Sending and Receiving Text Messages

You can send and receive text messages whenever you’re in range of the cellular network. If you can make a call, you can send a text message.

Depending on your phone plan, you may be charged for text messages you send or receive.

Send a new text message: Tap , then enter a phone number or name, or tap and choose a contact from your contacts list. Type a message and tap Send.

The Text icon on the Home screen shows the total number of unread text messages you have.

Your text conversations are saved in the Text Messages list. Conversations that contain unread messages have a blue dot next to them. Tap a name in the list to see or add to that conversation.

iPhone displays the 50 most recent messages in the conversation. To see earlier messages, scroll to the top and tap Load Earlier Messages.

Send a text message to multiple people: Tap , then add people one at a time. If you enter a phone number manually (instead of selecting it from Contacts), you must tap Return before entering another entry.

Replies from any of the recipients are sent only to you. The other people you texted won’t see anyone else’s reply.

Reply to a message or send one to someone (or a group) you’ve texted before: Tap a name or phone number in the Text Messages list, then type a message and tap Send.

Delete a conversation from the Text Messages list: Tap Edit, then tap next to a conversation and tap Delete. You can also delete a conversation by swiping left or right over a conversation and tapping Delete.

Send a text message to a favorite or to a recent call:

1. From the Home screen tap Phone, then tap Favorites or Recents.

2. Tap next to a name or number and tap Text Message.

3. If multiple phone numbers appear, tap the one you want to text.