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Both the iPhone and the iPad allow you to send a message to more than one person at a time. This group messaging feature allows you to send messages to multiple recipients and provides everyone in the group the opportunity to reply. All responses are automatically sent to everyone so they can track the conversation even if they are not actively discussing the topic at hand. It’s a great way to communicate with a bunch of people at once.

Creating and Sending a Group Message

Sending a group message in iOS is very similar to sending an individual message. Just open the Messages app and start adding recipients to your message as follows;

1. Tap the new conversation button in the upper right corner.
2. Enter multiple recipients by typing in their name or using the + button.
3. Each new recipient will be separated by a comma.
4. Enter your message at the bottom of the screen.
5. Tap Send to forward the message to the selected recipients.

Managing Group Message Participants

Once you have an active group discussion, you can add new recipients or remove existing participants with just a few taps. To remove a person from the conversation, simply tap the iMessage conversation and then tap “Details” to access a list of participants. You then can remove a participant by swiping from right to left on their name and then selecting delete.When viewing these conversation details, you also can add a new contact by tapping the “Add Contact” button underneath the list of participants.

Muting or Leaving the Conversation

One drawback to a group conversation is message overload. With multiple people sending and receiving information, you could be quickly inundated with messages and notifications. If you no longer want to receive messages from the group, you can easily leave a group discussion by opening the conversation and tapping Details. You then can scroll to the bottom of the details screen and tap “Leave this Conversation.” This option to leave the conversation is only available when there are three or more participants. You may also have difficulty leaving when group members have sent MMS messages.

As an alternative to leaving, you can remain part of the group, but cut down on notifications by enabling “Do Not Disturb” for the conversation. Just tap Details when viewing the conversation and then turn on “Do Not Disturb.” When this feature is enabled, you won’t receive all notifications, but you still can view the incoming messages in the Messages app.

Do you use this group messaging feature? Do you have any messaging tips or tricks to share? Please let us know in the comments.