Add and remove people in group text messages on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch

Find out how to add and remove people in group text messages on your iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.

  • With iMessage – an Apple feature – you can add someone to a group text message as long as there are three or more people in the group and everyone in the group is using an Apple device, such as an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch. To remove someone from a group text message, there have to be four or more people in the group and everyone must be using an Apple device.
  • You can't add or remove people in group SMS/MMS messages, and you can't add or remove someone if they're using a non-Apple device. Find out the difference between iMessage and SMS/MMS messages.

iPhone showing how to add someone to a group text message.

How to add someone to a group text message

  1. Tap the group message you want to add someone to.
  2. Tap the group icons at the top of the thread.
  3. Tap the grey arrow icon to the right of the contacts, then tap Add Contact.
  4. Type the contact you want to add, then tap Done.

If you want to add someone to a group message – but they're using a non-Apple device – you'll have to create a new group SMS/MMS message, because they can't be added to a group message using iMessage. You can't add someone to a Messages conversation that you're already having with just one other person.

iPhone showing how to remove someone from a group text message.

How to remove someone from a group text message

  1. Tap the group message that has the contact you want to remove.
  2. Tap the group icons at the top of the thread.
  3. Tap the grey arrow icon to the right of the contacts, then swipe left over the name of the person you want to remove.
  4. Tap Remove, then tap Done.

You can only remove someone from a group if it has four or more people in it and everyone in the group is using an Apple device, such as an iPhone, iPad or iPod touch.

Want to remove yourself from a group text message? Find out how to mute the notifications from a group text or leave the conversation in the Messages app.

Published Date: