Oliver Haslam on June 20, 2024, 6:56 pm

How To Change Playback Speed Of iMessage Audio Messages

Apple’s iMessage is about more than just sending and receiving text messages. You can send files, media, and more, but did you also know that you can send short audio messages as well?

Probably, but did you also know that you can adjust the playback speed of those messages? Probably not.

Apple added the option to change the playback speed of audio messages to iOS 17 in 2023 but it’s a little-known feature that could make it easier to listen to messages that have been received.

Here’s how to adjust the playback speed of an audio message received via iMessage:

Step 1: Locate the audio message that you want to listen to within the Messages app.

Step 2: Press and hold the Play button on the audio message.

Step 3: Choose the desired playback speed.

And that really is all there is to it. Options include the normal 1x and then 1.25x, 1.5x, and finally, 2x.

It’s important to remember that this feature isn’t one that requires the newly announced iOS 18 and is likely already available on your own iPhone. As for the iOS 18 update, that’ll arrive in September of this year after a months-long beta process that began when Apple announced the iPhone’s next big software update on June 10.

That update will arrive alongside the release of the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro as well as a slew of other software updates for the Mac, iPad, Apple Watch, Apple TV, and Apple Vision Pro.