How to Write Handwritten Messages on an iPhone

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: November 25, 2021 Tested

Want to use your finger to write a text message on your iPhone's screen? The Messages app on your iPhone makes it easy to send custom handwritten notes to your friends. There's even a selection of pre-written options to choose from. We'll show you exactly how to write text messages by hand on your iPhone's screen and send them using iMessage.

Steps

1
Open Messages. It’s the green app with a white speech bubble, usually found on your home screen.
2
Tap on a conversation to open it.

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3
Turn your phone to landscape mode. This will change the screen’s orientation.
- If your screen will not rotate, orientation lock may be enabled. If so, swipe up from the bottom of your screen and tap the lock icon in the upper-right corner. It will change from orange to gray.
4
Tap the squiggly line. It's at the bottom-right corner of the keyboard to the left of the microphone.
5
Put your finger on the screen and use it to write a handwritten message.
- You can also select a pre-written message by tapping on one in the menu at the bottom of the screen.
- To undo writing, tap Undo in the top-left corner of the screen.
6
Tap Done. It’s in the top-right corner of the screen.
7
Tap the Send button to send your message. It’s the circle with the upward-pointing arrow on the middle-right side of the message field.

Community Q&A

Question

How do I write cursive words on an iPhone?

Community Answer

You can just write in cursive the same way you would write in any other type of handwriting on your iPhone.
Question

If I put my phone to landscape and I have the lock off, why is it not working?

Community Answer

Go to the bottom-right of your keyboard where there looks like a little scribble. Tap that, then it should work.

Warnings

When handwriting messages to contacts who aren’t iMessage users, the writing may not show up as well or at all.

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