Combine iMessage Text Effects and Formatting in iOS 18

With the release of iOS 18, Apple expanded iMessage by introducing animated text effects alongside traditional formatting options like bold, italics, underline, and strikethrough. Users can combine these custom text animations with standard formatting on the same text. This guide explains how to layer text effects with bold or underline styles, how to apply them step by step, and the compatibility requirements needed for them to display correctly.

Combining Formatting and Animations

In iOS 18, formatting styles and animated text effects are not mutually exclusive. You can format a specific word or phrase in bold or underline and simultaneously apply an animated effect—such as Shake, Explode, Ripple, Bloom, Nod, Jitter, Big, or Small. When combined, the selected text retains its structural weight or underline while executing the chosen animation loop.

How to Apply Both Styles in iMessage

  1. Type your message: Open the Messages app and enter your text into the conversation field.
  2. Select the text: Double-tap or drag the selection pins over the word, phrase, or sentence you want to modify.
  3. Open the formatting menu: Tap the Text Effects button (represented by an uppercase "A" with motion lines) in the predictive bar above the keyboard, or select Text Effects from the pop-up context menu.
  4. Choose your text format: Select Bold, Italic, Underline, or Strikethrough from the top row of options.
  5. Select an animated effect: Swipe through the animated options below the formatting bar (such as Shake, Ripple, or Explode) and tap your preferred effect.
  6. Send your message: Tap the blue Send arrow. Both the visual styling and the motion effect will render together in the chat bubble.

Important Considerations

  • Granular Control: You do not have to apply effects to the entire message. You can format individual words differently—such as underlining one word, making another bold and jittery, and leaving the rest as plain text.
  • Recipient Requirements: To view custom animations and rich formatting, the recipient must be running iOS 18, iPadOS 18, or macOS Sequoia (or later). On older software versions, the text will appear as standard plain text without animations.
  • Protocol Limitations: These features are exclusive to iMessage. They do not transfer over standard SMS, MMS, or RCS connections, where messages will revert to unformatted text.