In the Messages app of iPhone, there is a really fun feature! You can animate a message with a special effect or fill the entire screen of a conversation with an effect. You can, for example, send a message to a person, with the effect of invisible ink which remains blurry. Who receives the message will scroll over it to reveal it. Today we will talk about how to activate the effects for iPhone messages like “Pew pew”.
To send and receive bubble effects and full-screen effects, such as Pew Pew (the laser effect), in iPhone messages you need iMessage and this feature is available only between Apple devices and not with normal SMS. In addition, the effects feature is only available for iPhone with iOS 10 and later versions.
If you compose a message, such as “Hello”, and hold down the blue send key, you will see the “Send with effect” screen. It is divided into two tabs: “Bubble” and “Screen“. But let’s see how it works!
The “Bubble” tab will add an animation effect to the text you typed. You will find effects that have self-explanatory names: invisible ink, gentle, loud and slam. Select the effect you want and tap the blue send arrow next to it.
If you click on “Screen“, the effects that add an animation to the entire chat screen will appear. Swipe the screen to the left and you will discover the different effects. You can add the echo effect, the reflector effect, the confetti or balloon effect, the laser effect, fireworks and the party effect with shooting stars.
How to activate effects for iPhone messages
How to activate the bubble effects to animate a message:
- In a new or existing chat, type a text message or enter a photo or memoji.
- Touch and hold the blue sending arrow and, once the “Bubble” screen opens, tap the gray dots to preview the different effects.
- Select the bubble effect you prefer and send the message by clicking the blue arrow. If you click the X instead, you cancel the operation.
How to activate full-screen effects to animate a message screen:
- In a new or existing chat, type a text message or enter a photo or memoji.
- Touch and hold the sending blue arrow, and once the “Send with effect” screen opens, click on “Screen“.
- Swipe left to preview the different effects.
- Touch the blue sending arrow to send the message, once you have chosen the full-screen effect. If you want to cancel, click X.
In addition, you should know that the iPhone’s Messages app automatically uses full-screen effects for some specific text messages. For example:
- Balloon effect for “Happy Birthday“
- Confetti effect for “Congratulations“
- Laser effect for “Pew pew“
If you write “Happy Birthday” and send it to the person you want, without adding any effect, iPhone will do it for you.