Make a fake iMessage in seven steps
Open the iPhone look
Open the fake iMessage generator. iPhone is already picked in the Phone switch next to the preview. On a phone, the Edit and Preview tabs above the editor move you between the settings and the picture.
Set up the contact
In the People tab, type a name or a number in the Contact field. It shows under the round photo at the top of the chat. Tap the circle next to the name to add a photo; it stays on your device. For a group thread, switch Chat type to Group, add up to eight people and give the group a name if it has one.
Type the messages
In the Messages tab, type in the box at the bottom and press Me for your side or Them for theirs. Enter adds the text as yours. Every message card has a sender button that flips it to the other side, plus Move up, Move down, Duplicate and Delete. Drag a card by its handle to move it, or use the insert line between two cards to add a text in the middle.
Pick blue or green bubbles
The Bubble colour switch sets your side to Blue or Green. Blue is iMessage, sent between two iPhones. Green is an SMS, which is what an iPhone shows when the other person is on Android.
Add Read or Delivered and reactions
Open Details on your newest sent message. Under Status under message, pick Delivered or Read, then type a time such as 10:15 PM; it shows next to Read. The same panel holds the reaction: one of the six tapbacks (heart, thumbs up, thumbs down, ha ha, exclamation, question) or any emoji you type.
Set the status bar
In the Status bar tab, set the clock, the carrier name, signal, Wi-Fi and battery, and turn on Show battery % or Charging if the scene needs it. You can also tap the clock, battery or signal in the preview to change them. The Unread count field in People puts a number next to the back arrow.
Download the PNG
Press Download PNG to save a 1206 × 2622 image, the size of an iPhone screenshot, or Copy to paste it into another app. For a long thread, set Screenshot height to Fit all messages and you get one tall image. Switch Theme to Dark first if you want the black background.
How to make it look real
- Write the way people text: short lines, lowercase starts, the odd typo, an emoji instead of a full answer.
- Split one thought into two or three bubbles. The editor puts the tail on the last bubble of each run, as iOS does.
- In a live chat, leave a minute or two between replies. When the chat picks up hours later, add a date or time label with the calendar button and type something like Yesterday 11:48 PM.
- Set the status bar clock a little after the last message, and pick a battery level that is not a round 100%.
- Send one to three emoji on their own when someone reacts with emoji only. They show large, with no bubble.
Mistakes that give a fake iMessage away
Read under every message
An iPhone shows Read or Delivered under your newest sent message only. Leave the older ones on None.
Texts that read like an email
Long paragraphs with perfect commas look written, not typed. Real texts are short, often lowercase, and split across two or three bubbles.
Times that run backwards
A Read time earlier than the date label above it, or a label that jumps back a day, is easy to spot. Keep times and date labels in order.
A group with no names
In a group, every person needs a name. On an iPhone the name sits above their first text in a run, so blank names leave gaps.
What people make with it
Storytime videos on TikTok, Reels and Shorts, where the chat carries the story. Film and video sets that need a phone screen on camera. App and pitch-deck mockups that show a message flow. Lessons on spotting scam texts, where the class needs an example that looks like the real thing.
Whatever you make should stay fiction. Passing it off as a real conversation, using it as evidence or putting words in a real person’s mouth is not allowed. The full list is at /acceptable-use.