There are now at least half a dozen ways spice up any conversation in the new Messages app in iOS 10. But the loudest, and possibly the most fun option is to send full-screen animations. iOS calls them Effects.

You can send someone an entire screen full of balloons when it’s their birthday, or send them fireworks on the New Years. It takes up the whole screen and they’ll also be able to see them on their Apple Watch or their Mac.

How To Send Animations

Step 1: To get started, go to the conversation in question.

Write your message in the “iMessage” field (it won’t work over text messaging). It can also be just emojis.

Step 2: Now 3D Touch the blue “up” arrow. If your device doesn’t support 3D Touch, simply long press.

Step 3: You’ll now see the Bubble Effects screen. Right now you’ll be able to choose between 4 bubble effects. But that’s not what we’re looking for.

From the top, tap on “Screen“.

Step 4: Now you’ll see full-screen effects. Swipe left/right to change between them.

There are five kinds of animations available – Balloons, Confetti, Laser, Fireworks and Shooting Star. You can see the previews in the image below.

Step 5: Once you’ve got an effect that you like, tap the blue “up” arrow button again to send the message with the animation.

Faster Way To Do This

Here’s a trick. Just write something like “Happy birthday” or “Happy new year” and send it along. The message will appear along with the balloons or fireworks effects respectively.

This is a quick way to send animations without going into 2 menus.

Your Favorite Messages Feature?

What do you love the most in the new Messages app in iOS 10? Share with us in the comments below.