IOS 18’s New Text Effects Make Texting a Lot More Fun
Apple has added a whole bunch of new text effects or animations to the Messages app in iOS 18 . Not only are these effects fun to use, but they can also be applied to individual words rather than the entire message. Apart from this, the Messages app also gets more options for formatting your text, including bold, italic, underline, and strikethrough. Some of these options are quite simple, but the end result is a more robust system that can better compete with alternatives like WhatsApp and Telegram .
All new text effects in the Messages app in iOS 18.
Here’s a quick list of all the new iOS 18 text effects and their features:
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Large: Enlarges the selected words or emoji for a second and then returns them to normal size.
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Small: Makes words a little smaller.
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Shake: Allows the selected text to jiggle quickly.
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Nod: Moves text up and down to simulate a head nod.
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Explode: The text or emoji explodes. All the letters in your words will temporarily scatter in different directions, and the emoticons will simply become larger and disappear for a second.
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Ripple: Makes the text jump up and down.
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Bloom: Make the letters appear on the screen one after another.
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Jitter: Gives selected text a slight jitter.
If you’re worried about losing messages, all of these effects are temporary. They appear on the screen for a second or two, and then your text returns to normal. iOS 18 also has new, more permanent formatting options, but they don’t need much introduction. They are identical to the bold, italic, underline, and strikethrough formatting that other apps have used for years.
How to use iOS 18’s new text effects
To use these shiny new text effects, first install the iOS 18 beta on your compatible phone by following these instructions . To keep your primary device running smoothly, I suggest using a backup device whenever possible.
Then open the Messages app. Type something into the text field and press the A button in the top right corner of your keyboard. This will show your text formatting options. Now select the words you want to add effects to and select the effect you want. To view formatting options, press the B , I , U , or S buttons at the top. All eight text effects are listed below, so to use one of them, simply select it here.
Remember that you can add multiple text effects in one message. You can choose one effect for each word, apply different effects to different emojis, and make all your words dance if you want. You can also apply text formatting to emojis, such as underlining your emoji or using strikethroughs. If you apply bold formatting, the underlines and strikethroughs will appear thicker.