By Michael | Last Updated
Isn't it embarrassing when you send the wrong message to a friend or family member? Luckily, Apple is offering users a valuable opportunity to correct spelling mistakes and even undo sent iMessage texts on iOS 16 and later.
This useful feature has been a favorite among Apple fans since its introduction. However, some users may be experiencing issues with being unable to edit or undo sent messages on iOS 16/17/18 devices. Why can't your iPhone unsent message? This article explores the possible reasons and offers a solution.
First of all, if you are not familiar with how to use the latest edit and undo sent messages feature on iPhone, then you might fail to use it. Let's start with a detailed step-by-step guide to edit or unsend a message on iOS 16/17/18.
Step 1: Open the iMessages app and locate the message you want to edit or undo send.
Step 2: Long press on the blue message bubble until the menu options appear.
Step 3: Select "Edit" or "Undo Send" and proceed accordingly.
NOTE:
1. Recently sent messages can be re-edited within 15 minutes, up to a maximum of 5 times per message.
2. Messages can be unsend within 2 minutes of being sent and will expire after 2 minutes.
3. If the other person's iPhone is running iOS 15 or lower, the message cannot be changed after it has been sent.
"Why can't I edit/undo my send iMessages?", this question may be bothering you or you want to locate the exact root cause of the problem. Here we have organized some possible causes for you.
1. Network connection problem. When there is no network or the network signal is unstable, re-editing the message or withdrawing it may fail..
2. iMessage is not enabled. Withdrawing or editing SMS only applies to iMessage, and SMS or MMS is not supported.
3. iOS version is too low. Both the sender's and recipient's iPhones should be iOS 16 and above, otherwise the Edit or Withdraw message function will not be available.
4. Time or frequency limit has been exceeded. For example if the message has been sent for more than 15 minutes, then you will not be able to re-edit the content.
5. Software system error. Occasionally, there may be some errors or anomalies in the operation of the iOS system that prevent iMessage from working properly.
6. Apple server issues. Though the chance is rare, but it can't be ruled out that Apple servers are under repair or crashed.
Now, you have learned the possible reasons for editing or unsending iMessage not working. Next, we will provide detailed solutions to deal with these problems one by one.
As we mentioned earlier, if the iPhone is running a system lower than iOS 16, the edit or undo send iMessage will not work. So you should check the system of your iPhone first to make sure that it has been updated to the required version.
In addition, Apple technical team usually fixes the bugs that have been reported in the old version in the new version, such as iPhone randomly restart. Therefore, updating the iPhone system to the latest version may help solve the problem.
Step 1: Open your iPhone's Settings App.
Step 2: Scroll to "General" > "Software Update".
Step 3: If a new version is available, click "Update Now" and then complete the download and install procedure.
Make sure you have enabled the iMessage feature in your iPhone's settings instead of using the SMS feature to send messages. You can check and enable it by going to "Settings" > "Messages" > "iMessage".
Tip: The color of text messages is different between iMessage and SMS. If the message you send is colored green, it is sent via SMS, not iMessage.
If the iPhone is in a no network state or the network signal is unstable, it may affect the work of the iMessage program. So if you can't edit or unsend a message, you should go to check iPhone's network connection.
Usually, enabling VPN affects the device's local network, and when sending iMessage messages, you should disconnect from the VPN to make sure that everything is fine.
Sometimes a simple restart of the app can fix some temporary bugs. If iMessage on your iPhone isn't working properly, you can restart it to try to fix the problem.
Step 1: Locate the iMessage app on the Home screen and close it by double-tapping the Home button or swiping.
Step 2: Reopen the iMessage app and check if you can edit or unsend messages to recipients.
The status of the Apple server is very important for users as it directly affects the experience of using the Apple device. The server status can change at any time, including maintenance, crashes or malfunctions, resulting in some features have errors.
The steps to do so are as follows:
Step 1: Click here to visit the Apple "Service Status" website.
Step 2: Check the status of iMessage service. Green color indicates normal operation, yellow color indicates partial failure, and red color indicates serious failure.
Step 2: If the iMessage service fails, just wait for it to be fixed.
If you've tried all the above and can't fix the edit and unsend iMessage not working issues, then iSunshare iOS Repair Genius will be your ultimate weapon. This is a program designed to specifically fix iOS software errors. It can perfectly handle more than 150+ system issues without losing any data including edit text messages iPhone not showing, iMessage pictures not showing, iPhone screen freezing and more.
In addition to these, iOS Repair Genius offers the option of upgrade and downgrade your iOS system with a single click, making it a truly versatile program. After completing the installation of the program on your computer, follow the steps below to fix the iMessage errors on your iPhone.
Step 1: Run the program and click on the "System Repair" option.
Step 2: On this page, you can choose "Standard Mode" or "Advanced Mode". Advanced mode focuses on fixing more complex iOS errors, but it will earse all data from the device, so you need to make the right choice for your situation.
Step 3: Connect your iPhone to the computer, the software will automatically detect the device information and prepare a firmware package for it. Click "Download" to get the firmware package.
Step 4: Once everything is ready, click the "Repair" button and the software will immediately start to fix the error of edit text messages iPhone not showing and other existing bugs (if any).
Q1:How to unsend a message on iPhone after 2 minutes/hours?
It is impossible to unsend a message on iPhone after 2 minuites. Apple only allows users to undo a recently send message within 2 minutes.
Q2: Unsend message not showing on iPhone, what to do?
Firstly, you should check whether your iPhone is in iOS 16 or later. Then, make sure you are using iMessage to send the text message. After that, you can check the network.
Q3: How long do I have to edit or unsend a message?
You can edit messages within 15 minutes of sending them. For unsending a message, only 2 minutes. After that, the options are unavailable.
The convenience of Apple's edit and unsend messages feature added to iMessage on the iPhone has certainly enhanced the user experience, but it occasionally fails to work. This article provides a variety of possible solutions, and we hope they can help you solve the problem. If you have a better solution, please let us know in the comment section.
