Secret iMessage codewords let you send hidden effects to your mates – including ‘pew pew’ and ‘fireworks’

YOU can send laser light shows, fireworks and other funky effects to your mates on iPhone using these secret codewords.

Typing the codes on iMessage triggers a variety of animations that can spice up your chats.

The feature has been available on iPhone for some time, but Apple fans began posting about it on social media again this week.

Alongside the laser effect, you can also make balloons float up from the bottom of your mate’s screen on their birthday.

When January rolls around, fireworks will burst across the message if you wish someone “happy new year”.

We’ve put together a list of the best effects below.

How to send an iMessage screen effect

To send a fun animation to someone, simply type one of the codewords below into iMessage.

The recipient must have an iPhone for the effect to show.

If you’d rather not use a codeword, you can always hold down on the blue send button after typing out your message.

This will present you with a list of effects you can add to any message of your choosing.

After you’ve typed out a message, you can tap and hold the blue send button to attach any of the following.

Here are some of the best…

Typing cursor – When typing, hold down the space bar to turn your keyboard into a trackpad, letting you move around words and sentences more easily
Close all Safari tabs – To do this in one go, simply hold the overlapped squares in the bottom right-hand corner, and press close all tabs
Delete lots of photos quickly – Hold down on a photo and then drag your finger diagonally in Photos to select lots of images at once, then hit delete
Convert currency quickly – Swipe down from the top of your Home screen (or swipe left to right on an iPhone X), then tap in the bar and type a currency (like $200) and it will automatically covert to your local currency
Check if you’re due a battery upgrade – Batteries inside smartphones degrade over time. Just go to Settings > Battery > Battery Health, and check out the Maximum Capacity reading. Generally a battery is considered worn when you’re down to 80% capacity. If you’re below, you can buy a battery swap from Apple
Move apps around faster – Hold an app until it starts wiggling, then (while still holding) tap other apps, causing them to stack so you can move them around easier