How to Create a Group Chat & Add or Remove Members on Your iPhone

Are you wondering how to create a group text? You don't need to look for a free chat app; you can create group messages to keep in contact with multiple people simultaneously in the Messages app on your iPhone. You can even hold group chats with contacts that don’t use an iPhone—you just won’t be able to add anyone to a group chat unless it’s comprised of all iPhone users with iMessage enabled. Group texts can easily get out of hand when there are lots of people in one, but they’re fantastic for sharing information that multiple people need to know in a single message. We've already covered how to name a group text, and how to leave a group text; here’s how to create group messages on your iPhone.

Related: How to Play Games in the iMessages App

How to Create Group Messages on the iPhone

If, for any reason, you haven’t been able to send a group message before, make sure Group Messaging is on: open the Settings app, tap Messages, and toggle Group Messaging on. With your Settings in order, here's how to start a group message:

1. Open the Messages app. Tap the new message icon in the upper-right corner.
2. Enter the names of the friends you want to add or tap the blue plus sign.
   
    
   
    
3. Tap the contact you want to add or type their name in the Search box to find them.
4. Type your message and tap the Send icon. 
   
   
    

You’ve started a group message!

How to Add Someone to a Group Text  

Remember that you will only be able to add people to a group if all the users are on iOS and using the iMessages. For example, if you’re in a group of three and one of those users is using SMS text messages or is an Android user, you won’t be able to add another friend. You’ll simply need to create a new group message. To add an additional contact to a group iMessage:

1. Open the group message thread and tap tap the tiny carrot (arrow) to the right of the number of people in your group.
2. Tap the info icon in the upper right corner.
   
   
    
3. Select Add Contact.
4. Type the person's name or press the plus icon and select from your Contacts list.
5. Press Done.
   
   
    

How to Remove Someone from a Group Text

Removing someone from a group text is slightly different—you can only remove people from an all-iMessages group of three or more people (not including yourself). Anyone in an all-iMessages group can remove someone, but this won’t work if anyone in that group is not using iMessages. You can leave the conversation regardless of whether everyone is using iMessages, but only if the group chat has three or more people, not including yourself. To remove someone from a group text:

1. After you've sent your first message, tap the tiny carrot (arrow) to the right of the number of people in your group.
2. Tap the info icon.
   
   
    
3. Swipe left on the person’s name. 
4. Tap Remove.
   
   

How to Leave a Group Message on Your iPhone

Follow the same steps as above for removing a member of a group chat. Instead of swiping left on another member's name: 

1. Tap Leave this Conversation at the bottom of your display.