Creating a contact group takes two minutes and works the same way on most phones
A contact group is a folder inside your Contacts app that holds multiple people. Instead of typing ten names into a text message or email, you type the group name once. The message goes to everyone in it. Groups live in your phone's built-in Contacts app — not in messaging or email — and sync across your devices if you use cloud backup.
The steps differ slightly between iPhone and Android, but the idea is identical: create a new group, name it, then add people to it. You do not need any special software or third-party apps. Your phone already has what you need.
Key Takeaways
- On iPhone, open Contacts, tap Groups in the top left, then tap the plus sign to create a new group and name it.
- On Android, open Contacts, tap the menu button (three lines), select Create label, type a name, and tap Save.
- After you create a group, add people by opening the group, tapping Add Contact, and selecting names from your existing contacts.
- Groups sync to your email account (Gmail, iCloud, Outlook) if you have cloud backup turned on, so they appear on your computer and other devices.
- You can send a message or email to an entire group by selecting the group name instead of typing individual names.
How to create a group on iPhone
Open the Contacts app and look at the top left corner. You will see a button labeled Groups. Tap it. A list of any existing groups appears — if you have never made one, the list is empty.
Tap the plus sign in the top right corner. A text field appears asking you to name the group. Type the name you want — "Work Team", "Book Club", "Family", or anything else. Tap Save. The group now exists but is empty.
To add people, tap the group name to open it. Tap the plus sign again. Your full contact list appears. Tap each person you want to add. A checkmark appears next to their name. When you are done, tap Done. Those contacts are now part of the group.
How to create a group on Android
Open the Contacts app. Tap the three horizontal lines (the menu button) in the top left or top right corner, depending on your phone model. Look for an option that says Create label or New label. Tap it.
A text field appears. Type the name of your group. Tap Save or Done. The group is created but empty. To add people, tap the group name to open it, then tap the plus sign or Add Contact button. Select names from your contact list and tap Save.
Some Android phones use the word "label" instead of "group" — they work the same way. If you cannot find Create Label in the menu, try tapping the plus sign at the bottom of the Contacts app instead.
Adding and removing people from a group
Once a group exists, you can add more people anytime. Open the group, tap the plus sign or Add Contact button, and select names. You can add the same person to multiple groups — one contact can be in "Work", "Friends", and "Neighbors" at the same time.
To remove someone, open the group, find their name, and tap the minus sign or Delete option next to it. Removing someone from a group does not delete them from your overall contact list — they stay in Contacts but leave that specific group.
You can also rename a group or delete it entirely. On iPhone, tap Groups, then swipe left on the group name and tap Delete. On Android, press and hold the group name and select Delete or Remove.
Sending messages and emails to a group
To send a text message to everyone in a group, open your Messages app, start a new message, and type the group name in the To field. Your phone recognizes it as a group and fills in all the members. Type your message and send — it goes to every person in that group.
The same works in email. Open your email app (Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail), start a new message, and type the group name. The app expands it to show all members. Some email apps require you to tap a dropdown to confirm you want to send to the group rather than search for a contact with that name.
If a group does not appear in your Messages or Mail app, it may not be synced yet. Make sure cloud backup is turned on in your phone settings, and wait a few minutes for the sync to complete.
Syncing groups across devices
Groups sync automatically if your phone backs up to a cloud account. On iPhone, groups sync through iCloud if you have iCloud Contacts turned on in Settings. On Android, groups sync through Google Contacts if you have a Google account set up.
To check if syncing is on, go to your phone's Settings, find Accounts or Cloud, and look for Contacts or Backup. Make sure the toggle is on. After you turn it on, groups appear on your computer, tablet, and any other device signed into the same account within a few minutes.
If you create a group on your phone but it does not show up on your computer, sign out of your cloud account on the phone, wait 30 seconds, and sign back in. This forces a fresh sync.
Troubleshooting groups that do not work
If a group name does not appear when you type it into Messages or Mail, the app may not support groups yet. Some older email clients and messaging apps do not recognize contact groups. Try updating the app from your phone's app store.
If you added people to a group but they do not receive the message, check that the group actually contains their names. Open the group and verify each person is listed. If someone is missing, add them again. Also confirm that you tapped the group name and not a single contact with the same name.
If a group synced to your computer but not your phone, or vice versa, turn off cloud backup, wait one minute, and turn it back on. This resets the sync and usually fixes the problem.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I create a group inside a group?
No. Contact groups cannot contain other groups — only individual people. If you need to organize groups further, create separate groups with descriptive names like "Work — Engineering" and "Work — Sales" instead.
What happens if I delete a group?
The group disappears, but all the people in it stay in your Contacts app. Deleting a group does not remove the contacts themselves, only the folder that organized them together.
Can I share a group with someone else?
Not directly through Contacts. You can tell someone the names of people in the group, or you can forward them a contact card for each person. Some email apps let you export a group as a file, which you can send to another person to import.
Do groups work with group chats?
Groups in Contacts are different from group chats in Messages or WhatsApp. A contact group is just an address list. To start a group chat, open Messages, tap New Message, select the group name, and send a message — the app converts it to a group chat automatically.
Why does my group show different names on my phone and computer?
This usually means the sync has not finished yet. Wait a few minutes and refresh both devices. If it still does not match, check that both devices are signed into the same cloud account (iCloud for iPhone, Google for Android).