How to Leave a Group Text on iPhone (iOS 16)

By Hallei Halter Updated 01/25/2023

What to Know

  • To leave a group text, tap the contact names at the top of the group chat and select Leave this Conversation.
  • You can only leave group texts if there are more than three participants and all members of the chat have iPhones. 

* This post is part of iPhone Life's Tip of the Day newsletter. . *

A group text is great for keeping everyone in the loop, but sometimes the text conversation becomes annoying, and the text notifications need to stop! In the steps below, we'll show you how to leave a group chat on iPhone in the Messages app.

Related: How to Know If Someone Blocked Your Number on iPhone

How to Remove Yourself from a Group Text: All Members Have iPhones or Other iOS Devices

If message notifications are driving you crazy, you have the option to either leave the group chat or mute text notifications. If everyone in the group text is using an iPhone or another iOS device, they're using iMessage. You can tell if all group members are using iOS devices because your text message bubbles will appear blue, and theirs will appear as gray. In a conversation where one or more members are using Android or other non-Apple devices, your text messages will appear in green bubbles. You'll only have the option to leave a group text on your iPhone if all group chat members are using iOS devices. And, if all else fails, be sure to check out our article on how to block unknown calls on your iPhone. Here's how to leave a group chat on iPhone if every member of the chat is using an Apple device.
  1. Open the Messages app.

    Open the Messages app.
  2. Tap the group text you want to exit.

    Tap the group text you want to exit.
  3. Tap the top header of the conversation, where the Messages profiles are. 

    Tap the top header of the conversation, where the Messages profiles are. 
  4. Tap Leave this Conversation.

    Tap Leave this Conversation.
  5. To confirm, tap Leave this Conversation again.

    To confirm, tap Leave this Conversation again.
  6. Tap Done. 

    Tap Done. 
  7. You will now no longer be able to type or text in the group chat and you will no longer receive notifications. However, the past conversation will remain on your phone until you delete it.

    You will now no longer be able to type or text in the group chat and you will no longer receive notifications. However, the past conversation will remain on your phone until you delete it.
  8. It also will alert every other member in the group that you have left the group chat. 

    It also will alert every other member in the group that you have left the group chat. 

Don't have the option to leave the conversation? This may be for a few reasons. The first is because the group message may only have three participants in total. You can't leave a group text with only three participants because one person leaving would make it cease to be a group text, and apparently, iPhones can't handle that existential crisis yet. The other reason you may not be able to leave a group chat is because not all participants are iPhone users. In that case, be sure to check out our article on how to block numbers and contacts or how to silence unwanted notifications. 

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Topics

How-To
iPad
iPhone
Apps
Apple Apps
Messages
Device Management

Author Details

Hallei Halter's picture

Author Details

Hallei Halter

Hallei is a 2018 graduate of Maharishi University of Management with a BFA in Creative & Professional Writing. She's currently working on a novel about people using witchcraft to clean their houses.