Changing the text message display on your iPhone is a straightforward process that can be done in a few steps. By going into your settings, you can adjust the font size, style, and color of your text messages to better suit your preferences. Once you’ve made these changes, your text messages will display differently, making them easier to read or more visually appealing to you.
After completing this action, your iPhone will display your text messages in the new format you’ve chosen. This can help with readability, personalization, and overall user experience.
Introduction
Text messaging is a fundamental part of our daily communication, and with the iPhone being one of the most popular smartphones in the world, it’s important to know how to customize your texting experience. Whether you’re someone who struggles with small text, loves to personalize your tech, or simply wants a change, adjusting the text message display on your iPhone can make a world of difference.
The iPhone offers a range of customization options for text messaging, from changing the font size to tweaking the display settings. This not only makes your device more personal to you but can also aid in readability for those with visual impairments. Plus, it’s a feature that often goes unused because many people don’t realize just how much they can change their message display settings. This article will walk you through the process step by step, showing you how to make your text messages look exactly how you want them to.
Step by Step Tutorial: How to Change the Text Message Display on an iPhone
Before diving into the steps, it’s good to know that this tutorial will help you tailor your text messaging experience to your liking. Whether that’s making the text larger, changing its color, or adjusting the background – we’ve got you covered.
Step 1: Open Settings
Open the “Settings” app on your iPhone.
This is the app with gears on it, typically found on your home screen. Once you open Settings, you’re on your way to customizing your text message display.
Step 2: Go to Display & Brightness
Scroll down and tap on “Display & Brightness.”
In this menu, you’ll find all the options related to how things are displayed on your iPhone, including text size and boldness.
Step 3: Adjust Text Size and Boldness
Tap on “Text Size” to adjust the font size, and toggle “Bold Text” on or off to change the text’s weight.
Using the slider, you can make the text larger or smaller to your preference. If you toggle “Bold Text,” your iPhone will restart to apply the changes.
Step 4: Go to Accessibility
For more options, go back to the main Settings menu and tap on “Accessibility.”
Accessibility features are designed to make the iPhone easier to use for people with various disabilities, but they can also be handy for customizing your text display.
Step 5: Adjust the Display & Text Size
Tap on “Display & Text Size” for additional options like increasing contrast or using color filters.
These options can help make text easier to read by making it stand out more against the background.
Step 6: Change Text Message Settings in the Messages App
Finally, open the “Messages” app, tap on a conversation, then tap on the “i” icon to change message-specific settings.
Here, you can change the message display settings for that specific conversation, like turning on “Send Read Receipts” or filtering unknown senders.
Pros
| Benefit | Explanation |
|---|---|
| Enhanced Readability | Adjusting the text size can significantly improve readability, especially for users with visual impairments. Larger text eliminates the strain of squinting at small fonts. |
| Personalization | Customizing the text display lets you add a personal touch to your iPhone, making it feel more “yours.” From color to font weight, it’s all about what you like. |
| Improved Accessibility | The accessibility features not only make the iPhone more inclusive but offer everyone a chance to adjust their display settings to their comfort levels. |
Cons
| Drawback | Explanation |
|---|---|
| May Not Apply to All Apps | Some third-party apps may not respect the system-wide display settings and could continue to show text in their default way. |
| Can Affect Battery Life | Increased text size and boldness can lead to slightly decreased battery life since more pixels are being used more often. |
| Requires Restart for Some Changes | Applying certain changes, like enabling bold text, will require a restart of your iPhone, which can be a minor inconvenience. |
Additional Information
Changing the text message display on your iPhone is more than just a cosmetic preference; it can also have practical applications. For instance, if you’re someone who often reads text messages in a hurry, larger text can make for quicker reading. On the flip side, if you prefer more content on your screen without having to scroll much, a smaller text size could be the way to go.
Another tip to consider is the impact of dark mode on text messaging. If you prefer a darker background with lighter text, enabling dark mode can provide a comfortable viewing experience, especially in low-light conditions. Plus, it can save battery life on OLED screens like those on the iPhone X and later models.
Lastly, remember that while you can change the text message display settings, the actual style of the iMessage bubbles cannot be changed – they will always remain blue or green depending on whether you’re messaging an iPhone or non-iPhone user.
Summary
- Open the Settings app on your iPhone.
- Tap on Display & Brightness to adjust text size and boldness.
- Go back and tap on Accessibility for more display options.
- Within Accessibility, tap on Display & Text Size for additional adjustments.
- Change specific message settings in the Messages app by tapping on the “i” icon in a conversation.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will changing the text display affect my apps?
The text display changes will affect most of the native Apple apps and any third-party apps that support Dynamic Type, Apple’s system for managing text size.
Do I need to restart my iPhone after making these changes?
You only need to restart your iPhone if you enable Bold Text. Other changes do not require a restart.
Can I change the color of my text messages?
While you can’t change the color of the text itself, you can enable color filters or invert colors for the entire display in the Accessibility settings.
If I increase the text size, will it make everything on my iPhone bigger?
Increasing the text size will increase the size of text across all apps that support Dynamic Type, but it won’t affect other elements like icons or images.
Can I make these changes if I have an older iPhone model?
Yes, these features are available on most iPhone models, as long as you have a relatively recent version of iOS.
Conclusion
Personalizing your iPhone to fit your needs and preferences is one of the joys of owning such a device. Changing the text message display can not only give your eyes a break but can also make your texting experience more enjoyable.
Whether you’re doing it for accessibility reasons or simply to freshen up your user interface, your iPhone offers a wealth of options to make it happen. So go ahead, dive into those settings, and give your text messages a new lease on life!
Matthew Burleigh has been writing tech tutorials since 2008. His writing has appeared on dozens of different websites and been read over 50 million times.
After receiving his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science he spent several years working in IT management for small businesses. However, he now works full time writing content online and creating websites.
His main writing topics include iPhones, Microsoft Office, Google Apps, Android, and Photoshop, but he has also written about many other tech topics as well.