How to Add Someone to a Group Text on an iPhone

Group texts are a great way for more than two people to communicate, and it’s a built-in feature for iPhone and iPad users since iOS 4. There are a few different types of group texts, including group iMessage, group MMS, and group SMS. We’ll show you how to start a group text and add or remove people from group texts on an iPhone using iMessage.

A group iMessage means everyone is using an iOS device like an iPhone or iPad. All text messages will appear in blue speech bubbles. iMessage group texts support attachments, location sharing, message effects, emojis, and the ability to add and remove contacts.

How to Start a Group Text on an iPhone

To start a group text on an iPhone:

1. Open iMessage by tapping on the speech bubble icon.
2. Tap on the compose new message button on the top right.
3. Tap the plus sign to the right of the “To:” field.
4. Select the contact you want to add to the group text.
5. Repeat these steps for each contact you want to add.

Group texts are an easy way to get a message out to a bunch of people at one time or create a pseudo chatroom. You can freely add or remove people from the group text, which will create a new group text with the contacts you added or removed. We have instructions below on adding and removing people from group texts, so feel free to follow along if you need help.

How to Add Someone to a Group Text on an iPhone

To add someone to a group text on an iPhone:

1. Open iMessage by tapping on the speech bubble icon.
2. Select an existing group text to which you want to add someone.
3. Tap on the group icons at the top of the message.
4. Tap on the gray right arrow to the right of the contacts.
5. Select the Add Contact button.
6. Find and select the contact you want to add to the group text.

It is impossible to add someone to a one-on-one conversation, so you’ll need to create a new group text or select an existing one before you can add someone. Adding users not using iOS may be problematic if everyone in the current group text is using iMessage. In that case, you would want to create a new group SMS/MMS message.

How to Remove Someone from a Group Text on an iPhone

To remove someone from a group text on an iPhone:

1. Open iMessage by tapping on the speech bubble icon.
2. Select the group text that you want to remove someone from.
3. Tap on the group icons at the top of the message.
4. Tap on the gray right arrow to the right of the contacts.
5. Swipe left on the person’s name you want to remove.
6. Tap on Remove and then select Done.

You cannot remove someone from a group message unless everyone is using an Apple device and there are four or more people in the group text.

iPhone Group Text Frequently Asked Questions

How many people can be in one group text on an iPhone?

iMessage group texts (blue bubble) can have a maximum of 32 people in them, including yourself. Regular SMS/MMS group texts (green bubble) can have a maximum of ten people in them, including yourself. 

What other apps can I use for group texting on an iPhone?

For group texts with a large number of people, a third-party application may be better than iMessage. Some popular options include Discord, Slack, Telegram, and Google Hangouts. With these apps, you can create chat rooms with a much higher limit.

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