How to Send GIFs on iPhone

Use animated text messages to add a little whimsy to your text

By
Brenna Miles
Brenna Miles
Brenna Miles
Writer
  • The University of Phoenix
Brenna Miles is a technology writer with a B.A. in Business Management and HR Management. She's been writing about technology for 6+ years.
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Updated on August 26, 2021
Reviewed by
Jerrick Leger
Jerrick Leger headshot
Reviewed by Jerrick Leger
Jerrick Leger is a CompTIA-certified IT Specialist with more than 10 years' experience in technical support and IT fields. He is also a systems administrator for an IT firm in Texas serving small businesses.
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Use an animated GIF to add a bit of character to text messages. Pop a GIF into a text to your friend, and they'll be giggling on the other end. The trick is to find the perfect GIF and then send it from the iPhone Messages app. Here's how to do it.

How to Send a GIF Using the Messages App

The easiest way to send GIFs is to use the selections available in the Messages app. You can search for and select GIFS without leaving the app.

  1. Open the Messages app on your iPhone.

  2. Start a new message or select an existing thread.

  3. Scroll across the Messages app toolbar at the bottom of the screen and tap the red magnifying glass icon. (If you don't see the toolbar, tap the icon immediately to the left of the text-entry field to bring it up.)

    The GIFs displayed below the search box are GIFs that you recently used or GIFs that are currently popular.

  4. To search for a specific GIF or topic, tap the Find Images search field and enter a keyword.

    Location of a GIF in the iPhone Messages app

  5. Tap a GIF in the search results to add it to your message.

  6. Enter the message text and send the message.

How to Select a GIF Saved on Your iPhone

You can also select GIFs from the Photos app on your iPhone and attach them to a message in the Messages app.

  1. Go to the message you want to add a GIF to.

  2. In the Messages toolbar, tap the Photos app icon.

  3. Tap All Photos.

    iPhone Messages app with Photos icon highlighted

  4. Tap the GIF you want to add to the message.

    In iOS 11 and later, the iPhone includes an Animated folder that contains the GIFs you save.

  5. Tap Choose to add the GIF to your message.

    Selecting a GIF in the iPhone Photos app

  6. Complete the message and send it.

How to Select a GIF From a Website

Have a favorite GIF website such as Giphy, or do you search for GIFs using Google? You can add those to your messages too.

  1. Find a GIF online. Search Google or use a website such as Giphy to locate GIFs.

  2. Tap and hold the GIF to display a menu and select Copy. In some cases, you need to look for an option to copy the GIF nearby.

  3. Tap Copy.

    To save the GIF to your phone instead of copying it, tap Save Image. You'll find the GIF in your Photos app.

  4. Go to the message you want to add the GIF to and tap the text-entry bar.

    Saving a GIF from the internet to send on your iPhone

  5. Tap and hold the text bar and tap Paste to add the copied GIF to your message.

  6. Complete the message and send it.

To make it easy to find your GIFs, download an app such as GIFwrapped and save your favorite GIFs in one place.

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