iOS 14 lets you send inline replies in your iPhone's Messages app to start multiple conversation threads in the same chat — here's how to do it

Dave Johnson

Oct 23, 2020, 00:32 IST

iOS 14 lets you send inline replies in your iPhone's Messages app to start multiple conversation threads in the same chat — here's how to do it

With iOS 14, it's easy to reply only to specific messages in an iPhone text conversation.Images By Tang Ming Tung/Getty Images

You can send inline replies in the Messages app on your iPhone if you have iOS 14 and you're messaging iMessage users.
Replying inline makes it easier to carry on multiple conversation threads within the same chat.
To reply inline, tap and hold a message until the pop-up menu appears, then choose "Reply."

For years, Apple's Messaging app has lacked a useful way to manage related "threads" in the same conversation. Starting with iOS 14, you can now add inline replies within a conversation.

Inline replies only work in conversations with other iMessage users – the option won't be available if you are texting with a non-iPhone user. But you can use inline replies in two-person conversations or in group chats.

How to inline reply in Messages on iPhone

1. Open the Messages app on your iPhone and open a conversation.

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2. Tap and hold the message you want to reply to. Hold it until you see the pop-up menu.

3. Tap "Reply."

4. Type your message and send it.

Replies appear in two places within your conversation:

If you scroll to the location in the conversation where you replied, you should see how many replies there are to that message. Tap it to expand the text and continue replying.

The reply will also appear at the bottom of the conversation, so you can respond to it without having to scroll back up to find it. A gray bracket indicates the reply.