If you’ve ever received a message with amazing special effects like screen confetti, message bubbles, or another sort of screen celebration, you might be wondering how it happened.
You can include a fun animation or other message effects when you create and send an iMessage using your iPhone’s Messages app.
Sending confetti in an iMessage on your iPhone 13 is as simple as typing something, tapping and holding the Send button, selecting the Screen tab, then swiping left three times to obtain the “Send with confetti” option. Then you just need to touch the send arrow.
As you can see by clicking on that option, there are several ways to apply effects to the texts you send manually. Other text options include sending a handwritten message or images.
Our explanation of how to send confetti on iPhone 13 continues below with more details.
This how to send confetti on iPhone 13 video provides additional information as well.
Sending a Confetti iPhone Message
- Select Messages.
- Select a text message.
- Type in the text.
- To activate it, long press the arrow.
- Select either the Screen or the Bubble tab.
- Select a text effect.
- Touch the arrow to send.
Our guide continues below with additional information on this topic.
Do you have messages that are green, but should be blue? You can check out this solveyourtech.com article for more information on iMessages sent as text messages.
Below is some further information about iPhone message effects, such as the types of messages that can use them, the words that will automatically trigger them, and many of the other types of effects that you can use.
How to Incorporate a Confetti Effect into an iPhone Message
The procedures in this post were performed on an iPhone 13 running iOS 16.
To see things like the laser effect and other screen effects, you must have the option enabled. To test this, navigate to Settings > Accessibility > Motion > Auto-Play Message Effects.
When someone includes it in a congratulations or other holiday greeting, you should notice a distinctive effect feature if it is enabled (which is typically the case). Here’s how you can use them.
Step 1: Launch the Messages app.
Step 2: Select the conversation to which you want to send the message.
It should be emphasized that this is an iMessage, as indicated by blue message bubbles rather than green.
Step 3: Enter the message’s text.
Step 4: Hold down the Send button (the up arrow.)
Step 5: Select the Bubble or Screen tabs at the top of the screen.
Step 6: Select the message effect to use.
Swiping left or right will reveal all of the message effects.
Step 7: When you’re ready, touch the Send arrow to send the text with the effect.
Now that you know how to send messages with confetti on iPhone 13 steps, you can apply this same method to future messages where you want to use that option, or one of the other message effects.
Additional Information on the Effects of iPhone Messages
While the methods above focused on using phrases like “happy birthday” or “congratulations” to add an iMessage screen effect that takes up the entire screen on an iPhone, iPad, or iPod Touch, the iPhone’s Messages app has several additional entertaining animations and capabilities.
When you open the Messages app and press inside the message box, it will swivel to landscape mode, displaying a new handwriting icon button next to the space bar in the bottom-right corner of the keyboard. These handwritten messages can be amusing to send because they are tough to write correctly and allow you to make mini cartoons with whatever text you are attempting to handwrite.
When you do, you will not only be able to create a handwritten greeting but you will also be provided a list of frequently used words. Here are a couple of such examples:
- Awesome
- Congratulations
- Happy birthday
- Hello
- I’m sorry
- Thank you
- Thinking of you
If you enter a message and decide not to use it, swipe left on the text box to remove it and replace it with your own or one of the pre-written phrases.
When you’re done, touch the Done button and the blue Send button.
You can also transmit various entertaining effects to another iPhone user via the iMessage app.
When you tap and hold the Send button (also known as a long press) after entering a message, rather than simply tapping the Send button, a new set of “Send with effect” options appears.
There are two options: Bubble and Screen. Here are a couple of such examples:
- Slam
- Gentle
- Loud
- Send with echo
- Send with spotlight
- Send with balloons
- Send with confetti
- Send with love
- Send with lasers
- Send with fireworks
- Send with celebration
Commonly Asked Questions About Confetti on iPhone
What iPhone phrases result in confetti?
If you want your iPhone to include confetti with an iMessage automatically, send a message with the word “congratulations” in it.
How do I incorporate confetti into a message?
If you’re wondering how to arrange confetti in iMessage, the first thing to verify is whether or not you’re in an iMessage chat.
It would be an iMessage if the preceding texts were in a blue bubble. It was a text message if they were green, and no confetti or other screen effects may be used.
If it’s an iMessage, type “congratulations” or input a message, then tap and hold the “Send” button, then select the Screen tab and swipe until the chosen confetti option appears.
What if a green arrow appears instead of a blue arrow?
To send messages with iMessage effects, first, identify whether the discussion is fresh or ongoing.
If the screen does not appear after pressing the Screen button at the top, make sure you see a blue arrow rather than a green one.
If the arrow is green, you’re in a conventional text message chat, not an iMessage.
This means you won’t be able to use iMessage features like full-screen effects or animation effects like confetti and shooting stars.
Matthew Burleigh has been writing technology how-to articles and tutorials for over a decade. He has extensive experience in information technology both in small business and as a consultant.
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