If iMessage is your preferred way of communicating with your friends and family, you know how quickly the attachments (especially photos) can build up for any conversation. The Messages app makes it easy to go through all of the attachments sent and received using the Attachments tab.

But in iOS 10, the placement of the Attachments tab for a conversation has been slightly changed.

How To Access Attachments in Messages in iOS 10

Step 1: Open the “Messages” app from the Home screen and select the conversation where you want to access the attachments.

Step 2: Tap the small “i” button in the top-right corner.

Step 3: Scroll down here and you’ll find the “Attachments” and “Images” tabs in the bottom of the list.

Saving Images

When you get to the Attachments tab, you’ll see that it’s divided into two – Images and Attachments.

The Images tab will show a grid of all the images exchanged in the conversation.

You can tap an image to view it.

Then tap the “Share” button to bring up the Share sheet. From here you can share the image to any app or from the bottom row, you can tap “Save Image” to save it.

Pro Tip: Keep saving attachments from time to time. Unlike WhatsApp, Messages doesn’t automatically save any image you get/send via iMessage. So we would advise you to periodically go to Attachments for your most active conversations and save images manually. Yes, it’s a pain but it’s better than losing precious images.

Delete Images That Take Up Space

When you’re viewing an image, you’ll see a “List” icon in the bottom-right.

Tap it and you’ll a list of all the images shared in the conversation. The best part is that this list also shows the file size of images. This way you can quickly find which images are taking up too much space and delete them.

But here’s the annoying part. You can’t delete the image from the list view or when you’re viewing the image.

For this, you’ll need to go back to the conversation, find the image you want to delete, and tap and hold on the attachment.

Then select “More” from the options. This will bring up the select tool. You can select multiple images/messages here. Once you’re done, tap the “Delete” button from the bottom-left corner.

Tap “Delete Message” to confirm.

Your iMessage Questions

Using iMessage is very simple. But also elusive. If you have any burning questions about using iMessage (especially about the new hidden stuff in iOS 10), comment below.