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Secret iMessage codewords let you send hidden effects to your mates – including ‘pew pew’ and ‘fireworks’

YOU can send laser light shows, fireworks and other funky effects to your mates on iPhone using these secret codewords.

Typing the codes on iMessage triggers a variety of animations that can spice up your chats.

Getty – Contributor

You can fire off fun screen effects in iMessage using secret codewords[/caption]

The feature has been available on iPhone for some time, but Apple fans began posting about it on social media again this week.

Alongside the laser effect, you can also make balloons float up from the bottom of your mate’s screen on their birthday.

When January rolls around, fireworks will burst across the message if you wish someone “happy new year”.

We’ve put together a list of the best effects below.

Sending ‘pew pew’ to a mate in iMessage will activate this effect
The Sun

How to send an iMessage screen effect

To send a fun animation to someone, simply type one of the codewords below into iMessage.

The recipient must have an iPhone for the effect to show.

If you’d rather not use a codeword, you can always hold down on the blue send button after typing out your message.

This will present you with a list of effects you can add to any message of your choosing.

Type ‘happy birthday’ to send someone balloons

iMessage screen effect codewords

  • ‘Pew pew’ – laser light show
  • ‘Happy birthday’ – balloons
  • ‘Congratulations’ – confetti
  • ‘Happy New Year’ – fireworks
  • ‘Happy Chinese New Year’ – red explosion
  • ‘Selamat’ – confetti

Messaging someone ‘happy new year’ will set off a firework display

Other iMessage screen effects

After you’ve typed out a message, you can tap and hold the blue send button to attach any of the following.

  • Eco – Fills the screen with message bubbles
  • Spotlight – Puts a spotlight on your message
  • Balloons – Balloons rise up from the bottom of your screen
  • Confetti – Confetti rains down
  • Love – Large heart bulges from your message
  • Lasers – Laser light show
  • Fireworks – Fireworks explode on your screen
  • Shooting star –  A shooting star fires across the screen
  • Celebration – A red firework show appears

iPhone tricks to try today

Here are some of the best…

  • Typing cursor – When typing, hold down the space bar to turn your keyboard into a trackpad, letting you move around words and sentences more easily
  • Close all Safari tabs – To do this in one go, simply hold the overlapped squares in the bottom right-hand corner, and press close all tabs
  • Delete lots of photos quickly – Hold down on a photo and then drag your finger diagonally in Photos to select lots of images at once, then hit delete
  • Convert currency quickly – Swipe down from the top of your Home screen (or swipe left to right on an iPhone X), then tap in the bar and type a currency (like $200) and it will automatically covert to your local currency
  • Check if you’re due a battery upgrade – Batteries inside smartphones degrade over time. Just go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health, and check out the Maximum Capacity reading. Generally a battery is considered worn when you’re down to 80% capacity. If you’re below, you can buy a battery swap from Apple
  • Move apps around faster – Hold an app until it starts wiggling, then (while still holding) tap other apps, causing them to stack so you can move them around easier


In other news, a clever iPhone trick lets you find any photo in your camera album in seconds.

This nifty WhatsApp trick lets you “pin” your favourite chats to the top of the app.

And, find out how to read deleted WhatsApp messages on your phone.

Do you know any good iPhone tips or tricks? Let us know in the comments!


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