Tech Tip: What Really Happens When You Unsend a Text on Your iPhone

If you have an iPhone 8 or later, you’ve probably already updated to iOS 16. The latest operating system has a lot of new security features that you should use.

A super safe mode was designed for politicians, activists and journalists. I think there’s a great case for suggesting this iPhone option for the elderly and vulnerable people in your life. Tap or click here for a closer look at lockdown mode.

Here’s another hidden setting that’s just been updated: your iPhone’s ability to detect sounds and alert you. Tap or click the steps to set custom sounds, just like the appliances in your home.

One of the most notable features of iOS 16 is the ability to edit and unsend text messages. It is not as clear as it seems. Here is the truth.

Myth: When you unsend a text, the recipient will never know.

Reality: Your recipient receives a notification.

Yes, you can take back a message you’ve sent, but there’s more. The unsend feature only works with iMessage (iPhone to iPhone), and you Y the recipient must be running iOS 16.

If you unsend a message to someone running an older version of iOS, you’ll still see it and get a notification reminding you.

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Here are a few more things to keep in mind when unsending a message:

• You can only retrieve a message within two minutes of sending it.
• The recipient can read your message before canceling the delivery.
• If you cancel sending a message, it will disappear from the recipient’s screen, but they will be notified that you canceled it.

Now that you know how it works, here’s how to unsend a message:

• During an iMessage conversation, touch and hold the message you want to cancel the shipment.
• Play Undo Submit.

iOS 16 adds more security features to protect your privacy and information. Tap or click here to see the iPhone (and Android) security features worth enabling.

CyberGuy Kurt Knutsson compares the iPhone 4 to the iPhone 13 on ‘Fox and Friends’ on September 7, 2022.
(FoxNews)

Myth: When you edit a text, the recipient will never know.

The reality: you guessed it: they will receive a notification.

Editing a text follows the same rules. It can, but it only works with iMessage, and both iPhones must be running iOS 16.

If you edit a message you sent to someone running an earlier version of iOS, all of your edited messages will appear on their screen, Y They will receive notifications of your edits.

Here are some things you need to know when editing a post:

• You have 15 minutes to edit a text.
• You can edit a message up to five times.
• The recipient can read your message before editing it.
• The recipient can tap on your edited message and view your editing history.

This is how you do it:

• During an iMessage conversation, touch and hold the message you want to edit.
• Play Edit and make your changes.
• tap on the blue check mark when you finish.

Are you an iPhone family? Here’s how to track your kid’s phone.

A guest holds up the new iPhone 14 at an Apple event at its headquarters in Cupertino, California, US, on September 7, 2022.
(REUTERS/Carlos Barria)

Myth: When you delete text, it disappears.

The reality: Those deleted messages stick around for a while.

When you delete a text thread, it is stored in a folder in your iPhone’s recently deleted messages archive for 30 days. You can recover it or delete it permanently right then and there. That also means anyone can see your deleted messages if they have your passcode.

Here’s the good news: the texts you don’t send No will appear in the recently deleted messages archive.

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Here’s how to delete or recover recently deleted messages:

• Open the messaging app and touch Edit at the top left.
• Play Show Recently Deleted to view messages marked for deletion.
• You can delete a message immediately by selecting it and touching Erase > delete message.
• Retrieve a message by selecting it and touching Retrieve > recover message.
• You can touch delete all either get everything back at the bottom of the screen to apply these actions to all your deleted messages.

Mac Tip: Apple’s Safari browser blocks cross-site tracking, so you can enjoy the sites you use most without worrying about being tracked. But there is another tool to increase privacy. Tap or click here to remove your fingerprints.

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