iMessage on iOS 18 Previews Link Cards for Social Media Posts and More - MacRumorsOpen MenuShow RoundupsShow Forums menuVisit ForumsOpen Sidebar
Skip to Content

iMessage on iOS 18 Previews Link Cards for Social Media Posts and More

In addition to text effects and scheduled messages, iOS 18 adds a small but helpful change to iMessage: link card previews for more types of content.

iOS 18 Link Card in Message Preview Feature 1Screenshot: Aaron Perris

When you paste a link for a social media post into the text field in the Messages app, the associated link card now appears before you send the message, whereas it previously only became visible after the message was sent.

It was already possible to see a link card preview before sending a message in some situations on iOS 17 and earlier, such as when sharing a website link directly from the Safari app or other browsers. The expansion of link card previews to more types of content, and to links pasted directly in the Messages app, is a nice improvement.

The first developer beta of iOS 18 is available now, and a public beta will follow in July. The update should be widely released in September.

Related Forums: iOS 18, iPadOS 18

Popular Stories

iphone 18 pro blue%402x

iPhone 18 Pro: Dark Cherry, Light Blue, and Dark Gray Chassis Leaked [Update]

Thursday June 4, 2026 5:18 am PDT by
Update: Since publication, new information has come to light suggesting the images have been AI-manipulated and are not in fact iPhone 18 Pro chassis parts. The original article follows. The color options Apple is reportedly planning for the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro and ‌iPhone 18 Pro‌ Max have appeared online today in the form of images of chassis parts of unknown authenticity....
Aston Martin CarPlay Ultra Screen

Apple Says CarPlay Ultra is Coming to These Vehicle Brands

Thursday May 21, 2026 11:53 am PDT by
Last year, Apple launched CarPlay Ultra, the long-awaited next-generation version of its CarPlay software system for vehicles. Nearly a year later, CarPlay Ultra is still limited to Aston Martin's latest luxury vehicles, but that should change fairly soon. In May 2025, Apple said many other vehicle brands planned to offer CarPlay Ultra, including Hyundai, Kia, and Genesis. CarPlay Ultra...
iOS 27 All the New App Features

iOS 27: All the Rumored App Features

Wednesday June 3, 2026 3:48 pm PDT by
Siri is getting a major overhaul in iOS 27, but Apple also has some big updates planned for apps like Camera, Photos, and Wallet. There are multiple new AI features in the works, plus some non-AI upgrades. Camera Apple is moving Visual Intelligence from the Camera Control button to the Camera app in iOS 27, according to Bloomberg. There will be a Siri mode that will be available alongside...

Top Rated Comments

26 months ago
iOS 18 really is Android 10 isn't it. Wow
Score: 6 Votes (Like | Disagree)
sw1tcher Avatar
26 months ago

When you paste a link for a social media post into the text field in the Messages app, the associated link card now appears before you send the message, whereas it previously only became visible after the message was sent.

Doesn't messages do something close to this already?
No.

Right now (testing this out on iOS 17), the associated link card is only visible after the message is sent.

In iOS 18, the associated link card is visible after you insert a link into the text field. No need to send message to see the link card.

There's a difference.
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Brien Avatar
26 months ago
It'd be nice if you could also turn them off entirely...
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
26 months ago
Small change. But might be useful in certain cases.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)