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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways
- Settings tin marque Messages cleaner, much secure, and easier to use.
- RCS, filters, mentions, and backgrounds assistance to modernize Messages.
- On each caller iPhone, I cheque these settings and features first.
There are a fewer Apple apps I perpetually use, and Messages is 1 of them. It's large from the infinitesimal I unfastened it connected my iPhone and commencement firing disconnected the archetypal texts. It works crossed my Apple devices, has a cleanable interface, and includes plentifulness of amusive features to try.
Still, I've recovered ways to marque Messages amended than the default experience. On immoderate caller iPhone, these are the settings I alteration first.
1. Save messages to iCloud
Let's marque definite chats are backed up to the cloud. This is simply a utile diagnostic due to the fact that it keeps my conversations synced crossed Apple devices and helps marque switching to a caller iPhone ace easy. Open Settings > Name > iCloud > See All > Messages successful iCloud, past crook connected Use connected this iPhone. From the aforesaid screen, determination are options to negociate storage, commencement a sync, and set retention limits.
Also: How to escaped up your iPhone retention astir instantly - 8 casual ways
2. Change connection past
I hatred opening Apple Messages and seeing hundreds of aged chats, truthful I similar to manually delete astir erstwhile I'm done with them.
But I inactive privation to support immoderate conversations, similar my 10-plus-year thread with my hubby that fundamentally contains a afloat chronology of our relationship, photos included. For anyone who does not privation to support each speech forever, Messages tin automatically wide retired older chats. Open Settings > Apps > Messages > Keep Messages, past take 30 Days, 1 Year, oregon Forever.
I support excavation acceptable to Forever, past swipe to delete aged threads I nary longer want.
3. Protect backups
Apple has a information diagnostic called Advanced Data Protection that tin end-to-end encrypt antithetic categories of my iCloud data, specified arsenic my Messages backups. That means saved copies of my chats tin beryllium locked down successful iCloud truthful that lone trusted devices tin entree them. It adds different furniture of extortion successful lawsuit idiosyncratic ever breaks into Apple's unreality systems.
To crook it on, unfastened Settings > Name > iCloud > Advanced Data Protection, past power connected the diagnostic and travel the setup steps.
Also: How to acceptable up and usage passkeys crossed your iPhone, iPad, and Mac
Apple warns it volition not person the keys needed to retrieve my information if I suffer entree to my iCloud account. So, Apple can't unlock it for me. But that's wherefore setup requires a betterment interaction oregon betterment key, truthful there's inactive a mode backmost successful later. Because Apple can't unlock information encrypted with ADP, the institution is incapable to manus implicit your data, adjacent if presented with a authorities tribunal order.
4. Review substance connection forwarding
Text connection forwarding is convenient erstwhile I privation SMS, MMS, and RCS messages to look connected my Mac oregon iPad. But I ever reappraisal this mounting to marque definite texts are lone showing up connected devices I inactive own, use, and support locked.
For example, I person an aged iPad that's connected my relationship and is fundamentally the household tablet. It's utilized successful the room for look lookups, and my girl sometimes grabs it to play Apple Arcade games. I deliberation she, oregon anyone who uses it, really, doesn't request to spot each of Mommy's substance messages. Open Settings > Apps > Messages > Text Message Forwarding, past crook each instrumentality connected oregon off.
5. Set 'Send and Receive' to 1 fig
I similar to commencement conversations from my telephone fig connected my iPhone, not my Apple Account email oregon different address. This helps debar disorder and keeps my idiosyncratic email addresses from accidentally appearing successful caller substance threads.
Open Settings > Apps > Messages > Send and Receive. Select the telephone fig for receiving iMessages and starting caller conversations, past uncheck thing other that doesn't request to beryllium utilized connected that device.
6. Turn disconnected work receipts (or alteration for immoderate chats)
Read receipts are good for a spouse oregon adjacent household member. But for astir people, I bash not request Messages broadcasting the 2nd I unfastened a text, particularly since I often get distracted and hide to reply. (Hey, I blasted years of notification overload.)
Open Settings > Apps > Messages, past crook disconnected Send Read Receipts.
Doing this disables work receipts for everyone, but they tin inactive beryllium turned connected for circumstantial people, specified arsenic a partner. Open Messages > spell to that person's chat > pat the sanction oregon icon astatine the apical of the surface > past crook connected Send Read Receipts for that conversation.
7. Screen chartless senders and spam texts
This is 1 of my favourite iOS 26 settings. Unknown senders, including apt spam texts, tin beryllium moved retired of my main speech database and into abstracted areas for maine to review. Open Messages > pat Filters (top-right country of the main list) > Manage Filtering > past crook connected Screen Unknown Senders. From this aforesaid settings screen, Filter Spam tin besides beryllium enabled.
Also: The iPhone's caller telephone screening diagnostic makes updating to iOS 26 wholly worthy it for me
Once some settings are on, chartless senders and spam texts look successful abstracted lists nether the Filters fastener successful Messages.
8. Enable RCS messaging
RCS Messaging makes texting with Android users consciousness much modern, acknowledgment to enactment for higher-quality media, transportation receipts, work receipts, and typing indicators. Unfortunately, no, it doesn't get escaped of the greenish bubbles.
Open Settings > Apps > Messages > RCS Messaging, past crook it on. Availability depends connected your bearer and device.
9. Disable 'Retry arsenic Text Message'
SMS isn't considered unafraid successful 2026. Because regular substance messages aren't end-to-end encrypted, I would alternatively spot a failed iMessage than person a backstage speech softly autumn backmost to SMS. It's conscionable not wherever I privation delicate accusation going by accident.
Also: Your iPhone RCS chats with Android are encrypted successful iOS 26.5: How to verify E2E is enabled
Open Settings > Apps > Messages, past crook disconnected Retry arsenic Text Message. It tin ever beryllium turned backmost connected aboriginal if needed.
10. Stop audio messages from expiring
Audio messages successful Messages tin expire automatically, which is large for privacy, but it's unspeakable for sentimental dependable notes.
Since it's mostly my household sending them to me, I acceptable excavation to enactment forever, past delete thing delicate myself. Open Settings > Apps > Messages > Audio Messages > Expire, past take Never. Or, if you prefer, prime After 2 Minutes.
11. Check 'Sensitive Content Warnings'
Apple Messages tin observe nude photos and videos earlier I presumption them and volition adjacent amusement maine a warning. This diagnostic is not enabled by default, but I inactive similar to cognize wherever it is and cheque that it's off. Go to Settings > Apps > Messages > Sensitive Content Warning.
The thought is to assistance maine marque a safer prime earlier viewing delicate content. The representation oregon video is blurred, with options to amusement it, get assistance oregon information resources, artifact the sender, oregon study the contented to Apple. I tin spot this being utile if a kid occasionally uses my instrumentality oregon if idiosyncratic is dealing with harassment. I americium not, truthful it stays disconnected for me.
Either way, Apple says it does not get entree to the photos oregon videos erstwhile the diagnostic is enabled.
12. Customize sanction and photograph
I tin personalize connection threads by choosing whether to stock my sanction and photograph with the radical I text. Open Settings > Apps > Messages, past crook connected Share Name and Photo. From the customization screen, I tin take an avatar oregon poster design, acceptable a photo, Memoji, oregon monogram, and determine who tin spot my sanction and photo, specified arsenic contacts only.
13. Disable Summarize Messages
When I turned connected Apple Intelligence, AI summaries automatically started appearing nether my Messages conversations. I tin spot however they mightiness beryllium utile for noisy radical chats, but I inactive similar to spell backmost and work the afloat speech to marque definite I didn't miss anything.
Also: Will your iPhone enactment Siri AI? The reply is complicated
Since I don't usage oregon privation summaries, I disable them. Open Settings > Apps > Messages, past crook Summarize Messages off.
14. Turn connected mentions
Speaking of radical chats, I similar being notified erstwhile my sanction is mentioned successful a conversation, adjacent if that thread is muted. I honestly person respective muted radical chats astatine this point, truthful this helps important replies interruption done without unmuting each group.
To acceptable this up, unfastened Settings > Apps > Messages, past crook connected Notify Me.
15. Add speech backgrounds
Finally, a amusive feature. I similar to alteration backgrounds successful my chats. In my speech with my husband, for example, I person the inheritance acceptable to a household photograph of him, my daughter, and me. To bash this, unfastened Messages > prime immoderate speech > pat the interaction oregon radical sanction > pat Backgrounds > past take a dynamic background, photo, color, oregon an Image Playground creation.
Also: How to download the iOS 27 developer beta (and which iPhone models enactment it)
16. Turn connected Contact Key Verification
Last but not least... This diagnostic isn't indispensable for everyone. But if you're a journalist, activist, executive, oregon anyone disquieted astir a targeted attack, it's worthy enabling Contact Key Verification. It helps verify that a speech is with the intended person.
Open Settings > Name > Contact Key Verification, past crook connected Verification successful iMessage. Now you're capable to power it connected individually from the interaction paper leafage of anyone you privation to verify.
Are iMessages encrypted?
Yes. iMessage conversations are end-to-end encrypted successful transit. SMS and MMS are not. RCS encryption depends connected bearer and instrumentality support, too. To encrypt iCloud backups that incorporate Messages data, unfastened Settings > Name > iCloud > Advanced Data Protection, past power connected the feature. I spell into much item astir Advanced Data Protection successful extremity No. 3 above.
Why should I alteration RCS?
It conscionable improves the texting acquisition with non-iPhone users by upgrading your texts from basal SMS to a modern experience.
Is it called Apple Messages oregon iMessage?
They're often utilized interchangeably by Apple users. But technically, the app you pat to nonstop a substance is called the Apple Messages app. iMessage is the exertion that app uses to nonstop texts betwixt Apple devices.
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