iPhone owners are just realizing iMessage has four little-known secrets and the first is ‘invisible texts’

YOUR iPhone’s default messaging app has been designed with nifty hidden features.

The U.S. Sun has picked out four little-known iPhone iMessage tricks that you might have missed.

1

INVISIBLE INK

Your iPhone has a clever feature that lets you send “invisible texts.”

Just type out a message to someone in an iMessage chat.

Then hold down on the send button rather than tapping it.

You’ll see a hidden menu appear – just tap Invisible Ink, then hit send.

Now the message will only be visible if someone rubs their finger on it.

It’s a great way to text in public if someone is snooping over your shoulder.

You can also use it to talk about spoilers in a group chat so that only people who want to read your message can see it.

FILTERED INBOX

It’s possible to set up filters for your Messages app.

That way, you can keep texts from your contacts separated from those sent by unknown senders.

Just go to Settings > Messages and then scroll down to Message Filtering.

Now turn on Filter Unknown Senders.

When you go back into the Messages app, you should see a Filters button in the top-left.

You can tap on this to switch between different senders.

For the cleanest experience, try Known Senders – but remember to check the Unknown Senders folder every so often to make sure you’re not missing anything.

SWIPE TO REPLY

This is a brand new feature that was added with the iOS 17 update in September 2023.

It’s now possible to swipe on a single message to reply to it.

This works inside any iMessage chat, but is only available if you’ve updated to iOS 17.

To check, go to Settings > General > Software Update.

If this update sounds familiar, that’s because it’s a longstanding feature on rival chat service WhatsApp.

CODE WORDS

There are several “code words” that you can send to a friend.

If you type them correctly, they’ll trigger hidden effects.

Just try some of these out:

• Pew Pew
• Happy Birthday
• Congratulations
• Happy Chinese New Year
• Selamat

It’s an easy way to impress friends who might not know about the secret phrases.

This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk