored on Apple servers only until they’re sent. When a message is sent, it’s removed from Apple servers, the balloon becomes a solid color, and its dashed line disappears.

Change the time to send a message

Until its delivery time, you can still reschedule a message.

1. Open the Messages app on your iPad.
2. Go to the conversation with the message you want to reschedule.

   If you don’t see your message, scroll down to the bottom of the conversation. Scheduled messages may appear below sent messages.

3. Tap Edit beside the date (above your scheduled message), then do any of the following:
   • Reschedule it: Tap Edit Time and choose a new time. Then tap away from the schedule to commit the new time.
   • Send it immediately: Tap Send Message.

Edit a scheduled message

You can also edit a scheduled message up until its delivery time.

1. Open the Messages app on your iPad.
2. Go to the conversation with the scheduled message you want to edit.

   If you don’t see your message, scroll down to the bottom of the conversation. Scheduled messages may appear below sent messages.

3. Touch and hold the message bubble, then tap Edit.
4. Make any changes. Tap the Send Edit button to resend with edits or the Cancel Edit button to revert.

Delete a scheduled message

Delete a message before its scheduled time, and it’s canceled and not delivered to the recipient.

1. Open the Messages app on your iPad.
2. Go to the conversation with the scheduled message you want to delete.

   If you don’t see your message, scroll down to the bottom of the conversation. Scheduled messages may appear below sent messages.

3. Touch and hold the message you want to cancel and tap Delete.

See also

• Unsend and edit messages on iPad
• Turn read receipts on or off in Messages on iPad
• Delete messages and attachments in Messages on iPad

You can record and send audio messages, along with transcripts of what’s said in the message. Audio messages are automatically deleted to save space on your iPad, but if you want to save them, you can.

Instead of typing, you record a message that plays right in the Messages conversation. Before you send it, you can listen to review it or keep recording to add to the end. You can also choose to always keep audio messages.

Note: Audio message transcription is available in select languages.

Record and send an audio message

You can record an audio message instead of writing a text message, and it can be played right in the Messages conversation.

1. Go to the Messages app on your iPad.
2. In a conversation, tap the Add button.
3. Tap Audio, then begin speaking.
4. Tap the Stop button to pause or end your recording. Then do any of the following to your message:
   • Send it: Tap the Send button.
   • Listen to review it: Tap the Play button.
   • Add to the end of it: Tap the Continue Recording button (with the message duration).
   • Cancel it: Tap the Close button.
5. Tap Keep to save an incoming or outgoing audio message on your iPad.

   Otherwise, the recording is deleted from the conversation—on your iPad only—2 minutes after you send or listen to it. Recipients can play your recording any time after they receive it. To save it, they need to tap Keep within 2 minutes after listening to it.

Quick tip: Touching and holding the Record Audio button in the text field lets you send follow-up audio messages more quickly.

Transcriptions of audio messages use the language chosen in the sender’s Settings. If you’d like your outgoing messages in another language, see our article, Change the language and region.

Always keep audio messages

1. Start the Settings app on your iPad.
2. Tap Apps, then tap Messages.
3. Tap Expire (below Audio Messages) and tap Never.

Listen to or reply to a recorded audio message

1. Start the Messages app on your iPad.
2. Open a conversation with an audio message and tap the Play button to play it.
3. Do any of the following:
   • Slide right and left on the audio message to fast-forward or rewind.
   • Touch and hold the Play button or the Pause button to adjust the playback speed.
4. Tap Keep to save an audio message in the conversation.

   To save the message in the Voice Memos app, touch and hold the audio message, then tap Save to Voice Memos.

Switch to FaceTime from Messages

You can quickly make an audio or video call instead of sending a message by switching to FaceTime. In a Messages conversation, tap the FaceTime button.

See also

• Get started with Voice Memos on iPad
• Change your voicemail greeting and settings on iPad
• Make FaceTime calls on iPad
• Dictate text on iPad

You can delete text messages, attachments, and entire conversations from your iPad anytime, without affecting what your recipients see.

You can also delete a conversation entirely, or delete multiple photos, videos, or other attachments and multiple conversations at once. Recently deleted messages and attachments can be permanently removed before 30 days, too. And on an ongoing basis, messages and attachments older than 30 days or a year can be deleted automatically.

Quick tip: If you sent a message accidentally, you can use Undo send to retract it within 2 minutes, deleting it from both your phone and your recipient’s phone.

Deleted messages and attachments stay in your Recently Deleted folder for up to 30 days, and you’re able to recover them.

Delete messages and attachments

1. Go to the Messages app on your iPad.
2. Open a conversation, touch and hold a message bubble or attachment, and then tap More.
3. Select the messages or attachments you want to delete. Tap the Delete button.

You can also delete a conversation entirely.

Delete multiple photos, videos, or other attachments

1. Open the Messages app on your iPad.
2. Tap the contact or group icon at the top of the conversation.
3. Tap a category, such as Photos.

   Tip: To see only one kind of image, tap the Filter button at the bottom left, then tap Screenshots, Videos, or Photos.

4. Tap Edit, then tap Select.
5. Tap each attachment you want to delete and tap the Delete button. Then tap to confirm the number of attachments you want to delete.

Delete a conversation

1. Open the Messages app on your iPad.
2. In the conversation list, do one of the following:
   • Swipe left on the conversation, then tap the Delete button.
   • Touch and hold the conversation, then tap Delete.

Delete multiple conversations

1. Open the Messages app on your iPad.
2. In the conversation list, tap Edit.
3. Tap Select Messages and then select conversations you want to delete.
4. Tap the Delete button and tap Delete.

Permanently remove recently deleted messages and attachments

Deleted messages and attachments remain in the Recently Deleted folder for 30 days, but you can permanently remove them before that.

1. Open the Messages app on your iPad.
2. Tap the Filter button at the top of the conversation list. Then tap Recently Deleted.
3. Select the conversations whose messages you want to delete permanently, tap the Delete button, and then tap Delete.

   Important: This can’t be undone.

Automatically delete old messages

You can delete messages and attachments that are older than 30 days or a year old, on an ongoing basis.

1. Open the Settings app on your iPad.
2. Tap Apps, then tap Messages.
3. Scroll down and tap Keep Messages (below Message History). Then choose an option.

Important: If you choose an option other than Forever, your conversations (including all attachments) are automatically removed after the specified time period elapses.

If you use Messages in iCloud, deleting a message or conversation on your iPad also removes it from all your devices with Messages in iCloud on.

Note: When you delete messages, it only affects your iPad and other Apple devices signed in to the same Apple Account. You can’t remove messages, attachments, or conversations for anyone else.

Want to delete everything, not just your messages? Read our guide, Erase iPad.

See also

• Unsend and edit messages on iPad
• Screen and filter text messages on iPad
• Automatically delete one-time verification codes

You can unsend and edit recent text messages, giving you the opportunity to fix a typo or pull back a message that you accidentally sent to the wrong person. You can undo a message for up to 2 minutes after sending it, and edit it up to five times within 15 minutes.

Note: Unsending or editing text messages, or seeing when others unsend or edit messages you receive, requires iMessage running iOS 16, iPadOS 16.1, macOS 13, visionOS 1, or later. When you unsend a message to someone using an earlier operating system, the original message stays in the conversation, and you get a notification that the recipient may still see it. When you edit a message to someone using an earlier operating system, they get follow-up messages that start with the preface “Edited to” and then your new message in quotation marks. Editing or unsending SMS, MMS, or RCS text messages isn’t possible. And when you edit a text message in a group conversation, your edits are visible only to iMessage users.

Unsend a message

You can undo a recently sent message for up to 2 minutes after sending it.

1. Go to the Messages app on your iPad.
2. Touch and hold the message bubble and tap Undo Send.

   A note confirming that you unsent the message appears in both conversation transcripts: yours and your recipient’s.

Unsending removes the message from your recipient’s device.

Edit a sent message

You can edit a recently sent message up to five times within 15 minutes of sending it.

1. Start the Messages app on your iPad.
2. Select a conversation with the message you want to edit.
3. Touch and hold the message bubble, then tap Edit.
4. Make any changes. Tap the Send Edit button to resend with edits or the Cancel Edit button to revert.

   Note: The message is marked as Edited in the conversation transcript.

The message bubble updates to reflect your edits on both your iPad and your recipient’s device, and both of you can tap Edited to see previous versions of your message.

See also

• Delete messages and attachments in Messages on iPad
• Keep track of messages on iPad
• Screen and filter text messages on iPad

You can report spam messages to Apple, recover messages from the Spam folder that were incorrectly marked as spam, and block specific contacts to stop receiving their messages.

When you use iMessage, a Report Spam link appears at the bottom of messages from unknown senders. You can also block a specific person or phone number, and check who you’ve blocked.

Here’s how to report spam and block senders in Messages on iPad.

Report spam messages

With iMessage, you can report spam messages to Apple.

1. Go to the Messages app on your iPad.
2. Do one of the following:
   • If you haven’t opened the message: Swipe left on the message, tap the Delete button, and tap Delete and Report Spam.
   • If you’ve already opened the message: A Report Spam link appears at the bottom of any message from any unknown sender. Tap Report Spam and tap Delete and Report Spam.

     Note: You can’t report a message after you’ve replied to it.

   • If you don’t see the option to report SMS, MMS, or RCS spam messages forwarded from your iPhone: Contact your carrier.

A message you received with iMessage goes to Apple along with the sender’s information, and it’s permanently deleted from your iPad.

You can recover messages you accidentally report and delete.

Reporting spam doesn’t stop the sender from sending messages, so block the contact to avoid receiving their messages.

You can filter incoming messages from new numbers to avoid getting them. See our article, Screen and filter messages from unknown senders.

Recover messages in the Spam folder

Spam that’s detected moves to the spam folder rather than appearing in your conversation list, and you can check to see if any messages are inadvertently marked as spam.

1. Open the Messages app on your iPad.
2. Tap the Filter button at the top of the conversation list and tap Spam.
3. Tap a message that isn’t spam and tap Not Spam. Tap Move to Messages.

   The conversation moves to your main conversation list, where you can send a reply. Tap the Filter button, then tap Messages.

Recovered messages move back to your conversation list.

Block messages from a specific person or phone number

Blocking a specific contact or phone number means messages from that person or number aren’t delivered, and the person sending them doesn’t know that their messages are blocked.

Note: A contact you block in Messages is also blocked in Mail, Phone, FaceTime, Calendar, and other apps. Read our guide, Prevent contacts from communicating with you.

1. Open the Messages app on your iPad.
2. Go to the conversation with the person you want to block and tap the person’s icon at the top.
3. Tap Info and scroll down. Tap Block Contact.

   You can remove someone’s access to shared items.

Quick tip: You can’t block a group conversation, but instead of blocking all the people in the group, you can leave it or stop its notifications.

Check who you blocked

Not getting someone’s messages? Check whether they’re in your Blocked Contacts.

When you block a contact in Messages, that contact is also blocked in Mail, Phone, FaceTime, Calendar, and other apps.

1. Open the Settings app on your iPad.
2. Tap Privacy & Security, tap Blocked Contacts, and do any of the following:
   • Unblock a number you’ve blocked: Tap [number] Unknown and swipe left on a number in the list. Then tap Unblock. Or tap Edit, then tap the Remove button.
   • Add additional contacts or numbers directly to the list: Tap Add Blocked Contact.

A sender can’t find out if they’re blocked.

Quick tip: To prevent unwanted messages another way, allow your contacts only when you block messages with Screen Time.

You can set your notification options to change how the notifications appear and more.

To pause notifications from Messages, turn on Do Not Disturb or another Focus.

See also

• Keep track of messages on iPad
• Stop, mute, and change message notifications on iPad
• Delete messages and attachments in Messages on iPad
• Control what you share on iPad

In the Messages app, you can exchange texts, photos, videos, and more, with individuals, businesses, and groups. With iMessage, you and a friend can send each other unlimited messages from anywhere in the world, and you can also express yourself with backgrounds and animations, share TV shows and music, and collaborate with others.

You can chat as a group with your family or a work group, add media, polls, and location sharing, and even schedule a message to deliver later. If you have an iPhone, you can see the same messages on your iPad, too.

Set up iMessage and sync across devices

When you and a friend both sign in to iMessage, you can send each other unlimited messages, no matter where you are in the world. Go to Settings > Apps > Messages, then turn on iMessage. And if you have an iPhone, you can see the same messages you get there on your iPad too. On your iPhone, go to Settings > Apps > Messages, turn on Text Message Forwarding, then choose your iPad in the list. (You must also be signed in to the same Apple Account on your iPhone.)

Chat as a group

You can chat with several people at once—like your family or a work group. Tap the Compose button, enter the names of the people in the group, then type your message, or tap the Dictate key to dictate it. To add media and more, tap the Add button next to the text field. To add emoji, tap the Emoji key or the Next Keyboard key on your keyboard. To name the group, tap the group icons at the top of the conversation, then tap Change Name & Photo.

Go beyond texting

You don’t have to limit your communication to text. To add emoji, tap the Emoji key or the Next Keyboard key on your keyboard. To add media, polls, location sharing, and more, tap the Add button next to the text field.

Schedule a message to deliver later

If it’s too late at night or too important to forget, schedule your message for a future time, instead of sending it as soon as you finish it. Tap the Add button, tap Send Later, choose a time, then tap the Send button.

These guides cover more of what Messages can do for you:

• Set up Messages on iPad
• Send and reply to messages on iPad
• Have a group conversation in Messages on iPad
• Use iMessage apps in Messages on iPad
• Schedule a text message on iPad to send later
• Search in Messages on iPad
• Screen and filter text messages on iPad
• Stop, mute, and change message notifications on iPad

Availability of Messages features may depend on your carrier, country, or region, Apple says.

You can reduce the number of unwanted text messages you receive when you screen and filter messages from unknown senders and turn off business alerts.

Messages from unknown senders are filtered into another folder, so they can’t text you directly, and you don’t get notified. You can also set up additional spam filtering for unknown SMS, MMS, and RCS messages, and review the messages that were filtered. Filters cover promotions and transactions, too.

Screen and filter messages from unknown senders

To keep unknown senders from texting you directly, you can filter their messages into another folder, and you aren’t notified about them unless you want to be.

1. Go to the Messages app on your iPad.
2. Tap the Filter button at the top right of the conversation list. Tap Manage Filtering.
3. Turn on Screen Unknown Senders.
4. To get notifications from some unknown senders—for example, for time-sensitive texts, like verification codes—tap Allow Notifications. Then turn on the categories you want to allow. (Options vary by country and region.)

Unknown SMS, MMS, and RCS messages can get additional spam filtering and screening, too.

Note: Filters cover promotions and transactions, or anything your third-party message filtering extension on iPhone offers. Any sender you’ve replied to three times or more isn’t affected by text message filtering, so try blocking or reporting those senders instead.

Review messages from unknown senders and mark them as known

Messages filtered to the Unknown Senders folder are there to review at any time. When you decide a sender is legitimate, mark them as known or add them to Contacts, and their messages move into your conversation list, where you can open links and view any blurred images they’ve sent.

1. Open the Messages app on your iPad.
2. Tap the Filter button at the top right of the conversation list and then tap Unknown Senders.
3. Do any of the following:
   • Tap the message from the sender whose messages you want to see in your conversation list, then tap Mark as Known.
   • Tap the sender’s email address or phone number at the top of the conversation, then tap Create New Contact.

Until you add a sender as a contact or mark them as known, any future messages from them keep going to Unknown Senders.

Turn off business alerts

You can turn off the alerts and updates some businesses send on your orders and other transactions.

1. Open the Settings app on your iPad.
2. Tap Apps, then tap Messages.
3. To turn off Apple Messages for Business, tap Business Messages. Turn Business Updates off.

You can also report spam messages as you receive them.

Quick tip: To prevent unwanted messages, there’s another option: allow messages only from your contacts with Screen Time.

For control over how the notifications appear and more, set your notification options.

To pause notifications from Messages, turn on Do Not Disturb or another Focus.

See also

• Report spam and block senders in Messages on iPad
• Keep track of messages on iPad
• Stop, mute, and change message notifications on iPad
• Control what you share on iPad