How to Add Someone to a Group Text on iPhone

To add someone to a group text on an iPhone, open the group conversation in Messages, tap the group icons at the top, tap Add, and enter the person’s name, number, or Apple Account. Apple says this only works when the new person uses an Apple device and the group already has three or more people, including you.

These steps follow Apple’s iPhone User Guide page Have a group conversation in Messages and its support articles Add and remove people in group text messages and Send a group text message.

Table of Contents show

How to Add a Person to a Group Text

Open the Messages app.
Tap the group conversation you want to add someone to.
Tap the group icons at the top of the conversation.
Tap Add.
Enter the person’s phone number, contact name, or Apple Account. To pick from your contacts, tap the add button in the To field.
Tap Done to save.

Steps to add a person to a group text on iPhone — Illustration: the steps to add someone to a group text on iPhone.

Result: The person is added to the group conversation. Apple’s steps let you enter each recipient before you save, so you can add more than one person at a time.

Why You Can’t Add Someone

Apple lists three limits:

It’s only you and one other person. You can’t add someone to a one-on-one conversation. Apple says you need at least two other people in the group, so start a new group message with everyone instead.
The new person doesn’t use an Apple device. Apple says you can only add someone who uses an Apple device. To include an Android user, create a new group message, which will use SMS, MMS, or RCS.
Someone in the group has iMessage off. If the group includes someone who hasn’t turned on iMessage, Apple says to follow the onscreen instructions to start a new group. Green bubbles are the clue.

If your own iMessage is off, see how to turn on iMessage on iPhone. If a green group won’t send at all, see how to fix “MMS Messaging needs to be enabled”.

Blue vs Green Group Texts

Apple’s Send a group text message article explains that Messages picks the group type automatically:

Group iMessage (blue bubbles): everyone uses an Apple device with iMessage on. Everyone can name the group, add or remove people, mute notifications, or leave.
Group MMS, SMS, or RCS (green bubbles): at least one person isn’t using iMessage. These go through your carrier, and you can’t add people to them.

How to Remove Someone From a Group Text

Apple says you can only remove someone if the group has four or more people and everyone uses an Apple device.

Open the group conversation in Messages.
Tap the group icons at the top.
Touch and hold the person you want to remove.
Tap Remove from Group, then tap Remove.

Card showing the steps to remove someone from a group text on iPhone — Illustration: the steps to remove someone from a group text on iPhone.

Result: The person is removed from the group. Apple notes that if you invited group members to collaborate on a project, they may still have access to it after you remove them, since the app hosting the project usually controls access.

Planning a message for the group ahead of time? Here’s how to schedule a text on iPhone.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will the new person see old messages in the group?

Apple’s guides don’t say that earlier messages are shared with someone you add. Expect them to see only new messages, and forward anything important. See how to forward a text message.

How do I leave a group text instead?

Apple says you can leave a group if there are at least three other participants. Tap the group icon at the top, scroll down, and tap Leave This Conversation. To stay in the group but stop the alerts, mute it instead.

Related Guides

Matthew Burleigh

Matthew Burleigh is the founder, head writer, and editor of Solve Your Tech, which he launched in 2012. He has written technology tutorials since 2008 and worked in IT since 2003, including small-business support, IT management, and consulting. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science from Arizona State University.

Matthew writes practical guides for Windows, iPhone and iPad, Microsoft Office, Outlook, Google apps, and Android. Solve Your Tech’s guides are tested on current devices or checked against official product documentation, with clear steps, sources, and update dates.

Read more about Matthew and how Solve Your Tech writes and updates its guides, or report a correction.