Find out what to do if the Messages back button is not working on your iPhone. We’ve got a couple of easy fixes.
Many users have experienced a bug with the Messages app on their iPhone where the back button stops working after sending a text. It affects any iPhones or versions of iOS & iPadOS and has driven lots of users up the wall!
The back button in Messages is the little blue arrow at the top left of the screen. After tapping it, you should go back to the main page on Messages that lists all your conversations.
If your back button is not working, here are a couple of things you can do to fix it.
As per usual, a software update should be your first port of call.
This is a known bug in iOS & iPadOS and we have every reason to believe Apple is working to fix it. In fact, they might have fixed it in the latest update already. There’s only one way to find out:
How to Update Software on your iPhone:
Go to Settings > General > Software Update
Install any new updates
Check your Zoom!
If you need or like to zoom your display, it’s often this zoom function that’s placing your back button out of sight. So let’s take a look at your device’s zoom setting and determine if it’s the culprit on this one.
Open Settings > Accessibility
Tap Zoom
Toggle Zoom offPlay around with your iPad’s zoom options to get the right fit for you!
If Follow Focus is also enabled, toggle it off too
Turn Off Accessibility Text Settings
The cause of this annoying back button bug is down to Accessibility text settings.
Check your settings to see if your iPhone text is enlarged or in bold. Turn those features off as we show you below and see if it fixed the problem for you.
How to Turn Off Bold and Larger Text:
Go to Settings > Accessibility (for older iOS, Settings > General > Accessibility)
Tap Display & Text Size and toggle off Bold Text (or for older iOS, turn off Bold Text)
Tap Larger Text and turn Larger Accessibility Sizes off
Drag the slider to the small text sizes at the left
Go back to Messages to see if it fixed your issue. If it did, try making the text bigger one notch at a time, to find the point at which the Messages back button stops working. If it stops, go one text size smaller and keep it at that.
Slide to Go Back
Some sight-impaired users need a larger text in order to use their iPhone well. If that applies to you, or you simply don’t want to have smaller text, there is a workaround you could use instead.
After sending a text in the Messages app, slide your finger from left-to-right across the center of the iPhone display. This acts the same as tapping the back button. If it doesn’t work, make sure that you start sliding from the very left edge of your screen.
That should have you texting and switching between conversations with ease. Tell us below if those tips worked for you or if you need any other help.
Dan writes tutorials and troubleshooting guides to help people make the most of their technology. Before becoming a writer, he earned a BSc in Sound Technology, supervised repairs at an Apple Store, and even taught English in China.
none of these instruction work. the back button still does not get me to home text screen.
for now I hold the text app and press the option that says new message which gets me to a blank message screen. when I push cancel, I get back to my home text screen with all the messages. hopefully this is a software glitch that will get fixed. just did the latest update and still does not work.
After each of these, back button still not working in Message and WhatsApp. I had also hard (factory) reset my phone and the same issue which was found earlier, had been resolved but not this time. How to avoid old data from being copied into the phone even after specifying Do Not Copy ?
I want and have to have help over My back button over My text message My back button stooped working only when I was texting a message to some one I got an audio vision video invite message over My cell telephone a few times over a worked that invited and made me feel free and welcome to join both her and him over a live video that I pressed deny over and no Thanksgiving and do not allow that got My back button not to work any more so please do help me fix this issue thank goodness
You’re correct that this is annoying. The back arrow does not work in messaging and texts even after I’ve tried your for your Five suggestions. The left side of the keyboard also stops working. I can fix this by using the right hand keyboard. Have you any more ideas please
For existing contact, In my text message block, In the lower right hand corner where the shaded up arrow should be I have a squiggly like line indicating audio message. How can I get rid of that. It sends a “audio message” without my wanting it to. Help!
Looks like this bug has been around for over 2 years and Apple still has not fixed it. My iPhone 13 Max Pro has this problem and I am ready to switch to Android. Apple has totally fallen apart and this phone is the worst electronic product I have ever used. My iPhone 7 Plus is a much more reliable phone and everything worked on the 7. Six generations later and the user experience is much worse. All the swiping needed to navigate is making my thumb sore. I miss the home button. Android has a virtual home button that works perfectly, Apple and this silly swiping is the brainchild of an idiot.
a just implemented IOS update broke the back arrow by the use of a three specific view. In other words, a normal message view with a correspondent is fine, with the back arrow, but then there is a bracket surrounding like a recent exchange you can like zero in on, it like groups the messages and responses in a box with tiny text. If you click that box, you get a zoom into that conversation – only that one – but that’s where they really did you know what to the pooch, and the back arrow is gone. Fortunately, the left to right swipe does work, but it takes you all the way back, not to the level you came from. Prepare for huge protests about this “improvement”. What the heck Apple, are you farming these updates out to off-shore entities or to interns? (no disrespect to interns).
Thank you! The final trick helped me a lot. I also appreciate knowing about the larger text possibilities too. Your explanations are very clear. Thank you for this service.
Hey Dan, thanks. I didn’t fix the back button issue but I learned a new trick with swiping left to right. Who needs a back button? Hey, I taught English in China too, for a year in Wuhan, actually. Great experience with ENglish Language Institute-China. (ELIC)
The fixes changed nothing on my iphone 10. Tried everything listed above. I’m still swiping and that works, but what a pain when you’re so used to using the arrows.
I tried going thru the assessibilty changes and was unsuccessful. Currently I am swiping from left to right.
This problem started after updating to 13.1.2
Hopefully it is a bug that will be fixed in the near future. As I have noticed a couple of them with the new update.
Thank you!
It’s possible that your screen is zoomed. Check Settings > Accessibility > Zoom and turn it off if it’s on. If you need your screen zoomed, follow these instructions to test if this is the issue or not.
I have an iPhone SE, doesn’t work for me either.
Apple this is not acceptable. The message app should be really easy to use, and it used to be. When the back button stops working, in my opinion, you start to look a lot like a Microsoft product. Just saying………
Sheila Rittenberg says
The bold feature is turned off and so is the larger text one. Why would the back button not work in this case? Thanks.
Nicolene Cavendish says
Turning off the bold and adjusting the text size to the far left solved the problem. Thank you very much.
Michael says
none of these instruction work. the back button still does not get me to home text screen.
for now I hold the text app and press the option that says new message which gets me to a blank message screen. when I push cancel, I get back to my home text screen with all the messages. hopefully this is a software glitch that will get fixed. just did the latest update and still does not work.
Mihir Mehta says
After each of these, back button still not working in Message and WhatsApp. I had also hard (factory) reset my phone and the same issue which was found earlier, had been resolved but not this time. How to avoid old data from being copied into the phone even after specifying Do Not Copy ?
Elizabethbeth says
I want and have to have help over My back button over My text message My back button stooped working only when I was texting a message to some one I got an audio vision video invite message over My cell telephone a few times over a worked that invited and made me feel free and welcome to join both her and him over a live video that I pressed deny over and no Thanksgiving and do not allow that got My back button not to work any more so please do help me fix this issue thank goodness
Dean says
y texting is stuck on one conversation and cannot go back or Start a new conversation
It didn’t solve my problem.
Laura Ellingsen says
Back button email still not working!
David Lanni says
Sorry, none of these fixed worked on my XR.
Charlene Baxley says
The back arrow button is still not working after trying all the suggestions above!
Martin Pascoe says
You’re correct that this is annoying. The back arrow does not work in messaging and texts even after I’ve tried your for your Five suggestions. The left side of the keyboard also stops working. I can fix this by using the right hand keyboard. Have you any more ideas please
Linda cox says
For existing contact, In my text message block, In the lower right hand corner where the shaded up arrow should be I have a squiggly like line indicating audio message. How can I get rid of that. It sends a “audio message” without my wanting it to. Help!
Barbara says
Excellent, clear advice thank you. Problem was due to Bold Text, now resolved.
roy heath says
nothing worked. did not have this problem until ios 15.1
Mark Custer says
Looks like this bug has been around for over 2 years and Apple still has not fixed it. My iPhone 13 Max Pro has this problem and I am ready to switch to Android. Apple has totally fallen apart and this phone is the worst electronic product I have ever used. My iPhone 7 Plus is a much more reliable phone and everything worked on the 7. Six generations later and the user experience is much worse. All the swiping needed to navigate is making my thumb sore. I miss the home button. Android has a virtual home button that works perfectly, Apple and this silly swiping is the brainchild of an idiot.
Dennis Fennedy says
Thanks…worked perfectly! This “arrow” thing has been driving me crazy!
John says
a just implemented IOS update broke the back arrow by the use of a three specific view. In other words, a normal message view with a correspondent is fine, with the back arrow, but then there is a bracket surrounding like a recent exchange you can like zero in on, it like groups the messages and responses in a box with tiny text. If you click that box, you get a zoom into that conversation – only that one – but that’s where they really did you know what to the pooch, and the back arrow is gone. Fortunately, the left to right swipe does work, but it takes you all the way back, not to the level you came from. Prepare for huge protests about this “improvement”. What the heck Apple, are you farming these updates out to off-shore entities or to interns? (no disrespect to interns).
Jun Cui says
Hi Dan,
I’ve tried all the possible causes you have mentioned here, but none of them working.
Seems IPhone is frozen, however when the back button at the bottom of left hand corner, I can touch it to go back.
I forgot to stress for now, when I on message screen I can’t go anywhere, which is totally dead .
Do you have any ideas how to fix it?
Thanks a million,
Jun
Jun Cui says
Hi Dan,
I’ve tried all the possible causes you have mentioned here, but none of them working.
Seems IPhone is frozen, however when the back button at the bottom of left hand corner, I can touch it to go back.
Do you have any ideas how to fix it?
Thanks a million,
Jun
Lisa Zwicker says
Thank you! The final trick helped me a lot. I also appreciate knowing about the larger text possibilities too. Your explanations are very clear. Thank you for this service.
angela hastings says
Hi
I am having same issues tried everything nothing working no back buttons and facebook freezing after doing a software update
Barb says
Hey Dan, thanks. I didn’t fix the back button issue but I learned a new trick with swiping left to right. Who needs a back button? Hey, I taught English in China too, for a year in Wuhan, actually. Great experience with ENglish Language Institute-China. (ELIC)
kathleen says
Back arrow on messages not working. I have tried all the fixes and nothing has worked. very frustrating .
Mike D says
The fixes changed nothing on my iphone 10. Tried everything listed above. I’m still swiping and that works, but what a pain when you’re so used to using the arrows.
Carmella Council says
I tried going thru the assessibilty changes and was unsuccessful. Currently I am swiping from left to right.
This problem started after updating to 13.1.2
Hopefully it is a bug that will be fixed in the near future. As I have noticed a couple of them with the new update.
Thank you!
Elizabeth Jones says
Carmella,
It’s possible that your screen is zoomed. Check Settings > Accessibility > Zoom and turn it off if it’s on. If you need your screen zoomed, follow these instructions to test if this is the issue or not.
Liz
Andrew says
Mine wasnt zoomed but follow focus was turned on. I never set it to on. I turned it off and it seems to have fixed it
Andrew says
didnt seem to stay fixed
It was fine before the update
Tom Lichak says
I have an iPhone SE, doesn’t work for me either.
Apple this is not acceptable. The message app should be really easy to use, and it used to be. When the back button stops working, in my opinion, you start to look a lot like a Microsoft product. Just saying………
Dave Tyrer says
Hi,
Didn’t work for me. solved problem by powering off & on.
( Problem of messages not arrowing back.)
Georgette says
powering off and on fixed my problem after none of the other fixes worked