Tired of the row of app icons cluttering the bottom of your iMessage conversations? That strip — the iMessage app drawer — appeared when Apple gave Messages its own app ecosystem, and it now sits right above your keyboard, showing stickers, GIF apps, payment tools, and third-party iMessage apps you may never use. It eats a noticeable chunk of screen space. The good news is you can collapse it with a single tap and get that space back. If you have ever wished for a cleaner chat view, this quick setting is the fix. Here is how.
1. Open Messages and a conversation
Open the Messages app and tap any conversation to bring up the keyboard. If the app drawer is expanded, you will see the row of colorful app icons sitting right below the text input field.
2. Tap the App Store icon to collapse the drawer
Look for the App Store “A” icon immediately to the left of the text input field. Tap it once and the drawer collapses down to a slim compact bar, leaving only a single row of small icons visible. Tap the icon again and the drawer expands back to full size. If you also keep conversations in sync across devices, see how to set up message sync between iPhone and Mac.
3. Tidy up the drawer icons
To keep the drawer from getting cluttered, open the drawer, tap the More (…) button, and review all installed iMessage apps. Long-press any icon and drag it to rearrange the order, drag unused apps out, or toggle off apps you never use via the Edit controls. Fewer icons means a cleaner, faster drawer on the rare occasions you do expand it.
If it still doesn’t work
If tapping the icon does nothing, force-quit Messages from the App Switcher and reopen the conversation. The collapse behavior is the same across recent iOS versions, though the icon appearance has been restyled over time, so look for the icon directly beside the text field regardless of its exact design. On very old iOS releases the toggle may behave differently; updating to the latest iOS your phone supports usually restores the one-tap collapse. Apple documents iMessage app management in its Messages support materials (Apple Support), and 9to5Mac has covered plenty of iMessage customization tips. If you want fewer interruptions while you tidy things up, see how to turn off all SharePlay features on iPhone.
FAQ
Does hiding the drawer delete the apps?
No — collapsing the drawer only hides the icons from view. Your iMessage apps stay installed and remain accessible from the compact icon bar whenever you need them.
Can I remove the app strip permanently?
You cannot remove the strip entirely; Apple keeps at least the compact bar. But collapsing it plus disabling unused iMessage apps in the drawer’s Edit screen keeps it as minimal as possible.
One tap is all it takes to reclaim that keyboard space. Collapse the drawer, tidy the icons, and your Messages app will feel clean and distraction-free again — every conversation becomes a little calmer to look at.
