How To Use Inline Replies In Messages On iPhone & iPad (iOS 14)

There are many new features and changes that iOS 14 brings to the stock Messages app. One of them is called Inline Replies and it’s particularly useful in group chat conversations.
It allows you to answer to a specific message and makes sure that everyone notices it. This improves the overall efficiency of a group chat.

Inline Replies allows you to read all related messages in their own separate view.
It practically creates a sub-discussion. This way it’s easier to keep track of a conversation.
This feature works hand-in-hand with another iOS 14 Messages option called Mentions. Whenever you reply to a message, in a group conversation, that’s directed to a specific participant, you can make sure that he knows it, by mentioning his name.

How To Use Inline Replies In iOS 14

1. Open the Messages app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Select a group conversation or any other discussion thread that you want to reply to.
3. Long-press the specific message that you want to reply to.
4. Select Reply and type your text. Hit send when ready.
Your reply is posted and an additional view is created. This way you can keep track easier of this sub-conversation.
Fact: The total number of replies to a message is displayed on the conversation home screen.

Tip: To attract the attention of someone else from the group you can mention a participant within your inline reply. Either tap @[contact name] to get an automated mention or tap the [contact name], tap it to get a mention suggestion. Select the appropriate contact. When a mention is successfully attached, the contact name turns blue!

How To Delete Inline Replies

If you reconsider and want to edit an inline reply, your only option is to delete it and write it again in the edited version.
1. Long-press the inline reply that you want to delete.
2. Select More.
3. Tap on Delete.
4. Cherry-pick the replies that you want to delete.
Note: You can only delete your own messages.
5. Tap the Garbage can, bottom-left corner of the screen.

Do you plan to use Inline Replies and Mentions in Messages? Let us know with the help of the comments section available below.

Related: Do you know that you can pin Messages conversations in iOS 14? What about sending audio Messages with Siri?