iOS 16: Apple lets iPhone users edit or unsend a message

Apple is to allow iPhone users to unsend and edit embarrassing or typo-filled texts sent within its Messages app.

The tech giant will today update its iPhone iOS so that users can edit a message for 15 minutes, which will appear for both the sender and the receiver.

Users will have two minutes to withdraw and delete the message entirely.

If a user recalls a text, the recipient will instead see a message saying that the contact "unsent a message". Texts will still be dispatched immediately when a user presses "send", meaning the recipient could still read the message before the sender deletes it.

Users can also edit messages after they have been sent to remove typos or grammatical errors. The recipient will know the text has been edited and will be able to click a button to see previous versions of the note.

For the feature to work, both iPhone users will need the latest version of Apple's iOS software. It will also only work on texts sent from one iPhone to another, and cannot delete or edit messages sent to an Android smartphone. Messages sent from one iPhone to another are coloured blue in its app.

Apple users will be able to download iOS 16 on their iPhone from later today.

The new feature mirrors other apps that allow users to recall or delete messages after they are sent. Privacy-focused apps WhatsApp and Signal already allow users to delete messages after they are sent.

iOS 16's madeover lockscren alerts that scroll from the bottom of the display, and widgets that show the likes of weather, alarms, events and AirPod battery level. Photo / AP

The free update to Apple's iOS software also includes a redesigned lock screen, more advanced photo editing software and the ability to track online orders made with its Apple Pay tool.

Users can create their own lockscreens with custom fonts and add widgets for everything from the weather to sports scores.

Notifications now "roll in" through a compact bar at the bottom of the lockscreen rather than dominating the entire display

The iOS 16 update comes days after Apple revealed its iPhone 14 smartphones at an event in California.

Despite pre-orders opening for its iPhone on Friday, Apple has swapped its entire UK home page for a memorial image of Queen Elizabeth II.

• Your iPhone should give you the option to update to iOS 16 once it's available. If you don't see a prompt, go to Settings > General > Software Update.