Are you planning an event? Keeping in touch with friends? Heading up a team project at work? We often need a way to communicate with many people at once. Fortunately, iMessage group chat lets you do just that.
iMessage lets you send texts, photos, audio clips, and videos—whatever you need to get your message across! In an iMessage group chat, multiple people can receive and reply to these messages all in the same conversation.
All you need is an Apple ID account, Internet access, and an Apple device.
Follow these quick tips to create and send group messages on iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch:
Group messages are confusing, especially when you add iMessage to the mix! Here are what Apple considers to be the three types of group messages:
Yes, that’s right! While it’s possible to use any type of group chat, your iPhone only truly supports iMessage-only group conversations. This is where all participants use Apple devices and the messages appear in blue bubbles.
Only iMessage group chats let you name a group, add or remove people, send inline replies, or leave the group.
You can tell the difference between an iMessage group chat versus an MMS or SMS group chat by the message colors. If all the message bubbles are blue, then you’re using iMessage. MMS and SMS messages appear in green.
First things first, let’s create a group chat.
Ideally, everyone you want to contact has an Apple device allowing them to use iMessage. If not, you’re limited to SMS or MMS groups, which your carrier might charge you to use.
Either way, the group chat creation process is the same.
The maximum number of people you can add may be restricted by your cell carrier.
We created a group of over 25 people as a test, but other users have been limited to 10 or 20 members.
With the release of iOS 14, Apple made it possible to mention people in your iMessage group chats, to make sure they see the message.
To do this, type the @ symbol, followed by that person’s name in your message. Their name appears blue or bold when you do so.
You can also type a person’s name without the @ symbol, then tap the name and select that person before sending your message.
If that person has the conversation muted, they might still get a notification if you mention them in a message.
The release of iOS 14 also made it possible to respond to particular messages in your group chat. This response breaks off into a separate thread, effectively allowing you to separate different conversations in the same chat.
To start an inline reply, tap and hold on the original message and choose Reply. Then type your message to create the thread.
Inline replies appear with a line linking them to previous messages in that thread. You can also see the message they’re replying to in a clear bubble.
To continue an existing inline reply, tap the latest message to see all the messages in that thread together. Then type and send a new message as you normally would.
Alternatively, scroll up and tap on the original message, which tells you the number of replies there are to that message.
Now you know how to create iMessage group chats, you’re going to want to learn how to name them.
Remember you can only name a group iMessage. You can’t name a group SMS or MMS conversation.
Unlike other group iMessage features like Leave this Conversation and Remove a Member, which require a minimum of 4 total members, you can name a group that has only two people. And of course, anything above two works as well!
You can also create a custom icon to use for your group chat!
It’s simple enough to see who you’re talking to in one-on-one conversations, but group chats and their various configurations can be tough to keep track of.
By default, the group is named after all of the members, causing it to quickly run off the edge of a screen.
This is particularly confusing if you have multiple groups with slightly different members.
A better option is to change the name to something relevant, such as Work Buddies or Cinema Club. Just keep in mind that any name you choose is visible to everyone in the group!
If you don’t see an option to change your group chat name, it’s likely your group includes people who aren’t using iMessage. This would mean you can’t use iMessage group chat and revert to MMS or SMS group chats instead.
This might happen if people are using non-Apple devices or aren’t signed in to iMessage on their Apple device.
It’s common to need to add new members as your group chat develops.
Perhaps you didn’t have the contact details for someone initially, or maybe the focus of the group has shifted to include more people.
Either way, you can add new people to the chat at any time.
Eventually, you may want to remove people from your iMessage group chats. This could be because you added them by mistake or because they became disruptive to the group.
Whatever the reason, it’s easy to give them the boot.
You can only remove users if there are more than two other members to begin with. Otherwise, you may as well just message the remaining person separately.
If the group conversation is lighting up you may want to mute your notifications for a while.
This could be the case if you can’t respond right away. Or perhaps you’re just sick of hearing your ringtone so much.
You can mute notifications for any conversation in the Apple Messages app using one of the two methods below:
A moon icon appears next to muted conversations.
You can still read and reply to messages, but you won’t receive notifications for that chat anymore.
Make sure you don’t neglect a group after turning the alerts off. You can switch them back on at any time by following the same steps above to Show Alerts.
Eventually, you’ll probably stop using more group chats.
It could be that the purpose behind its creation has passed or simply that you’ve had enough of the barrage of messages to keep up with.
If you want to leave a group chat, you need to visit the group chat Info page a final time.
You can only leave conversations with three or more people in them. Doing so notifies the other members you left and stops you from receiving any more messages from that group.
See this in-depth article for more information on leaving group chats.
All recipients can see and respond to the message, and their responses will be visible to everyone in the group. Group texts are a convenient way to communicate with multiple people at once, whether you’re planning a get-together, sharing news, or coordinating a project.
Creating a group text on your iPhone is a straightforward process. Here’s a step-by-step guide:
And that’s it! You’ve successfully created a group text on your iPhone.
Group texts are a powerful tool for staying connected with multiple people at once. By understanding how to create and manage group texts on your iPhone, you can communicate more efficiently and effectively.
Remember, while group texts are a convenient way to communicate, they can also be overwhelming if not managed properly. Be mindful of who you include in your group texts, and respect the communication preferences of your recipients.
You should be very comfortable using iMessage group chat by now!
However, if you do find yourself with any questions or if it isn’t working as expected, make sure to let us know in the comments and we’ll be sure to help out.
Dan writes tutorials and troubleshooting guides to help people make the most of their technology. Before becoming a writer, he earned a BSc in Sound Technology, supervised repairs at an Apple Store, and even taught English in China.
When I start a group message (or sometimes an individual message) a few of my contacts mobile numbers do not show up so I have to start the message through their contact. This is especially a problem when starting a group text. Example: from the message app I click the pencil to start a new message. Then when I type the name in the To: field it doesn’t give me an option to add them by mobile number – only email address. So I have to go to the individual contact and click “message” there to send an iMessage. If I start a group text that way and I try to add another name it only gives me their email address even though their mobile number is in their contact information. Therefore I can’t add that name to a group text
Hey, I was looking for useful information on iPads and just came across your blog and found it quite interesting, can’t wait to see your new post. You’ve been sharing really insightful posts and I’m an avid reader of your posts. Keep sharing the knowledge and adding value to our lives
I have an iPhone XR and iOS version 14.4. For some reason I can no longer send iMessages in group chats even though I’ve not changed anything in my settings and my iMessage and group messaging are both enabled. All of my messages are now text message and are created problems in the group. How can I fix this problem?
Why can’t we not get it freei am using a MacBook for iMessages to many contacts, but i by group messages every one else can see the contact numbers and messages replied, how could i make it one to one yet send it to multiple contacts in one text .
Very Helpful Info! Is it possible to add or remove people from a sms or mms group?
Hi Jack, You can’t add or remove people from group MMS messages or group SMS messages. You can’t add or remove people from a group conversation even if only one of the users in the group text is using a non-Apple device or not using iMessage on an Apple device. To add or remove someone, you need to start a new group conversation.
I have created a group of 10 or more people. How do I select all in group for messaging and facetime? If I have to type ever name ever time what good is the group?
Thanks,
Earl
How can I manage to get more than 50 people on a group text chain? Seems to max out at 30. Any help would be helpful. Work arounds are welcome.
i have received a group imessage and have no capacity to respond. I have set up another group imessage with the same individuals and sent a message- which appears in the original group thread- but I am still unable to respond. yes, all are iphone users and all have no trouble on their end.
I am trying to add someone to a group chat but there is no option to “add contact” at the end of my 9 member list. How can I add the next person?
Hi Neena, Is everyone on the group message an iMessage user (iPhone or Apple)? You can only add or remove folks if the group message has at least 3 people AND all those people use iMessage. You can’t add or remove people from group MMS messages or group SMS messages–so folks that use Android (Samsung etc) phones–look for any green bubbles in the thread. If you see any, your group message is NOT an iMessage group message.
How do you remove yourself from a iMessage group using voice over? The remove button is not shown neither is my name. Please help!
Hi Melody, Can you let us know what iOS version your device currently uses and the make/model of your device? Find this information in Settings > General > About.
Excuse me, I was wondering, if someone added me to a group chat, how will I know that I’m in the group?
Hi Evelyn, When you are on a group iMessage or SMS chat, you see all the names, phone numbers, or emails for everyone in the group listed above the text messages. Liz
Is there any way to hide group members and/or turn off reply all so that people’s phones don’t blow up?
Hi Desiree, What you can do is hide alerts from that group–but that only hides those notifications on your device, not anyone elses. To hide alerts, go to Messages App > Select a group message > Tap the list of people on the message at the top > tap the “i” info button > Toggle on Hide Alerts. This does NOT prevent the messages–just the notifications. Liz
I’m running IOS 12.1 and in a group chat message when I tap on the “I” on top right it opens but there is no place to add/delete contact to message or enter a group name. How do I fix this?
We are not sure about it either. Looks like they changed the option in the latest iOS. Will keep this thread updated if we find the answer. Thanks Sandra.
