How to Create a Poll in iMessage on iPhone

[nerdslife_team]

Want to quickly gather opinions in your iMessage group chats? While iMessage doesn’t have a built-in poll feature, you can easily add one using a third-party app called “Polls for iMessage.” This app allows you to create and participate in polls directly within your conversations.

Using Polls for iMessage

Here’s how to get started:

1. Open the Messages app on your iPhone. Head to the group chat where you want to create your poll.
   

   

2. Tap the grey App Store icon, located to the left of the message input field. This will open the app drawer.
   

   

3. In the app drawer, tap the blue App Store icon to go to the iMessage App Store.
   

   

4. Tap the search icon at the upper-right corner of the App Store.
   

   

5. Type “Polls for iMessage” in the search field. When you see the app, tap ‘Get’ to download and install it.
   

   

Creating a Poll Within a Conversation

1. Now, return to your chat where you want to create the poll. Tap the grey App Store icon to open the drawer, and then tap the ‘Polls’ icon to start the app in your conversation.
   

   

2. Tap ‘Get Started’ in the Polls app screen at the bottom to begin setting up your poll.
   

   

3. Give your poll a title in the provided field and tap ‘Next’ to move forward.
   

   

4. Add options to your poll by tapping ‘Add Option’. You need at least two options, but you can add as many as you want. Options can be text, links, or even specific dates and times.
   

   

5. If you want to add a link as an option (like a restaurant or product page), just paste the URL into the option field. It will become a clickable link.
   

   

6. The app has a smart calendar function! Start typing a date or time, and suggestions will pop up. Tap a suggestion to add it as a scheduling option.
   

   

7. Reorder the options by tapping and holding the three horizontal lines next to an option, then dragging it up or down.
   

   

8. If you need to remove an option, just tap the minus (‘-’) sign at the top right of the option.
   

   

9. Access the poll settings by tapping the gear icon in the bottom-right corner.
   

   

10. Customize these settings to control how users interact with your poll:

    • See who voted: Enable this to let participants see each other’s choices.
    • Add Options: Allow others to add new options to the poll.
    • Declare a Winner: The winning option will be shown automatically when the poll ends.
    • Multiple Votes: Let participants vote for more than one option.
      
      

    By default, all these are enabled. You can turn them off to restrict interaction. If you want to save these as default settings, tap ‘Save as defaults’ or they will only apply to the current poll.

11. Tap ‘Back’ to return to your poll when you’re done setting up.
    

    

12. If you want to discard your current poll, tap ‘Discard’ in the lower-left and confirm.
    

    

13. Tap ‘Send Poll’ to share your poll with the group. It will appear in the conversation for everyone to vote on.
    

    

Participating in the Poll and Checking Results

1. To vote, participants must have the Polls for iMessage app installed. When they tap the poll, the app will open in their chat window.

2. Select the option(s) you want to vote for. If multiple votes are enabled, select more than one. Then tap ‘Send Vote’ to submit.
   

   

3. As people vote, the poll updates in real-time in the conversation. When someone submits a new vote, the poll message moves to the end of the chat, so it’s always up-to-date.

Even if some don’t have the app installed, they can still view poll results but can’t vote. This app makes getting feedback in group messages much easier. It’s a handy solution until Apple adds a built-in polling feature.