How to scroll back to re-read text while replying

I have the same problem as GAoldlady and many others have asked for help: Here’s the problem: when responding to a text and wanting to refer back to the preceding text, perhaps that had multiple questions in it, I cannot see the text that I am responding to. I can’t scroll up beyond the text that I am writing. The only way I can see the previous text is to send my response and then I can see the text that I was responding to. It’s infuriating because in responding to a text it is helpful to be able to see the text that you’re responding to make sure you are addressing all of the issues in that text.

I found that entering three empty rows at the top of a text usually lets me scroll up to prior messages on my iPhone pro 15 running iOS 17.1.2. Two rows doesn’t usually work though. It’s not perfect and most of the time I use the Notes app to draft longer texts, copying and pasting them into iMessage.

Apple really needs to fix this inability to scroll up to past texts when typing a long text. If not, it will drive people like me straight back to Android, like my Samsung S23 where texting was amazingly great in comparison!

I tried the 3 rows trick I stumbled over after the latest iOS update (17.2.1) and the trick no longer works. :( I am afraid my post was read the wrong way by Apple engineers (or managers of Apple engineers?) and it was decided to take this simple little method for scrolling up away from iMessage users. Apple, please bring this back! Scrolling up is a basic and necessary feature for texting. Or just allow us to scroll up regardless of the size of our text messages. Please???

This is still an ongoing issue TO THIS DAY! I cannot for the life of me get back to my original conversation while replying back with a long text message. I’ve also found if you go to the bottom of your reply text, tap, and hold for a sec at the last word, hit select all, cut, then reread what you need to, then when you’re ready, paste it all back. Just don’t get sidetracked and forget, otherwise you’ll lose it. For that, just paste in notes or something. This is super, super frustrating, and the 3 row return at the top of text does not work anymore. Apple, HELP US!😭

I have had this scrolling problem since my iPhone 13. Just upgraded to iPhone 15 Pro hoping it would resolve but still a problem. When I'm drafting an imessage, if I need to scroll back up to fix a typo, I can't get the cursor to stop at the place where I need to go. It just keeps bouncing back to the bottom so you basically have to delete and start over or copy the text all into a note, edit it there and then paste in which is insane. Also, often you can't scroll up to the top of the text. It will only let you highlight the amount of text visible on the screen. Dragging up does nothing. I thought my iPhone 13 touchscreen was defective but now I know it's software related. The other problem is that in many applications when you try to edit text size, style, font, the keyboard gets hidden or sometimes the pop up screen with the options (e.g., Cut, Copy, Paste) covers over the text and you can't get back to it. Hot mess!

Can you explain what you mean? I am also experiencing this annoying problem after one of the Apple updates. Very frustrating. We used to be able to just scroll up to see the text we were responding to and now cannot if it is a longer text.

With the latest update to 17.2.1, that ^ no longer there. It has turned into a + sign that gives you long list of options like camera, photos, stickers & more useless options that worked just fine before the update. So APPLE, WHAT IS THE SECRET TO READING PREVIOUS TEXTS WHILE TYPING A NEW ONE??

I'm already aggravated constantly cutting/pasting so I can refer back to text I'm trying to answer. Def the scenic route🤬

I share your frustration. I have experienced this issue since I got my first iPhone (13 pro max—now on a 14 pro). I used google pixels before that for 5-6 years. After being told how awesome the Messages app was, it was a HUGE letdown once I actually used it, since Siri’s dictation function is accurate about half as often as google’s, which makes the inability to scroll up while typing texts all the more infuriating (between Siri and Apple’s ridiculously aggressive auto correct, Messages users spend a lot of time fixing text).

If Apple’s video functions weren’t 10 years ahead of everyone else’s, I would have dumped the iPhone a long time ago. Because other than video (and some photographic functions), iOS is much, much worse at everything. Dictation especially. It’s like Dragon Naturally Speaking, circa 2006.

Feels like every update just takes something away!! Why??

I have this exact same problem with iMessage and I have posted a few times before trying to explain it like you did and there is no solution. Except doing things like you said which is dumb! We shouldn't have to compose our message elsewhere and then paste it back. But that's what I have been doing, I compose in email and then just refer back to iMessage. Not every messages is short and quick I need to refer back to make sure I answered everything. I just don't understand why we are unable to scroll back? Randomly it will let you, but sometimes leave like a two line window to scroll through the message. But 90% of the time once the window has filled up with your message it won't let you go back and see the other message you're replying to. Super annoying!

One little quick fix for you if trying to edit something at the top of a long message. If you scroll to the top of the message and tap on the spot where you want to edit a word. After it scrolls you down to the bottom you click backspace and will keep the cursor where you put it, then you should be able to cut and paste and do things. It's really stupid that we have to use all these tricks just for some simple messaging. Plus why is other programs like email and Facebook Messenger not have these issues? Very poor performance for Apple!!!

It does make sense; thanks for responding! However, my iPhone 8 worked better than this brand new 14 pro in regards to this iMessage problem and I just want it to work properly. We shouldn’t have to copy and paste.

wow, I tried your three empty rows solution and it worked, thank you so much!🙌🏆🙌

My solution is to tap anywhere on my message, click “select all” and “cut”. Then you can instantly see the previous message. Then tap in the now blank message field, click “paste” and resume your typing. It’s clunky and needs to be fixed but it works well.

Sometimes adding 3 rows works and other times it doesn't. The problem is not whether we can find a work around, but that there used to be an arrow that minimized the text box so you could jump out and review anything previously said (which is important to be able to do), and then jump right back in without having to guess, remember what was said, or copy and paste into a notes app, delete, and repaste back in. All of that is now ridiculous because it was working just fine until they launched what should have made life better, instead made it much more frustrating, less functional, and more time consuming.

It absolutely is infuriating. I feel like, don't release new updates just because you have a deadline to reinvent the wheel. If you're not going to make it better, don't do it at all. And definitely don't go back and make it worse. The iPhone 4 text messaging was better, someone should have been told to change that back immediately or they would be fired. 🤷‍♂️

This also includes the little blue dots under the text when using the dictation recorder. If everytime you touch with your thumb it grabs three sentences, and you're struggling to click and unclick, and then it bubbles the entire text, and you can't just fix one word, it wants to suggest something that is nothing like want you to say, then shut that thing down. It's not the same as using a computer with a mouse. So please go back to when it was better, before you started breaking stuff.