Screenshot by Joel CunninghamIf you wish someone a happy birthday or congratulations using Messages on an iPhone then they will get a surprise: A shower of confetti, or celebratory balloons, will fall on their screen and float around with your words. This is a clever little trick that the messaging platform provides, but you can also trigger it for any message.AdvertisementLong press the blue arrow button to send any text with enhanced animation effects. This panel is called Send with effect and allows you to send your text with extra pizzaz.Screenshot by Andrew LiptakYou can send your messages this way in two ways. At the top, you can choose between Screen or Bubble. You can choose from a few options to change the way your text message appears on recipients' phones using the Bubble effect, which has been around for some time and you have probably used before.Slam: Your message text will appear to slam into a screenYour message text will appear as if it is crashing into the screen.Gentle: The text will burst towards the reader.The text will slowly grow in size. Invisible ink: The recipient must touch the message to reveal it. If you don't want others reading your message, the message will become obscured once you have finished reading it.Screenshot by Andrew LiptakScreen is the other section that you might not be aware of. It augments your text with a full-screen effect. To see all your options, tap on it. However, unlike the Bubble section you must swipe left to right in order to select the effect.AdvertisementEcho: Duplicates the text message and sends it bounce-bouncing around. This is especially fun if your emojis are used. However, if more than four are used, they will appear in a single line.This will duplicate your text message and send it bouncing around on the screen. This is especially fun if your emojis are used. However, if more than four are used, they will appear in a single line. Spotlight: Puts a spotlight on your text and darkens the screen.This darkens your screen and shines a spotlight on your text. With a cloud of balloons, accompany any text message.A cloud of balloons accompany any text message. Confetti: Adds a sprinkle of confetti to your text.Your text will be greeted with confetti. Love: Sends a huge heart along with your text.Send a huge heart along with your text. Lasers: Include a small laser show with your text.Include a small laser display with your text. Fireworks: As your message is delivered, fireworks explodeYour message is delivered to fireworks. Celebration: The screen explodes with celebratory sparks.AdvertisementEcho can combine these effects except for Echo which can duplicate the Bubble effects and create a cloud of messages covering the entire screen. First, select your Bubble effect, then swipe over to Screen and select Echo.These effects can be used to enhance your text. You can tap on each text to play them again. You can disable them or turn them off under Settings > Accessibility > Automatic Play Message Effects. These effects can also be used to send regular text messages by Apple, but they will only be visible to other Messages users.
