Add photos to your iMessages with one tap - how to skip that annoying iOS menu

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ZDNET's key takeaways

• iMessage now seemingly requires multiple taps to add a photo or video to a text.
• Here's a trick: Hold down the "+" button to access them faster.
• Another method goes through the Photos app.

It feels like Apple's iOS has added a few annoying features in recent updates, like an extra tap to preview and save a screenshot, and a pop-up menu when you're simply looking to add a photo to a text in iMessage. 

Alison DeNisco Rayome/ZDNET

Fortunately, there's a way around the latter, but it isn't the most intuitive.

How to quickly add photos to a text in iMessage

When you open your message, tap the + button in the bottom-left corner next to the message field -- and hold it down. That will take you directly to your most recent photos and videos. 

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In contrast, when you tap the + button once (which is the more intuitive move), you'll get a menu with options to open the Camera, Photos, Stickers, Apple Cash, Polls, Audio, Send Later, or a variety of apps. But if you hold it down, you'll go straight to your most recent photos and videos. 

Alison DeNisco Rayome/ZDNET

Swipe up from there to access your collections and full photo library, including the search feature. 

That's really all there is to this tip, but if you didn't already know about it, hopefully it's a little trick that will save you some time when you're adding photos and videos to your texts.

Another method for sending photos in iMessage

There's another quick way to send photos via text: through the Photos app itself. Open the Photos app, tap Select in the top right corner, and tap the photos or videos you want to share. A blue checkmark will appear in the bottom-right corner of each photo, and the bottom of the screen will say "1 Photo Selected." 

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When you're done choosing, tap the Share icon at the bottom-left corner of the phone. Tap messages, and enter your contact in the To field. Add text to the message as well, or just send the photos.