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Daily Record
Daily Record
Science
Zahna Eklund & Ketsuda Phoutinane

The iPhone trick which lets you send fireworks and lasers on all Apple devices

Apple users might not be aware of iPhone tricks that have been hiding in plain sight - if you know the right words to say.

The unique feature has been on iMessage for a while, but news of them having been spreading on social media by excited iPhone owners.

Apple devices have the ability to send special effects like lasers, balloons, fireworks and confetti to each other on iMessage.

You might not have a clue that feature pops up on a friend's iPhone when you text them 'congratulations' as colourful confetti bursts across their screen, the Mirror reported.

It's similar to other hacks that've gone viral, like when Harry Potter fans realised some spells worked on iPhones.

So have at it - check out our list of codewords and try them out with your friends!

How to send an iMessage screen effect

Apple users might be totally unaware of the secret special effects (TikTok / @unespc)

Screen effects only work between devices that support iOS, so both you and your friend need to be using an iPhone to be able to send and receive the effects, The Sun reports.

Then, all you have to do is send one of the codewords listed below in an iMessage, and your phone will send the text along with the effect associated with it.

And you can even send the effect without the codeword by holding down the blue send button after you type out your message - as this will present you with a list of effects to choose from.

Screen effect codewords

Sending an iMessage with the word "congratulations" or "Selamat" will send a burst of confetti to your message recipient while sending "happy birthday" will see their screen fill up with balloons of various colours.

You can wish your friends a "Happy New Year" with a firework display on their phone screen and there's a specific red explosion effect for when you send a message stating "Happy Chinese New Year".

Finally, if you message your friends saying "pew pew", you'll send them a laser light show.

Other screen effects

There are a total of nine screen effects you can send your friends via iMessage, and not all of them have codewords associated with them.

If you want to send any of the other four effects that don't come with codewords, you'll need to use the previously described method of holding down the send button and manually choosing an effect.

The nine effects are:

  • Balloons - Balloons of various colours rise up from the bottom of the screen
  • Celebration - Starts a red firework display
  • Confetti - Rains down multi-coloured confetti pieces
  • Eco - Covers the screen in message bubbles
  • Fireworks - Explodes fireworks on the screen
  • Lasers - Displays a laser light show
  • Love - A large heart appears beside your message
  • Shooting star - Fires a shooting star across the screen
  • Spotlight - Puts your message under a spotlight

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