Replying to a text
I just wondered why sometimes I have the option to reply immediately to a text and other times I don’t.
iPhone 12, iOS 15
User profile for user:
Community User
To reply directly to a Message on the Lock Screen, you must make a Long Press on the Notification. The same applies when your iPhone is unlocked and a banner comes down from the top. Long press the banner and you can immediately reply to the message, without opening the message app. It works both with iMessages and normal SMS.
If you're having trouble replying to Messages from your Lock screen, make sure Reply with Message is enabled here:
Settings → Face ID & Passcode → activate Reply with Message
If you are experiencing problems and you are still on iOS 15, then I can recommend that you update to the latest version, which is iOS 16.4.1.
You can check your current iOS version here:
Settings → General → About
You can see how to update here:
Update your iPhone or iPad - Apple Support