How to View Unsent Messages on iPhone: A Step-by-Step Guide - Solve Your Tech (2025)

Have you ever sent a message on your iPhone and then immediately wished you could take it back? Maybe you sent it to the wrong person, or you sent something in the heat of the moment that you now regret. Whatever the reason, many iPhone users are left wondering if there’s a way to view unsent messages. The good news is that there is a way to do this, and it’s actually quite simple. By following a few easy steps, you can view unsent messages on your iPhone and, if necessary, take action to prevent them from being sent.

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Step by Step Tutorial: How to View Unsent Messages on iPhone

Before diving into the steps, let’s clarify what we mean by unsent messages. In this context, we’re talking about messages that are still in the process of being sent—perhaps they’re stuck due to a lack of internet connection or a temporary server issue. These are the messages that you can potentially stop from being sent. Here’s how to do it:

Step 1: Open the Messages app on your iPhone

Open the Messages app where you usually send and receive text messages.

When you open the Messages app, you’ll see all your conversations listed. If there’s a message that hasn’t been sent yet, it will usually have a red exclamation mark next to it. This indicates that there’s a problem with the message delivery.

Step 2: Locate the unsent message

Scroll through your conversations and find the message that has not been sent.

The unsent message will typically be at the bottom of the conversation. It might say “Not Delivered” underneath it, and you’ll see that it doesn’t have a timestamp like the other messages.

Step 3: Attempt to resend or delete the unsent message

Tap on the unsent message, then choose to either try sending it again or delete it.

If you tap on the message, you’ll be given the option to “Send Again” if you want to attempt to resend it. If you’d rather not send the message at all, you can select “Delete Message” to remove it from the conversation.

After completing these steps, you will have either successfully sent the message or removed it from your conversation. If the message was sensitive in nature, deleting it can provide peace of mind that it won’t be sent accidentally.

Tips: Enhancing Your Experience with Unsent Messages on iPhone

  • Tip: Always check your internet connection if you notice a message hasn’t been sent. A poor or unstable connection is often the cause of message delivery issues.
  • Tip: If you often find yourself wanting to unsend messages, consider composing your texts in the Notes app first. This gives you a chance to review and edit your message before sending it.
  • Tip: Use the “Send as Text Message” option for iMessage that hasn’t been delivered. Holding down the message will give you this option, which sends your message as an SMS instead.
  • Tip: Enable “Send as SMS” in Settings > Messages to automatically send iMessages as text messages when iMessage is unavailable.
  • Tip: Regularly update your iPhone to the latest iOS version to ensure that all messaging features work correctly and to avoid any bugs that might prevent messages from being sent.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I view unsent messages that I’ve decided to delete?

Once you’ve deleted an unsent message, it’s removed from your conversation and cannot be retrieved.

Will the recipient know if I attempted to send a message and then deleted it?

No, the recipient will not receive any notification or indication that you tried to send a message if it wasn’t delivered, and you subsequently deleted it.

Is there a way to unsend a message that has already been delivered?

Unfortunately, once a message has been delivered and read by the recipient, there’s no way to unsend it from their phone.

Can I cancel an iMessage after hitting send?

If the iMessage has not been delivered yet (due to a network issue, for instance), you can quickly turn on Airplane Mode to stop the message from being sent. If it has already been delivered, then it’s too late to cancel it.

What if the unsent message doesn’t have the “Not Delivered” label?

Sometimes, a message might be stuck in the sending process without the “Not Delivered” label. In this case, try restarting your iPhone to reset the Messages app.

Summary

  1. Open the Messages app.
  2. Locate the unsent message.
  3. Attempt to resend or delete the unsent message.

Conclusion

In conclusion, viewing unsent messages on your iPhone is a useful skill to have, especially for those moments when you need to take back something you’ve said or correct a mistake before it reaches the intended recipient. By following the simple steps outlined in this article, you can take control of your outgoing messages and ensure that only the ones you truly want to send are delivered. Remember to keep the tips in mind to avoid future issues with unsent messages and to stay up to date with the latest iOS updates for the best messaging experience. Whether you’re a seasoned iPhone user or new to the iOS ecosystem, knowing how to view and manage unsent messages can save you from potential embarrassment or miscommunication. So, the next time you find yourself in a situation where you need to unsend a message, just remember the steps you’ve learned here, and you’ll be all set.

How to View Unsent Messages on iPhone: A Step-by-Step Guide - Solve Your Tech (1)

Matthew Burleigh

Matthew Burleigh has been writing tech tutorials since 2008. His writing has appeared on dozens of different websites and been read over 50 million times.

After receiving his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science he spent several years working in IT management for small businesses. However, he now works full time writing content online and creating websites.

His main writing topics include iPhones, Microsoft Office, Google Apps, Android, and Photoshop, but he has also written about many other tech topics as well.

Read his full bio here.

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How to View Unsent Messages on iPhone: A Step-by-Step Guide - Solve Your Tech (2025)

FAQs

How to view unsent text messages on iPhone? ›

And no, there's no way to retrieve that unsent message. Once you unsend it, it's gone. What you can do, though, is copy the contents of the message before you unsend it. You can paste it in notes, or wherever else you want.

How to view unsent messages on Messenger on iPhone? ›

Open the Messenger app on your iPhone. Click on the Menu icon at the top left corner and tap on the Messages button. Click on the Outbox option to see unsent messages.

How to view unsent emails on iPhone? ›

Check the Outbox for unsent email
  1. In Mail, go to your list of mailboxes.
  2. Tap Outbox. If you don't see an Outbox, then your email was sent.
  3. Tap an email in the Outbox. Make sure that the recipient's email address is correct.
  4. Tap Send.
Feb 28, 2024

How do I see all unsent messages? ›

Here are the steps you need to follow:
  1. Open Settings on your Android device.
  2. Now, tap on the Notifications option.
  3. Tap on the Advanced Settings or Manage Notifications (This option might vary based on the Android model you're using).
  4. Locate the Notification History option.
  5. Enable the Notification History option.
Feb 6, 2024

Does iPhone show that you unsent a message? ›

Go to the Messages app on your iPhone. Touch and hold the message bubble, then tap Undo Send. A note confirming that you unsent the message appears in both conversation transcripts: yours and your recipient's.

How to view deleted messages on iPhone? ›

You can restore messages you deleted for up to 30 days.
  1. Open the Messages app on your iPhone.
  2. In the Messages conversation list, do one of the following: Tap Edit in the top-left corner, then tap Show Recently Deleted. ...
  3. Select the conversations whose messages you want to restore, then tap Recover.
  4. Tap Recover Messages.

When you unsend a message on iMessage, does it notify them? ›

The message disappears and a notification that says "You unsent a message" appears. You can unsend an iMessage for up to two minutes after you send it.

How to unsend messages on iPhone? ›

How to unsend messages on your iPhone
  1. In Messages, tap a conversation.
  2. Touch and hold the message you want to unsend.
  3. Tap Undo Send.
Nov 15, 2023

What does unsent message mean on iPhone email? ›

Change the amount of time to unsend an email on your iPhone

The way the unsend feature works is that instead of actually sending the email and then getting it back, it simply sets a buffer period between when you hit the send button and when the email is actually sent.

Where is the email folder for unsent messages? ›

'Outbox' is a default folder located in 'Local Folders' in the 'Folder Pane' click on 'Outbox' folder to see any unsent emails. To send any unsent messages: Right click on 'Outbox' and select 'Send Unsent Messages'. If you use 'Send Later' option then all unsent messages will be stored in the 'Outbox' folder.

How can I see deleted emails on iPhone? ›

Here are some methods you can try to retrieve those lost messages:
  1. Check the “”Trash”” or “”Deleted Items”” Folder. ...
  2. Use the “”Archive”” Feature. ...
  3. Check the “”Recently Deleted”” Folder. ...
  4. Recover from an Email Provider's Website. ...
  5. Contact your Email Provider.
Nov 8, 2023

Can you view unsent iMessages? ›

The bad news is that you can't see an unsent message if you're using an iPhone running iOS 16 or higher (or an iPad operating iPadOS 16.1 or higher or a Mac computer with macOS 13 Ventura or higher). That would defeat the purpose of being able to unsend a message, after all, so it makes sense that Apple prevents this.

How do I see unsent messages in settings? ›

How To See Unsent Messages in Notification History? (For Android Only)
  1. Step #1: Open the Settings app.
  2. Step #2: Tap Notifications.
  3. Step #3: Tap Advanced settings.
  4. Step #4: Tap Notification History and find the recent or snoozed Messenger notifications that you want to reread.
Aug 18, 2023

Can people see unsent messages? ›

You can permanently unsend a message that you've sent or just hide a message from your view. If you select Unsend for you, other people in the chat will still see the messages in their chat screen. If you select Unsend for everyone, people included in the chat won't be able to see the unsent message.

Do unsent messages disappear on iPhone? ›

The message disappears and a notification that says "You unsent a message" appears. You can unsend an iMessage for up to two minutes after you send it.

How to find unfinished text messages on iPhone? ›

iMessages App

To use the Messages app, tap the Drafts icon in the Message app selection window. Tap the filter button to show only drafts with a certain tag, browse inbox, flagged or archive tabs - or search for a draft.

How to see unread messages on iPhone? ›

To see a list of your unread messages, you must first set up message filtering.
  1. Go to Settings > Apps > Messages.
  2. Scroll down to Message Filtering, then turn on Filter Unknown Senders.
  3. Go to the Messages app on your iPhone.
  4. In the Messages conversation list, tap Filters, then tap Unread Messages.

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