Did you know that you can send cool effects to your friends with your iPhone just by sending a simple iMessage?
All iPhone users have the ability to use a wide array of unique effects including lasers, balloons, fireworks, and confetti – but you need to know the secret codewords that set them off before you can use them.
The feature has been available on the iMessage app for iOS devices for some time, but Apple fans have been posting about the fun text feature recently on social media.
In fact, even if you already knew that when you reply to a mate’s good news with “congratulations”, you’ll fill their screen with multi-coloured confetti, there may be more effects that you had no idea existed.
So check out our list of codewords and try them out with your friends!
How to send an iMessage screen effect
Screen effects only work between devices that support iOS, so both you and your friend need to be using an iPhone to be able to send and receive the effects, The Sun reports.
Then, all you have to do is send one of the codewords listed below in an iMessage, and your phone will send the text along with the effect associated with it.
And you can even send the effect without the codeword by holding down the blue send button after you type out your message – as this will present you with a list of effects to choose from.
Screen effect codewords
Sending an iMessage with the word “congratulations” or “Selamat” will send a burst of confetti to your message recipient while sending “happy birthday” will see their screen fill up with balloons of various colours.
You can wish your friends a “Happy New Year” with a firework display on their phone screen and there’s a specific red explosion effect for when you send a message stating “Happy Chinese New Year”.
Finally, if you message your friends saying “pew pew”, you’ll send them a laser light show.
Other screen effects
There are a total of nine screen effects you can send your friends via iMessage, and not all of them have codewords associated with them.
If you want to send any of the other four effects that don’t come with codewords, you’ll need to use the previously described method of holding down the send button and manually choosing an effect.
The nine effects are:
- Balloons – Balloons of various colours rise up from the bottom of the screen
- Celebration – Starts a red firework display
- Confetti – Rains down multi-coloured confetti pieces
- Eco – Covers the screen in message bubbles
- Fireworks – Explodes fireworks on the screen
- Lasers – Displays a laser light show
- Love – A large heart appears beside your message
- Shooting star – Fires a shooting star across the screen
- Spotlight – Puts your message under a spotlight