Create a group by opening Contacts and using the Groups tab
On your iPhone, a contact group lets you send a message or email to multiple people at once without typing each name. You create groups directly in the Contacts app — the same place where you store individual phone numbers. The process takes about two minutes and works on any iPhone running iOS 13 or newer.
The steps differ slightly depending on whether you're using iCloud to sync your contacts across devices. If your contacts are stored in iCloud (which most people do), you'll create the group on iCloud.com using a web browser, then it appears on your iPhone automatically. If your contacts live only on your iPhone, you can create the group directly in the Contacts app, though the feature is more limited.
Key Takeaways
- Contact groups on iPhone work best when your contacts are synced through iCloud, which you can check in Settings > [Your Name] > iCloud.
- The easiest method is to create the group on iCloud.com using a computer or iPad, then add people to it — the group syncs to your iPhone within minutes.
- If you create a group directly in the iPhone Contacts app, you can only add people who are already in your contacts, and the group won't sync to other devices.
- Once a group exists, you can text or email everyone in it at once by selecting the group name when composing a message.
Check where your contacts are stored first
Before you create a group, find out whether your contacts are synced through iCloud. Open the Settings app, tap your name at the top, then tap iCloud. Scroll down and look for Contacts — if the toggle next to it is green and switched on, your contacts are in iCloud and you can create groups that work across all your devices.
If the toggle is off or if you don't see Contacts listed, your contacts live only on your iPhone. You can still create a group, but it will only exist on that phone and won't appear on your iPad or Mac. For most people, turning on iCloud Contacts is the better choice because it backs up your contacts and keeps them in sync everywhere.
Create a group on iCloud.com (the easiest way)
Open a web browser on your computer or iPad and go to iCloud.com. Sign in with your Apple ID — the same one you use on your iPhone. Click the Contacts icon (it looks like a person's silhouette), then look for a plus sign (+) or a menu option to create a new group. The exact button location changes with iCloud updates, but it's usually near the top left or in a sidebar.
Click to create a new group and give it a name — something like "Work Team" or "Book Club." Once the group exists, you can add people to it by dragging contacts into the group or by opening each contact and assigning them to the group. After you save, the group syncs to your iPhone within a few minutes. You don't need to do anything on your phone — just open Contacts and the group will be there.
Add people to your group on iPhone
If you created the group on iCloud.com, open the Contacts app on your iPhone and tap the Groups tab at the bottom (you may need to scroll right to see it). Find your new group in the list and tap Edit. Tap the plus sign (+) to add people, then select contacts from your list. You can add as many people as you want, and you can remove someone by tapping the minus sign (−) next to their name.
If you created the group directly on your iPhone using the Contacts app, the process is similar — tap Groups, find your group, tap Edit, and add or remove people. The difference is that this group only exists on your iPhone and won't sync to iCloud or appear on other devices. For that reason, if you use multiple Apple devices, it's worth creating groups on iCloud.com instead.
Send a message or email to your entire group
Once your group is set up, open the Messages app or Mail app and start composing a new message. Tap in the "To:" field and start typing the group name — it will appear as a suggestion. Tap it to add the whole group at once. Your message will go to everyone in that group, and you won't have to type individual names.
The same works in Mail. Start a new email, tap the "To:" field, type the group name, and tap it from the suggestions. Everyone in the group receives the email. If you need to remove someone from a single message, you can delete their name from the "To:" field before you send — this doesn't remove them from the group itself, just from that one message.
Edit or delete a group later
To change a group after you've created it, open Contacts and tap the Groups tab. Find the group you want to edit and tap Edit. From here you can add new people, remove people by tapping the minus sign (−), or change the group's name. Tap Done when you're finished.
To delete a group entirely, swipe left on the group name while viewing the Groups list, then tap Delete. This removes the group but does not delete any of the contacts inside it — they stay in your Contacts app. If you created the group on iCloud.com, you may need to delete it there as well for it to disappear from all your devices.
Troubleshooting: Group doesn't appear on your iPhone
If you created a group on iCloud.com but it's not showing up on your iPhone, wait a few minutes for it to sync. Then open Settings, go to [Your Name] > iCloud, scroll down to Contacts, and toggle it off and back on. This forces your iPhone to sync with iCloud again. Open Contacts and check the Groups tab — the group should appear now.
If you still don't see it, make sure you're signed into iCloud with the same Apple ID on your iPhone. Go to Settings > [Your Name] and check that the name at the top matches the account you used on iCloud.com. If you're using a different Apple ID, create the group on that account's iCloud page instead. Groups created in one iCloud account don't appear in another.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I create a group that includes contacts from different apps?
No. Contact groups on iPhone only include people from your Contacts app. If someone is saved in a different app like WhatsApp or Slack, you'll need to add them to your iPhone Contacts first before you can include them in a group.
What happens if I delete someone from my contacts — do they disappear from the group too?
Yes. If you delete a contact from your Contacts app, they are automatically removed from any groups they were in. The group itself stays, but that person no longer receives messages sent to the group.
Can I create a group on my iPhone if my contacts aren't synced to iCloud?
Yes, but the group only exists on that iPhone. If you get a new iPhone or use an iPad, the group won't be there. For groups that work across all your devices, turn on iCloud Contacts in Settings first.
Can I send a group text with read receipts?
When you text a group, each person receives an individual message — they don't see that it's a group text. Read receipts work the same way as a regular text, so you'll see when each person reads your message if they have read receipts turned on.
Is there a limit to how many people I can add to a group?
No hard limit exists, but very large groups (over 100 people) may take longer to load or send messages to. For most everyday uses like work teams or friend groups, you won't run into any problems.