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

Learn 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 is using an Apple device like an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch. To remove someone, you need four or more people in the group and everyone needs to 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. Learn 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 that you want to add someone to.
  2. Tap the group icons at the top of the thread.
  3. Tap the gray arrow icon to the right of the contacts, then tap Add Contact.
  4. Type the contact that 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 need 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 gray 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 if the group has four or more people, and everyone is using an Apple device, like an iPhone, iPad, or iPod touch.

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

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