What a group is and why you'd use one

A group on iPhone is a collection of contacts bundled together so you can message or call multiple people at once without creating a separate conversation for each person. When you send a message to a group, everyone in it receives the same message in one thread. You can add people to a group, remove them, name the group, and change who can see it — all without leaving the Messages app or Contacts app.

Groups are useful when you regularly message the same set of people: your book club, your immediate family, your work team, or friends planning an event. Instead of sending the same message five times to five different people, you send it once to the group and everyone sees it together.

Key Takeaways

  • You can create a group in the Messages app by starting a new message, tapping the plus icon, and adding multiple contacts before sending.
  • Groups created in Messages are temporary unless you save them as a contact group in the Contacts app, which makes them permanent and reusable.
  • To create a permanent group in Contacts, open the app, tap the plus icon, select "New Group", add members, and save it with a name.
  • You can add or remove people from an existing group message at any time by tapping the group name at the top of the conversation.
  • Group messages use iMessage if all members have iPhones; if one person uses Android or another device, the group switches to SMS and loses some features like read receipts.

Creating a group in the Messages app

The fastest way to start a group conversation is through Messages. Open the Messages app, tap the pencil icon in the top-left corner to start a new message, then tap the plus icon next to the text field. This opens your contacts list. Tap each person you want to add — you'll see a checkmark appear next to their name. Add as many people as you need, then tap "Done" at the top right. Type your message and send it.

This creates a group message that exists only in that conversation thread. If you close the thread and want to message the same group again later, you'll have to recreate it by adding the same people again. If you find yourself messaging the same group regularly, save it as a contact group instead so you can reuse it without re-adding people each time.

Saving a group as a permanent contact

To create a group you can use over and over, open the Contacts app and tap the plus icon in the top-right corner. Tap "New Group" and give it a name — something like "Book Club" or "Hiking Friends". Tap "Done". Now tap "add contact" and search for each person you want to add. Tap their name, then tap "Done" after each one. When you've added everyone, tap "Done" again to save the group.

Once the group is saved in Contacts, you can use it anytime. Open Messages, tap the pencil icon to start a new message, tap the plus icon, and search for the group by name. Tap it once to add the whole group at once, then type and send your message. You can add or remove people from the group later by opening Contacts, finding the group, tapping "Edit", and making changes.

Adding or removing people from an existing group message

If you're already in a group conversation and want to add someone new, tap the group name or the profile pictures at the top of the thread. Scroll down and tap "Add Contact". Search for the person you want to add and tap their name. They'll be added to the group and will see all future messages, but they won't see the conversation history from before they joined.

To remove someone, tap the group name at the top, scroll down to see all members, swipe left on the person's name, and tap "Remove". They'll stay in the conversation thread but won't receive any new messages sent to the group after they're removed. If you remove yourself from a group, you'll stop receiving messages but the group will continue without you.

How iMessage and SMS affect group messages

If everyone in your group has an iPhone and uses iMessage, the group message will be blue and you'll see read receipts — small text showing when each person read your message. If even one person in the group uses Android, a flip phone, or another non-Apple device, the entire group message switches to SMS (green bubbles). When this happens, you lose read receipts, typing indicators, and some other iMessage features.

You can't force a group to stay on iMessage if one member doesn't have it. If you need iMessage features like read receipts or reactions, you'd have to create a separate group without that person and message them individually, or use a different app like WhatsApp or Telegram where everyone has the same features regardless of their phone type.

Naming and customizing a group

To give a group message a custom name, tap the group name at the top of the conversation. Tap "Edit Group Name" and type a new name. This name appears only in your Messages app and doesn't change what the group is called in your Contacts. You can also set a group photo by tapping the profile pictures at the top and selecting an image from your library or taking a new photo.

If you created the group in Contacts, you can edit its name and members by opening Contacts, finding the group, tapping "Edit", making your changes, and tapping "Done". Changes to a contact group affect how it appears everywhere on your phone — in Messages, in Siri, and anywhere else you use that group.

Leaving a group or muting notifications

If you want to stop receiving messages from a group but don't want to remove other people, tap and hold the group conversation in your Messages list, then tap "Leave this Conversation". You'll be removed from the group and won't see new messages, but the conversation thread will stay in your Messages app so you can read the history.

If you want to stay in the group but don't want notifications every time someone sends a message, tap the group name at the top, tap "Hide Alerts", and toggle it on. You'll still receive messages and can read them when you open the thread, but you won't get notifications on your lock screen or hear a sound. You can turn alerts back on anytime by tapping the group name and toggling "Hide Alerts" off.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I create a group with just two people?

Yes, but it works the same as a regular one-on-one conversation. You can add a second person to a message thread, and it becomes a group of three or more people. A two-person group behaves like a regular conversation but lets you add more people later if you need to.

What happens if I delete a group conversation?

Deleting a group conversation removes it from your Messages app, but it doesn't remove the group from your Contacts if you saved it there. The people in the group won't be notified that you deleted the conversation. If you saved the group in Contacts, you can recreate the message thread anytime by starting a new message to that group.

Can I see who read my group message?

Only if everyone in the group uses iMessage (blue bubbles). Tap the group name at the top and look for "Delivered" or "Read" under each person's name. If the group uses SMS (green bubbles) because one person doesn't have iMessage, read receipts won't show for anyone.

Can I send a message to a group without saving it as a contact?

Yes. You can create a temporary group in Messages by tapping the plus icon, adding people, and sending a message. That group exists only in that conversation thread. The next time you want to message the same people, you'll need to add them again unless you save the group in Contacts first.

What's the difference between a group in Messages and a group in Contacts?

A group in Messages is a one-time conversation thread. A group in Contacts is a saved list of people you can reuse anytime. If you save a group in Contacts, you can add it to a new message with one tap instead of adding each person individually every time.