How to Send a Text Message to a Group

It's almost like being there in person

By
Jordan Baranowski
Jordan Baranowski
Jordan Baranowski
Writer
  • University of Kansas
  • Avila University
Jordan Baranowski is a former Lifewire writer and educator with experience writing for SVG, The Nerd Stash, and Feast Magazine.
lifewire's editorial guidelines
Updated on July 27, 2022

What to Know

  • iPhone: In Messages, tap pencil icon. In the To field, enter contact names or phone numbers. Type message > Send.
  • Android: In a text messaging app, open a new conversation. In the Enter Recipients field, type names or numbers.

This article explains how to send a text message to a group using the Messages app on an iPhone or a text messaging app on Android phones.

How to Send a Group Text on iPhone

Group messages are a fast and convenient way to organize groups, set up events, or send the same message to multiple people. On an iPhone, use the Messages app.

  1. Open the Messages app. Select the pencil icon in the top-right corner to start a new text message.

  2. Add people in the To: field. If they're in your contacts list already, type their name and their contact info should appear. You can also type the person's phone number, or tap the Plus (+) to go through your contacts list and add recipients.

    You can even include people on the message who only have access to an iPad tablet; as long as they're connected to Wi-Fi, they will receive the message on their Messenger app.

  3. Once you're finished adding people, simply type your message, then tap Send.

When sending group texts on your iPhone, you can name the group chat, mute alerts from the group texts, and add or remove people from the group.

How to Send a Group Text on Android

Sending a group text message on Android is fairly similar to sending one on an iPhone.

  1. Open your text message app. On most phones, this will be Messages. Open a new conversation.

  2. Start adding contacts in the Enter recipients field by typing in a phone number, a person's name, or select the contact list and select your contacts.

    Group text example on Android

  3. Once you've picked your contacts, enter a message as usual and then select Send.

In newer versions of Android, you can schedule text messages to be delivered at a specific time by typing your message as normal and long-pressing (tap and hold) Send.

Why Sending a Group Text May Not Work

If your group message isn't working, the most common culprit is in your phone settings. Since group messages are much larger than standard texts, you'll need to enable the MMS setting to enable your phone to send this type of data.

Go to your phone settings and make sure you've enabled the option to send multimedia messages (MMS) and allowed your phone to use data through messaging. The setting will typically be a simple toggle switch in your Settings menu, often under a Messenger or Data subheading.

MMS settings on Android

Group texts will generally use your phone's data, rather than your text messaging plan due to their size and a few other features enabled through group messaging. If those options are allowed, you should have no issue sending a group text.

Some people don't like to be part of a group message thread, especially if doesn't apply to them. That's why knowing how to leave a group message thread is always a handy skill to have.

A group of people using text messaging.
 Getty / Hero Images
Was this page helpful?