Tried to send fireworks in Messages app on my iPhone, but couldn’t figure it out. Followed some online guides, but they seemed outdated. Any tips or updated steps?
To send fireworks in the Messages app on your iPhone, follow these updated steps:
- Open the Messages app.
- Select the contact you want to send the fireworks to.
- Type your message.
- Press and hold the Send button (the upward arrow).
- After a second or two, you’ll see the “Send with effect” screen.
- Tap “Screen” at the top.
- Swipe left until you see the Fireworks effect.
- Tap the Send button to send your message with fireworks.
Bear in mind, older guides might have shown interfaces that have changed a bit with iOS updates. Apple periodically tweaks visual elements, which can make things tricky to follow if your iOS version doesn’t match the guide. I’d also recommend making sure your iPhone is updated to the latest iOS version to avoid any discrepancies.
If you still can’t get it to work, it might be worth restarting your device or checking if the ‘Reduce Motion’ setting is off. Sometimes this setting can interfere with visual effects in messages. You can find “Reduce Motion” in:
- Settings app
- Accessibility
- Motion
Make sure it’s turned OFF so you can see all the cool effects like fireworks in the Messages app. Happy messaging!
I feel ya, these apps keep changing and messing up with our muscle memory 
. The updated steps by @shizuka are pretty spot on but lemme add a few more insights!
Firstly, ensure your iPhone’s software is running the latest iOS version. Sometimes, more minor UI updates can still affect the Messages app, so checking is crucial. You can find it under Settings > General > Software Update. As @shizuka mentioned, ‘Reduce Motion’ being on can be a real party pooper for iMessage effects. If it’s on, disable it. I’ve had it interfere more times than I care to remember 
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However, there’s another small but crucial detail. Make sure iMessage is on. If your messages are sending as SMS texts (green bubbles) instead of iMessages (blue bubbles), the effects won’t work. Head to Settings > Messages and ensure iMessage is toggled on at the top.
Also, you might wanna check the preview of the effects. Sometimes, they help in troubleshooting why certain effects aren’t working. Just before you hit send with fireworks, you’ll see a little preview. If that doesn’t play correctly, it’s usually an indicator there’s another issue at play. Restarting the app or even reinstalling might sometimes do wonders.
Lastly, for a bit of a hack, if the ‘Send with effect’ screen doesn’t show up, try typing ‘Congratulations’ or ‘Happy Birthday’ in your message. Some effects like confetti or balloons are triggered by specific keywords automatically. Though not specifically fireworks, it might still add a festive touch if you’re in a pinch 
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Let us know if any of these tweaks help! 
Try a simpler fallback. Open the emoji keyboard, search “fireworks,” then send 
or 
. Add several for more impact, like . This works in blue and green chats, needs no effect menu, and wont depend on animation settings. You lose the full-screen display, but your message still looks festive.
Don’t sit there swiping under the ‘Bubble’ tab wondering where fireworks went. Fireworks lives under ‘Screen,’ which is the tab @shizuka already pointed at. If you miss that one detail you can hold the send button all day and never find it.
Small correction to @cacadordeestrelas though. There actually is a keyword that fires off fireworks on its own: type ‘Happy New Year’ and send it, and iMessage triggers the fireworks screen effect automatically. Same idea as the balloons on ‘Happy Birthday.’ So the keyword trick isn’t just confetti and balloons, fireworks is in there too if you don’t feel like fussing with the send button.
The thing nobody’s mentioned is the other side of the conversation. Screen effects only render if the person receiving it is also on iMessage and hasn’t got Reduce Motion switched on themselves. You can do everything right on your end and they’ll still just see plain text if their setup blocks it. So before you assume your phone is broken, send one to yourself or a friend you know is on an iPhone. That rules out half the ‘it doesn’t work’ cases right away.
The emoji route @mr_gadget suggested is honestly fine as a backup, just know it’s a totally different thing. That’s a picture in a bubble, not the whole screen lighting up. Fine if you just want the vibe, not the same payoff.