How to Unpin Message Conversations in iOS

Apple's iOS, the operating system on the iPhone and iPad, added a pin message feature to the Messages app with iOS 14.

Pinned message conversations, officially known as threads, will remain at the top of the app until they're unpinned. This makes them easy to find but takes up more space in the app.

Here's how to unpin message conversations in iOS to free up space in the app.

How to Unpin Message Conversations in iOS

Follow these steps to unpin a message conversation, also known as a message thread, in iOS. The following steps apply to all iPhones and iPads running iOS 14 or newer.

1. Open the Messages app.

2. Pinned message threads appear at the top of the app and are represented by large icons showing the photos or avatars of people in that thread.

   Tap and hold the thread you want to unpin until a new menu appears.

3. Tap Unpin.

When You Unpin a Text Message, Where Does It Go?

Unpinning a thread removes it from the top of the Messages app and places it back in the standard, chronological list of message threads.

Because of this, the thread you unpin will seem to disappear if a new message has not appeared in the thread recently.

Don't worry. The thread still exists and can be found if you scroll further down the list. You can also use the search feature in Messages, located at the top of the Messages app, to find the thread you removed.

When You Pin a Text Message, Where Does It Go?

Pinning a thread in Messages will fix that thread to the top of the Messages app. It will remain there until you unpin the message thread.

Pinned threads do not appear in the chronological list of threads. You can view the message thread by tapping the pinned thread's icon.

How to Unpin Message Conversations in MacOS

You can unpin a message thread in the Messages app for MacOS in much the same way you would on iOS, though the exact steps are a bit different. This feature was added with the release of MacOS Big Sur in November of 2020.

Here's how to unpin a thread in the Messages app on MacOS. The following steps apply to all MacOS device running macOS Big Sur or newer.

1. Open the Messages app.

2. Right-click the icon of the message you want to unpin, then select Unpin.

Do Messages You Pin or Unpin Sync Between iOS and MacOS

Apple's iMessage service will sync your text messages between devices attached to your iCloud account. However, it doesn't sync pinned messages between iOS and MacOS. You will need to pin or unpin messages as desired on each device.