How to send a voice message on your iPhone and change the 2-minute expiration length

Texting is the most popular form of communication, but you can't always say everything you want in a short message.

It's possible to send a voice message on your phone.

The feature only works when the person you're sending the voice message to is using an Apple device with iMessage installed.

You need to know how to send a voice message on your phone and how to listen to it.

How to send a voice message on your iPhone

This is the first thing. You can open the app on your phone.

There are two The pen and paper icon is located in the upper right-hand corner of the Messages screen.

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There are three. You can start recording your voice message by pressing and holding the record button to the right of the text box.

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There are four. Release the record button when you're done. Next to the message is a play button and an upward-facing arrow.

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There are five. Press the play button to listen or tap the upward-facing arrow to send a voice message.

It is possible to instantly send a voice message. Don't let the record button go. It's better to slide it up towards the arrow.

How to listen to a voice message on iPhone

You can get a voice message from the Messages app.

This is the first thing. You can open the app on your phone.

There are two The conversation can be opened with a voice message.

There are three. To listen to the voice message, tap the file.

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How to change the expiration length of voice messages on iPhone

Two minutes is the time when voice messages are deleted. You can save the audio message if you tap the Keep option underneath the media file.

If you want to make sure your messages are kept longer, you can change the settings on your phone.

This is the first thing. The settings app needs to be opened.

There are two You can send messages by tapping them.

There are three. Under the Audio Messages heading, tap Expre.

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There are four. Don't ever tap.

If you send a voice message, it will not expire on your device. Unless they have changed their settings, messages you send to other people will still expire.

Disadvantages with using voice messages on iPhone

A voice message can seem like the better option over long text, but it does come with a couple of disadvantages.

• Not discrete: It might be a hassle for the receiver to listen to the voice message discreetly, especially if they're in a place that doesn't allow noise, such as a library or movie theater.
• Issues with downloading: If the voice message is lengthy, it might take longer to download compared to one that's short and sweet. If the receiver is in an area with poor network coverage, it can take them a while or even multiple tries to finally download and listen to the voice message.
• The voice message might disappear: Some users don't know that a voice message will disappear after two minutes if they don't save it. They might play it, not listen to it properly, and decide to do that later. And when they open it again, they'll find that it's gone.
• You have to re-record the voice message if you mess up: You can easily edit any part of a text message before sending it. After you finish recording a voice message on your iPhone, however, you can't edit it. You either have to send it as it is or record it again without messing up.