Exclusive: iOS 18 to Add Text Effects to iMessage

Friday May 31, 2024 9:17 am PDT by Joe Rossignol

Apple plans to add a new text effects feature to the Messages app on iOS 18, according to multiple sources familiar with the matter.

General Apps Messages
While it is already possible to send iMessages with bubble effects or full-screen effects, such as invisible ink or confetti, the text effects would allow you to animate individual words within a message. With the Messages app set to gain RCS support on iOS 18, it is possible the text effects will also work with green bubbles.

Our hope is that Apple will also add bold, italics, and underline formatting options alongside the text effects, but we have not confirmed that possibility.

In addition to the text effects and RCS support, the Messages app on iOS 18 will reportedly gain an AI-powered autocompletion tool.

As a refresher, RCS support will provide an improved messaging experience between iPhones and Android devices compared to the current SMS standard. Just like iMessage, RCS features higher-resolution photos and videos, audio messages, typing indicators, read receipts, the ability to send messages over a Wi-Fi network, and better functionality for group chats.

iOS 18 is set to be unveiled during the WWDC keynote on June 10, and the first beta should be made available to members of the Apple Developer Program immediately after the presentation. The first public beta of iOS 18 will likely follow in July, and the update should be widely released to all users with a compatible iPhone in September.

Tag: Messages

Related Forums: iOS 18, iPadOS 18

Popular Stories

iOS 27 Will Add These New Features to Your iPhone

Saturday May 2, 2026 8:43 am PDT by Joe Rossignol

Apple is expected to unveil iOS 27 during its WWDC 2026 keynote on June 8, and there are already many rumored features and changes for iPhones. The first developer beta of iOS 27 will likely be available immediately following the keynote, and a public beta typically follows in July. Following beta testing, the software update should be released to all users with a compatible iPhone in...

• 93 comments

Apple Just Released a New Accessory

Monday May 4, 2026 8:13 am PDT by Joe Rossignol

Apple today released a new Pride Edition Sport Loop for the Apple Watch. The band features a rainbow design with 11 colors of woven nylon yarns. The new Pride Edition Sport Loop is available to order now on Apple.com and in the Apple Store app in 40mm, 42mm, and 46mm sizes, and it will be available at Apple Store locations starting later this week. In the U.S., the band costs $49. There...

Apple Announces 2026 Pride Band Watch Face and iPhone Wallpaper Article 2

iOS 26.5 Coming Soon With These New Features

Monday May 4, 2026 8:40 am PDT by Joe Rossignol

iOS 26.5 is expected to be released next week, following more than a month of beta testing. The update is relatively minor, but there are a couple of new features and changes across the operating system that we have recapped below. iOS 26.5 lays the groundwork for end-to-end encryption for RCS in the Messages app and ads in the Apple Maps app, and it will include a new Pride wallpaper and a...

• 45 comments

Top Rated Comments

FineWoven

25 months ago

Idc about the animations or whatever but the fact that in the year of Our Lord 2024 I still can't do basic manipulations on the text in my messages such as bold, italic, and underline when such an ability has existed throughout nearly the entire history of GUI-based computing for many decades now, is ridiculous.

Score: 25 Votes (Like | Disagree)

mikelets456

25 months ago

"Apple plans to add a new text effects feature to the Messages app on iOS 18..."

And by iOS 20 it will actually work.

Score: 13 Votes (Like | Disagree)

jonblatho

25 months ago

Idc about the animations or whatever but the fact that in the year of Our Lord 2024 I still can't do basic manipulations on the text in my messages such as bold, italic, and underline when such an ability has existed throughout nearly the entire history of GUI-based computing for many decades now, is ridiculous.

Bold and italic would be nice, but you probably won’t get underline because underlining non-links is discouraged for accessibility reasons.

Score: 8 Votes (Like | Disagree)

Bstzbgs

25 months ago

It’s a text message not a word document.

Anyway, as usual, I still don’t care about rcs and hope these features are iMessage only.

That’s a dumb take. Those formatting options are super useful for adding emphasis, clarification, titles and attribution, and other uses. Just because you lack the imagination or understanding of language to see the usefulness of this feature that most other message apps already have, doesn’t mean it wouldn’t be a useful feature to lots of folks. Maybe instead, next time ask why other people might find that useful when they make a suggestion before immediately jumping in to crap on it.

[LIST=1]
* "I never said she stole my money." (Someone else said it)
* "I never said she stole my money." (Implies that she may have taken something else)
* "I never said she stole my money." (Implies that she borrowed it or received it in a different way)
* "I never said she stole my money." (Implies that someone else stole it)
* "I never said she stole my money." (Categorical denial you said that)
* "I never said she stole my money." (Implies she stole someone else’s money)
* "I never said she stole my money." (You didn’t say it, but you aren’t denying it)

It is understandable that in its infancy, messaging would be oversimplification. But its been 38 years since SMS was invented. It’s long overdue that messaging adapted to us, not us to it.

Score: 7 Votes (Like | Disagree)