How to Pin Conversations in iMessage and Other Tips

Apple often takes inspiration from popular third-party apps and services to bring new features into iOS for iPhone. And the latest iOS 14 continues that trend, at least visible in the public beta of iOS 14. Messages in iOS 14 will bring much-needed features and changes to compete with other messaging competitors. Like WhatsApp and Telegram, you can now pin conversations in iMessage. So all your iMessage groups and personal chat messages can be pinned to the top.

We receive dozens of messages every day from friends, family, banks and marketing companies. Sometimes the most important messages are hidden in these irrelevant messages. With iOS 14, one can easily pin conversations on top for easy access and reach.

The Default Messages app now comes with many customization options and incorporates features from Microsoft’s popular SMS Organizer app. The Messages app now offers filters to make it easy for users to find the most relevant messages.

In this article, we’ll look at how to pin or unpin a conversation in iMessage, edit those conversations, and more. Let’s start.

How to pin conversations in iMessage

There are three ways to pin conversations in the Messages app. You can use the swipe gesture, use a long press option, or select multiple conversations at once and pin them to the top. Follow the steps below to pin conversations in the Messages app.

Step 1: Unlock your iPhone and open the Messages app.

2nd step: Swipe right on a conversation you want to pin.

Step 3: You will see a yellow colored pin icon. Tap on it and iOS will pin the selected conversation to the top.

Users can also long press any conversation and it will open the small chat window with several options. You can select Pin Conversation, and the Messages app will pin the selected conversation at the top.

These tips work well, but they’re especially useful when you want to pin a single conversation.

What if a user wants to pin multiple conversations at once? In such cases, you can follow the steps below to pin multiple conversations at once in the Messages app.

Step 1: Unlock your iPhone and open the Messages app.

2nd step: Tap the three-dot menu in the upper right corner.

Step 3: Select the “Edit Pins” option from the next menu.

Step 4: Messages will provide the option to pin multiple conversations at once. You’ll see the same yellow pin icon on the right side of each conversation.

Step 5: Select the pin icons you want to pin to the top.

Apps like WhatsApp and Telegram pin conversations at the top with a small pin icon indicator. Apple’s implementation is different and in some ways better than WhatsApp and Telegram.

When you pin a conversation in the Messages app, you’ll see a rounded user profile avatar. I like and prefer this over the WhatsApp implementation.

Benefits of pinned conversations in the Messages app

You can improve the message experience by pinning conversations to the top. There are three benefits of using pinned conversations in the Messages app.

You can easily access your most used conversations at the top. When you’re in an active conversation with iMessage, you’ll see an typing indicator at the top of the profile every time the other person types the message. This is also true for normal conversations. But it looks cool on a pinned down conversation. You cannot see the input indicator in a normal message.

You can see a small preview of an unread message at the top of the profile picture in a pinned conversation.

How many conversations can you pin in the Messages app

Users can pin up to nine conversations in the Messages app. The app throws an error when you try to pin more than nine conversations at the top. It will ask you to unpin the conversation to add a new conversation at the top.

Speaking of removing pinned conversations, let’s see how to unpin conversations in the Messages app.

How to detach a conversation in the Messages app

There are several ways to delete a pinned conversation in the Messages app. You can use the long press feature or opt for the Edit Pins menu to get things done.

Long press on the profile icon and it will open a small window with several options to choose from. You can detach the person, hide the alerts, or delete the conversation. Select the Detach option to remove the top conversation.

Apple also allows you to unpin multiple conversations at once. Select the three-dot menu at the top and select “Edit Pins”.

The following interface will allow you to tap the “-” icon on the pinned profile picture. Tap on it and the system will detach the conversation in the Messages app.

Keep conversations at the top

The ability to pin a conversation in the Messages app was long overdue in the iOS system. I’m happy to see Apple finally add the option with the iOS 14 update for the iPhone. The company’s implementation is also better than its competitors such as WhatsApp and Telegram.