{"id":805961,"date":"2026-07-17T11:16:14","date_gmt":"2026-07-17T11:16:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/805961\/"},"modified":"2026-07-17T11:16:14","modified_gmt":"2026-07-17T11:16:14","slug":"ios-27-just-upgraded-a-hidden-imessage-feature-in-a-bunch-of-incredible-ways-heres-how-it-works","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/805961\/","title":{"rendered":"iOS 27 just upgraded a hidden iMessage feature in a bunch of incredible ways \u2014 here&#8217;s how it works"},"content":{"rendered":"<p id=\"elk-32d4af88-8110-11f1-99c9-1fce3a5879a4\">If you ever went diving into the various hidden features on offer in<a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tomsguide.com\/phones\/iphones\/ive-used-ios-26-for-a-year-and-these-are-the-9-features-i-cant-live-without\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.tomsguide.com\/phones\/iphones\/ive-used-ios-26-for-a-year-and-these-are-the-9-features-i-cant-live-without\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.tomsguide.com\/phones\/iphones\/ive-used-ios-26-for-a-year-and-these-are-the-9-features-i-cant-live-without\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\"> iOS 26<\/a>, you may be aware of the <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tomsguide.com\/phones\/iphones\/i-discovered-this-iphone-messages-trick-by-accident-and-now-i-cant-stop-using-it\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.tomsguide.com\/phones\/iphones\/i-discovered-this-iphone-messages-trick-by-accident-and-now-i-cant-stop-using-it\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.tomsguide.com\/phones\/iphones\/i-discovered-this-iphone-messages-trick-by-accident-and-now-i-cant-stop-using-it\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">handwriting option in the Messages app<\/a>. Doing exactly what its name suggests, this feature lets you handwrite messages or draw pictures, and send them to contacts. Potentially very useful, even if it wasn&#8217;t easy to find.<\/p>\n<p><a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tomsguide.com\/phones\/iphones\/ios-27-public-beta-hands-on-preview-the-new-siri-and-apple-intelligence-features-completely-changed-how-i-use-my-iphone\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.tomsguide.com\/phones\/iphones\/ios-27-public-beta-hands-on-preview-the-new-siri-and-apple-intelligence-features-completely-changed-how-i-use-my-iphone\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.tomsguide.com\/phones\/iphones\/ios-27-public-beta-hands-on-preview-the-new-siri-and-apple-intelligence-features-completely-changed-how-i-use-my-iphone\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">iOS 27<\/a> takes that idea and makes it a lot simpler, turning iMessage&#8217;s handwriting mode into a dedicated applet within the Messages app. Or, in other words, Apple has tweaked the feature in such a way that it is easier to both find and use. Better still, a bunch of useful improvements were added in the process, making it more like the handwriting tools in <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.tomsguide.com\/phones\/iphones\/i-use-notes-to-capture-ideas-on-my-iphone-these-8-tips-help-me-do-more-with-the-app\" data-url=\"https:\/\/www.tomsguide.com\/phones\/iphones\/i-use-notes-to-capture-ideas-on-my-iphone-these-8-tips-help-me-do-more-with-the-app\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" data-before-rewrite-localise=\"https:\/\/www.tomsguide.com\/phones\/iphones\/i-use-notes-to-capture-ideas-on-my-iphone-these-8-tips-help-me-do-more-with-the-app\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Apple Notes<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"elk-seasonal\"\/><\/p>\n<p id=\"elk-32d4af88-8110-11f1-99c9-1fce3a5879a4-2\">Here&#8217;s how to send handwritten messages and drawings over iMessage in iOS 27.<\/p>\n<p>Latest Videos From<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/flexiimages\/yjolrksv791774885936.svg\" loading=\"lazy\" data-new-v2-image=\"true\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/flexiimages\/yjolrksv791774885936.svg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/flexiimages\/yjolrksv791774885936.svg\" class=\"rounded-[var(--image--border-radius,0)] block h-[18px] w-auto shrink-0 brightness-0 invert\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/flexiimages\/yjolrksv791774885936.svg\" loading=\"lazy\" data-new-v2-image=\"true\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/flexiimages\/yjolrksv791774885936.svg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net\/flexiimages\/yjolrksv791774885936.svg\" class=\"rounded-[var(--image--border-radius,0)] max-h-12 w-auto\"\/><br \/>\n1.Open the Messages app<\/p>\n<p class=\"bordeaux-image-check\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/om9qTTeHwJdaHuSdJngpz4.jpg\" alt=\"step by step how to on how to draw in messages app in ios 27 beta\"   loading=\"lazy\" data-new-v2-image=\"true\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/om9qTTeHwJdaHuSdJngpz4.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/om9qTTeHwJdaHuSdJngpz4.jpg\" class=\"rounded-[var(--image--border-radius,0)] expandable van-old-layout-image\"\/><\/p>\n<p>First thing&#8217;s first, you&#8217;ll need to open up the messages app<\/p>\n<p>2. Select a conversation or start a new one<\/p>\n<p class=\"bordeaux-image-check\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/rbCG7QwTEyr6aoSaKR5fp4.jpg\" alt=\"step by step how to on how to draw in messages app in ios 27 beta\"   loading=\"lazy\" data-new-v2-image=\"true\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/rbCG7QwTEyr6aoSaKR5fp4.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/rbCG7QwTEyr6aoSaKR5fp4.jpg\" class=\"rounded-[var(--image--border-radius,0)] expandable van-old-layout-image\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Next up you&#8217;ll need to select one of your existing conversations within Messages, or start a new one. The latter can be achieved by tapping the pen &amp; paper icon in the bottom right corner<\/p>\n<p>3. Open the drawing applet<\/p>\n<p class=\"bordeaux-image-check\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/YuwwVxNbJLrZebg85Cptv4.jpg\" alt=\"step by step how to on how to draw in messages app in ios 27 beta\"   loading=\"lazy\" data-new-v2-image=\"true\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/YuwwVxNbJLrZebg85Cptv4.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/YuwwVxNbJLrZebg85Cptv4.jpg\" class=\"rounded-[var(--image--border-radius,0)] expandable van-old-layout-image\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Next you&#8217;ll need to open up the drawing applet by tapping the + icon on the left side of the screen, and scrolling down until you see Drawing<\/p>\n<p>4. Start writing<\/p>\n<p class=\"bordeaux-image-check\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Rj9SWwvGa5h5xv82fmTKw4.jpg\" alt=\"step by step how to on how to draw in messages app in ios 27 beta\"   loading=\"lazy\" data-new-v2-image=\"true\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Rj9SWwvGa5h5xv82fmTKw4.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/Rj9SWwvGa5h5xv82fmTKw4.jpg\" class=\"rounded-[var(--image--border-radius,0)] expandable van-old-layout-image\"\/><\/p>\n<p>You&#8217;re then presented with a blank canvas to draw from, with all the same tools you&#8217;d find in Apple Notes at the bottom. This lets you select your writing implement, color and even the size of the pen stroke.<\/p>\n<p>5. Finish and send the handwritten message<\/p>\n<p class=\"bordeaux-image-check\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/dMiANChyHNXc4WR6bxbvp4.jpg\" alt=\"step by step how to on how to draw in messages app in ios 27 beta\"   loading=\"lazy\" data-new-v2-image=\"true\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/dMiANChyHNXc4WR6bxbvp4.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/dMiANChyHNXc4WR6bxbvp4.jpg\" class=\"rounded-[var(--image--border-radius,0)] expandable van-old-layout-image\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Once you&#8217;ve finished with your handwriting or drawing (possibly both), tap the blue tick icon in the top right, then press the Send button to actually fire the note to your contact.<\/p>\n<p id=\"elk-32d4b38e-8110-11f1-8a97-13d1022f428e\">There you have it, an easy and quick way to send handwritten messages in the Apple Messages app, and without being forced to use landscape mode in the process.<\/p>\n<p>It may not be an entirely new feature for iOS 27, but Apple has taken this extremely well-hidden feature and made it that little bit more accessible for iPhone users everywhere. So you might as well take advantage of it and flex your handwriting muscles once more.<\/p>\n<p>            You may like<\/p>\n<p>    <a href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqKAgKIiJDQklTRXdnTWFnOEtEWFJ2YlhObmRXbGtaUzVqYjIwb0FBUAE\" id=\"elk-32d4b47e-8110-11f1-a06e-ff3d58a3702e\" data-url=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqKAgKIiJDQklTRXdnTWFnOEtEWFJ2YlhObmRXbGtaUzVqYjIwb0FBUAE\" target=\"_blank\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\"><\/p>\n<p class=\"vanilla-image-block\" style=\"padding-top:31.51%;\">\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/ZCwuUFRE3YeboHR4zyEWmb.jpg\" alt=\"Google\"   loading=\"lazy\" data-new-v2-image=\"true\" data-original-mos=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/ZCwuUFRE3YeboHR4zyEWmb.jpg\" data-pin-media=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/ZCwuUFRE3YeboHR4zyEWmb.jpg\" class=\"rounded-[var(--image--border-radius,0)] pull-rightinline\"\/>\n<\/p>\n<p>(Image credit: Future)<\/a><\/p>\n<p id=\"elk-32d4b4f6-8110-11f1-bf24-51400410bade\">Follow <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqKAgKIiJDQklTRXdnTWFnOEtEWFJ2YlhObmRXbGtaUzVqYjIwb0FBUAE\" target=\"_blank\" data-url=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqKAgKIiJDQklTRXdnTWFnOEtEWFJ2YlhObmRXbGtaUzVqYjIwb0FBUAE\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Tom&#8217;s Guide on Google News<\/a> and <a data-analytics-id=\"inline-link\" href=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=tomsguide.com\" target=\"_blank\" data-url=\"https:\/\/google.com\/preferences\/source?q=tomsguide.com\" referrerpolicy=\"no-referrer-when-downgrade\" data-hl-processed=\"none\" data-mrf-recirculation=\"inline-link\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">add us as a preferred source<\/a> to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!<\/p>\n<p><a id=\"elk-more-from-tom-s-guide\"\/>More from Tom&#8217;s Guide <\/p>\n<p class=\"newsletter-form__strapline\">Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"If you ever went diving into the various hidden features on offer in iOS 26, you may be&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":805962,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[64,63,203,105],"class_list":["post-805961","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-mobile","tag-au","tag-australia","tag-mobile","tag-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/805961","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=805961"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/805961\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/805962"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=805961"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=805961"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=805961"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}