How to shut off effects in texts?

Hello kermit459!

Thanks for reaching out to the Apple Support Communities. I see that you’d like to know how to turn off the Message Effects feature on your iPhone. You can turn off the Auto-Play Message Effects feature by following these steps: Settings > Accessibility > Motion > Auto-Play Message > slide the switch off. 

By turning on Reduce Motion (located on the same Settings > Accessibility > Motion), certain screen effects will change or be disabled. Check out the information provided in this article for more information: Reduce screen motion on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. 

Cheers!

Hello kermit459,  

If you turn on Reduce Motion under Settings > Accessibility > Motion you won’t see any effects like the ones that appear when you type in “Congratulations” or “Happy Birthday.”

Typically the screen that you’re seeing from your screenshot only appears if you hold your finger down on the send button. A quick tap on Send and it should not appear. This article explains that: Use message effects with iMessage on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.

If it’s still appearing, try restarting your iPhone with these steps: Restart your iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. Also if you have an iPhone 6s or later, check out the 3D Touch settings on your iPhone, adjusting them may change the effect screen from appearing: Adjust touch settings on iPhone.

Enjoy the day

The suggested solution from sterling r will not disable the effects for texts which you are about to send. I would also love to completely disable all effects as I am not using them. Whenever I use an effect, it is by accident due to poor UI on Apples side. My parents send me texts with effects they use unintentionally all the time. From what I can tell there is no option to disable effects for texts for text compose view.

I have since switched to Signal messenger and xmpp with most of my important contacts. Besides not being bothered by the behavior of Apples messages app I now enjoy much improved privacy and encryption.