--- title: "iMessage Link Preview Checker — Free Online Tool | LinkPilot" description: "Free iMessage Link Preview Checker. See the og:title, og:image, and domain Apple's rich link previews show when your URL is sent in Messages." lang: en json-ld: | [ { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://uselinkpilot.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Tools", "item": "https://uselinkpilot.com/tools" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Open Graph Preview", "item": "https://uselinkpilot.com/tools/open-graph-preview" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "iMessage Link Preview Checker", "item": "https://uselinkpilot.com/tools/open-graph-preview/imessage" } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "FAQPage", "mainEntity": [ { "@type": "Question", "name": "Which tags does iMessage use for the preview?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "og:title for the headline and og:image for the artwork, plus the page's domain. og:description is not shown, so put the key message in the title." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Why does my iMessage preview show only an icon?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "og:image is missing, too small, or not reachable over HTTPS, so Messages fell back to the compact icon layout. Serve a public 1200×630 og:image and check the page returns 200 to non-browser clients." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "How do I refresh an iMessage link preview?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "Apple has no debugger and caches previews on the device. Append a query parameter (such as ?v=2) or send the link again after the fix is live." } }, { "@type": "Question", "name": "Does the recipient's iPhone fetch the page?", "acceptedAnswer": { "@type": "Answer", "text": "No. The sender's device generates the rich link and sends it with the message, so recipients see the sender's version of the card." } } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "WebApplication", "name": "iMessage Link Preview Checker", "applicationCategory": "UtilitiesApplication", "operatingSystem": "Any (web)", "browserRequirements": "Requires JavaScript and a modern browser.", "description": "Free iMessage Link Preview Checker. See the og:title, og:image, and domain Apple's rich link previews show when your URL is sent in Messages.", "url": "https://uselinkpilot.com/tools/open-graph-preview/imessage", "isAccessibleForFree": true, "isPartOf": { "@type": "WebApplication", "name": "Open Graph Preview", "url": "https://uselinkpilot.com/tools/open-graph-preview" }, "offers": { "@type": "Offer", "price": "0", "priceCurrency": "USD" }, "publisher": { "@type": "Organization", "name": "LinkPilot", "url": "https://uselinkpilot.com" } }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "SoftwareApplication", "@id": "https://uselinkpilot.com/#software", "name": "LinkPilot", "applicationCategory": "BusinessApplication", "operatingSystem": "Web", "description": "LinkPilot is a secure link management platform for creating branded short links, tracking engagement, and sharing secrets with expiring, protected, self-destructing links.", "url": "https://uselinkpilot.com", "offers": [ { "@type": "Offer", "name": "Free", "price": "0", "priceCurrency": "USD", "url": "https://uselinkpilot.com/pricing" }, { "@type": "Offer", "name": "Pro", "price": "29", "priceCurrency": "USD", "priceSpecification": { "@type": "UnitPriceSpecification", "price": "29", "priceCurrency": "USD", "billingDuration": "P1M" }, "url": "https://uselinkpilot.com/pricing" }, { "@type": "Offer", "name": "Agency", "price": "299", "priceCurrency": "USD", "priceSpecification": { "@type": "UnitPriceSpecification", "price": "299", "priceCurrency": "USD", "billingDuration": "P1M" }, "url": "https://uselinkpilot.com/pricing" }, { "@type": "Offer", "name": "Enterprise", "priceSpecification": { "@type": "PriceSpecification", "priceCurrency": "USD" }, "url": "https://uselinkpilot.com/pricing" } ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://uselinkpilot.com/#organization", "name": "LinkPilot", "url": "https://uselinkpilot.com", "parentOrganization": { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://tetracorehq.com/#organization", "name": "TetraCore", "url": "https://tetracorehq.com/" }, "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://uselinkpilot.com/logo-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 }, "description": "LinkPilot is a secure link management platform for creating branded short links, tracking engagement, and sharing secrets with expiring, protected, self-destructing links.", "sameAs": [ "https://x.com/uselinkpilot", "https://www.linkedin.com/company/uselinkpilot", "https://facebook.com/uselinkpilot" ] }, { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@type": "WebSite", "name": "LinkPilot", "url": "https://uselinkpilot.com", "potentialAction": { "@type": "SearchAction", "target": "https://uselinkpilot.com/blog?q={search_term_string}", "query-input": "required name=search_term_string" } } ] --- [![LinkPilot](/link_pilot_icon.webp)LinkPilot ](/) [Features](/features)[Tools](/tools)[Blog](/blog)[Pricing](/pricing)[FAQ](/#faq) Toggle theme [Sign In](/login)[Start free](/signup) 1. [Home](/) 3. [Tools](/tools) 5. [Open Graph Preview](/tools/open-graph-preview) 7. For iMessage rich links For iMessage rich links # iMessage Link Preview Checker See the rich link card Apple Messages builds from your og:title and og:image. URL to inspect Inspect [Track clicks on this link — create a free LinkPilot account ](/signup) No credit card required · Free forever plan ## How iMessage rich links work Apple's Messages app turns URLs into rich links: a card showing the page image, its title, and the site's domain. The card is built from standard Open Graph tags — og:title for the headline and og:image for the artwork — so the same metadata that serves Slack or Facebook serves iMessage. Unlike most platforms, iMessage does not display og:description. The card is title, image, and hostname, which means og:title carries almost all the weight: front-load it with the words that matter and keep it short enough to survive truncation on a phone-width bubble. The preview is generated on the sender's device when the link is typed or pasted, then sent along with the message. Recipients see the sender's fetch, so a link pasted while tags were still wrong keeps its stale card. Apple's fetcher reads server-rendered HTML — metadata injected only by client-side JavaScript will not appear. Image size decides the layout. A large landscape og:image (1200×630 works well) renders as a full-width card with the title underneath; if og:image is missing or very small, Messages falls back to a compact row with the site's icon, so it is worth also shipping a good apple-touch-icon and favicon. There is no public Apple debugger and previews are cached per device. After fixing tags, append a throwaway query parameter (for example ?v=2) or send the link again once the change is live to see the updated card. ## Common use cases ### Title-first QA Check that og:title reads well on its own, since iMessage never shows the description. ### Image fallback checks Confirm og:image is large enough for the full-width card rather than the small icon row. ### SMS and support links Make appointment, order, and password-reset links render a trustworthy card in Messages. ### Launch-day sharing Verify the card before a link is texted around, because each sender's device attaches its own fetch. ## Frequently asked questions ### Which tags does iMessage use for the preview? ### Why does my iMessage preview show only an icon? ### How do I refresh an iMessage link preview? ### Does the recipient's iPhone fetch the page? ## Other Open Graph Preview variants Pre-configured variants tuned to specific platforms and use cases. [ For LinkedIn shares ### LinkedIn Link Preview Checker See how your URL looks when shared on LinkedIn — before you post. Open variant ](/tools/open-graph-preview/linkedin)[ For Slack unfurls ### Slack Link Preview Checker Check how your URL unfurls inside Slack messages and channels. Open variant ](/tools/open-graph-preview/slack)[ For X / Twitter Cards ### X (Twitter) Card Preview Checker Preview how your URL renders as a Twitter Card on X. Open variant ](/tools/open-graph-preview/twitter)[ For Facebook shares ### Facebook Link Preview Checker Inspect how your URL will render in a Facebook post or share. Open variant ](/tools/open-graph-preview/facebook)[ For Discord embeds ### Discord Link Preview Checker See how Discord embeds your URL inside a channel or DM. Open variant ](/tools/open-graph-preview/discord)[ For WhatsApp chats ### WhatsApp Link Preview Checker See the title, description, and thumbnail WhatsApp shows when a link is pasted into a chat. Open variant ](/tools/open-graph-preview/whatsapp)[ For Telegram messages ### Telegram Link Preview Checker See how Telegram renders your URL in chats, groups, and channels. Open variant ](/tools/open-graph-preview/telegram) [Back to the full Open Graph Preview](/tools/open-graph-preview) ## Get more from your links The iMessage Link Preview Checker is just the start. Create a free LinkPilot workspace to track every click, manage custom domains, and share securely with your team. 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