Staying in touch with multiple people at once is super easy using group chats. Whether it’s for planning a get-together with friends, coordinating a work project, or keeping family updated, iMessage makes group chats a breeze for Apple users. Here’s a guide on how to set up your own group chat.
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Start by opening the Messages app on your iPhone. Look for the ‘Compose’ button - usually in the top-right corner - and tap it to begin a new message.
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In the ‘To’ field, begin typing in the names, phone numbers, or email addresses of everyone you want to include in the group chat. As you type, your contacts will pop up for easy selection. If you’re adding someone not saved as a contact, just type their full number or email and tap ‘Return’ on the keyboard.
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Make sure that the contacts appear in blue; this means they’re using iMessage. If a contact is in green, it means they’re not using iMessage, and the message will be sent as a standard SMS text, which might cost you money and won’t support all of the iMessage features.
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After adding all your desired participants, write your message into the text box. Once you are ready to start the group conversation, tap the send button (the blue arrow).
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You can customize your group chat with a unique name and photo for some extra personality. To do this, tap on the circle avatars at the top of your group chat screen.
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Tapping the avatars will expand a menu below the avatars. Select the “info” button (the circled “i”) to see the group’s details.
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In the group details section, you will see an option that says ‘Change Name and Photo’. Tap that to personalize your group.
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Type in the group name you like and then choose a picture or emoji for the group’s icon. Tap “Done” to save the changes when you’re all set.
With these simple steps, you can create an iMessage group chat and keep connected with everyone you need to. iMessage group chats support up to 32 people at a time. But, it is important to know that in a group with only three people, you can’t leave or delete the chat.