Send a message to a group on iPad

In the Messages app , you can send messages to a group. In a group message, you can reply to and call attention to specific messages.

Send a new message to a group

You can send a message to multiple people to start a group conversation.

Tap at the top of the screen to start a new conversation.
Enter the phone number, contact name, or Apple ID of each recipient, or tap to choose contacts.
Note: If one or more of your recipients isn’t using iMessage, messages appear in green bubbles instead of blue ones. See What is the difference between iMessage and SMS/MMS.
Tap the text field, type your message, then tap .

Reply to a specific message in a group message

You can respond to a specific message inline in group or individual conversations to improve clarity and help keep the conversation organized.

In a conversation, touch and hold a message, then tap .
Write your response, then tap to send the message.

People can respond inline as long as everyone in the group is using an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac and has turned on iMessage.

Add someone to an existing group message

Tap the group message you want to add someone to.
Tap the group photo at the top of the thread.
Tap Add Contact.

You can add someone to an existing group message (as long as everyone in the group is using an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac and has turned on iMessage). Otherwise, you need to start a new group message.

Remove someone from a group message

You can remove someone from a group message as long as there are at least three people on the thread (and everyone is using an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac and has turned on iMessage).

Tap the group message you want to remove someone from.
Tap the group photo at the top of the thread.
Swipe left on the name of the person you want to remove, then tap Remove.

Regardless of how many people are in your group thread, you can also mute the conversation so you don’t get notifications.

Leave a group message

You can leave a group message (as long as everyone in the group has an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac and has turned on iMessage).

Tap the group message you want to leave.
Tap the group photo at the top of the thread.
Scroll down and tap Leave this Conversation.

Mention people in a group message

In a group message, you can mention someone by name to call their attention to a specific message. They receive a notification as long as everyone in the group has an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac and has turned on iMessage. Depending on their settings, they’re notified even if they have the conversation muted.

In a conversation, begin typing a contact’s name in the text field.
Tap the contact’s name when it appears.
You can also mention a contact by typing @ followed by the contact’s name.
To set your own notification preferences for when you’re mentioned in Messages, go to Settings > Messages > Notify Me.

Change a group message name and photo

You can assign a personalized name or photo to a group conversation (as long as everyone in the group has an iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac and has turned on iMessage).

Tap the name or number at the top of the conversation.
Tap Change Name and Photo, then choose an option.

For more information about the group message features available when some members of the group don’t have an Apple device with iMessage turned on, see this Apple Support article.

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iPad User Guide