How Can I Send 'Pew Pew' & Other Screen Effects on My iPhone?

First there were texting symbols. You know, the semicolon winky face, the less-than-3 heart. Then it was emojis, where you could tell a whole story in tiny pictures 🦄 Now you can spice up your messages with effects, and the good news is it’s not that hard to do. 

Message effects are available to iPhone users through iMessage, and they can really help get your message across—no matter what that message is. In order to access the effects, open your iMessage app and compose a message. Once you’re ready to send the message, hold down the send button and you’ll see a menu of options. 

Bubble Effects

Bubble effects will only affect the actual bubble message being sent. 

Invisible Ink
This option scrambles your message until the other person taps on it. Have a secret to share? Invisible ink is a good choice.

Gentle
Sending a “gentle” message will have it appear smaller within the bubble. This is the perfect option to send a literal gentle reminder. 

Loud
No, it doesn’t shout the message at the recipient, but it does appear in large text. If you have a friend who’s always late, send the meetup time with this one.

Slam
Sending a slam message will have it literally slap onto the message page. Missed calls, concern, excitement...endless possibilities. 

Screen Effects

When you use a screen effect, the entire screen will be...well, affected. 

Spotlight 
Your entire screen will go black except the message you’ve sent, which will be illuminated. Think of it like a bolded message. Nothing else matters but this. 

Balloons 
Regular balloons are expensive. Screen effect balloons are free. That choice is basically made for you. Here’s a tip: just sending “Happy birthday!” will activate the effect. 

Confetti - Congratulations 
Skip the mess of real confetti and send it virtually. The confetti effect will automatically activate if you send “Congratulations!” 

Love
This one is pretty self-explanatory. It sends a giant heart attached to your message. Who doesn’t want that?

Fireworks
These fireworks are definitely not a fire hazard. Send “Happy New Year!” and the whole screen will light up with fireworks. 

Celebration
A classy celebration for any occasion. The celebration effect will fill your screen with gold glitter (and it won’t get stuck to your hands for a week). 

Message effects are a great way to add a little oomph to your conversations, and with all these options you can mix things up however you want!