How to tag individual people in group messages in iOS 14, iPadOS 14

iOS 14 and iPadOS 14 added the convenient ability to tag individual people in group messages in the Messages app. Here’s how:

° With a Messages conversation open, touch and hold a message bubble, then tap the Reply button.

° Type your message, then tap the Send button.

You can reply to a specific message in conversations with one person and in groups. You can also use “mentions” to call attention to certain messages and people. Here’s how:

° With a Messages conversation open, type a contact’s name, then tap the name when it appears. Or type @ followed by their name.

Depending on your contact’s settings, a mention can notify them even if they’ve muted the conversation. To change this notification setting, go to Settings > Messages, then turn Notify Me on or off.

(This how-to is based on my experiences and info on Apple’s support pages — where the images sometimes come from.)