Why You Can't Edit An iMessage (And Does It Mean The Recipient Read It?)

We've all had the familiar experience of writing a text message only to discover a few minutes later that we've misspelled a word or included something we wished we hadn't. iMessage has always had a lot of features worth using, but for a long time, editing messages wasn't one of them. That meant, for better or worse, once you sent a message, you were stuck with it. All of that changed when Apple released iOS 16 in 2022. With the new OS, users could edit and even unsend messages on iPhones, something messaging apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, and Signal had allowed users to do in some form for some time.

For the most part, this feature works as one would expect it to. You send a message, notice something you want to change, edit it, and get on with your day. However, as with just about everything in this world, there are exceptions to the rules. Sometimes, you may try to edit a message and notice that it's just not working. There are several reasons that may happen, including too much time passing since you sent the message or the person you're trying to message not using a supported text messaging app.

While the iMessage editing function is a favorite of many users, it's not without limitations. Apple only gives you up to 15 minutes from the time you send a message to edit it, and a message can only be edited up to five times. If you pass either limit, you're out of luck, and whatever message you've sent will remain in its original state. So, if you ever find you can't edit a message, check your timestamps to make sure you haven't gone over the time limit.

If you're messaging someone who's not using iMessage with iOS 16, iPadOS 16.1, macOS 13, visionOS 1, or higher, you won't be able to edit the texts you send them. Instead, they'll receive the original version of your message along with follow-up messages with the edited text. Text editing also won't work if you're writing to someone who's using an Android device with RCS, SMS, or MMS. However, in group chats, you can edit these messages if there's at least one other person using iMessage in the group.

Whether the recipient has read your message or not has nothing to do with your ability to edit it. Even after unsending or editing a message, it's possible the person you're sending it to has already seen a preview of it on their lock screen. If you're trying to edit a message, are sure you're sending it to a compatible device, and haven't exceeded time or edit limits, you should check your internet connection or cell phone data to ensure you have a good signal. You can also check Apple's System Status page to see if anyone has reported problems with iMessage, restart the app, and make sure you're using the latest iOS version to see if one of those things fixes the issue.