What metadata does iMessage use for rich link previews?

Apple Messages uses og:title (required), og:image (strongly recommended), and the site's rel="icon" for the icon displayed in the preview. All metadata must be present in server-rendered HTML.

Does iMessage run JavaScript when generating rich link previews?

No. Apple explicitly states that JavaScript is never executed during rich link generation. All metadata must be present in the server-rendered HTML source (frameworks that inject tags via client-side JS will not work).

Why does my iMessage link preview not show an image?

Common causes: the og:image tag is missing, the image URL is not publicly accessible, the total media size (icon + image) exceeds 10 MB, or the metadata is injected via JavaScript rather than server-rendered HTML.

How can I preview my iMessage rich link before sharing?

Paste your URL into peek to see exactly how your link will appear as a rich preview in Apple Messages (including the image thumbnail, title, and favicon).

iMessage Rich Link Preview Guide

Apple Messages creates rich link previews for URLs shared in chats. The rules are strict: metadata must be in the source HTML and JavaScript is never executed.

Preview with iMessage →

Important: JavaScript is not executed

Apple explicitly states that JavaScript does not run when creating rich links. All metadata must be present in the server-rendered HTML source.

Tags Apple reads

Tag	Used as	Priority
og:title	Rich link title	Required
og:image	Preview thumbnail	Strongly recommended
rel="icon"	Site icon shown in the preview	Recommended
og:video	Video preview	Optional

Best practices

→ Use unique, informative titles (Apple recommends avoiding generic titles like "Home" or "Welcome").
→ Avoid text in images, the same rich link can appear at very different sizes across devices.
→ Keep the total media size under 10 MB (icon + image + video combined).
→ Use server-side rendering (JavaScript is never executed by Apple's crawler).

Recommended HTML

<link rel="icon" href="/favicon.svg" type="image/svg+xml" />
<meta property="og:title" content="My Unique Page Title" />
<meta property="og:image" content="https://example.com/og.jpg" />
<meta property="og:url" content="https://example.com/my-post" />

Frequently asked questions

What metadata does iMessage use for rich link previews?: Apple Messages uses og:title (required), og:image (strongly recommended), and the site's rel="icon" for the icon displayed in the preview. All metadata must be present in server-rendered HTML.
Does iMessage run JavaScript when generating rich link previews?: No. Apple explicitly states that JavaScript is never executed during rich link generation. All metadata must be present in the server-rendered HTML source (frameworks that inject tags via client-side JS will not work).
Why does my iMessage link preview not show an image?: Common causes: the og:image tag is missing, the image URL is not publicly accessible, the total media size (icon + image) exceeds 10 MB, or the metadata is injected via JavaScript rather than server-rendered HTML.
How can I preview my iMessage rich link before sharing?: Paste your URL into peek to see exactly how your link will appear as a rich preview in Apple Messages (including the image thumbnail, title, and favicon).