How to send a group text on Android

From organizing plans for the holidays to catching up with friends or planning a surprise party, group texts are a handy way to get everyone involved at once, in one place. But how do you send group texts on an Android phone? There are a few ways to do this, depending on your preferences and which default messaging app you use. We’ll show you how to send a group text on Android using several different methods.

QUICK ANSWER

To send a group text using Google Messages, open the app and tap New Message. Tap Create a group, add in your recipients of choice, type in your message, and hit Send. Got a Samsung phone? You can send group texts through the Contacts app. Read on for more detailed instructions.

JUMP TO KEY SECTIONS

• How to create a group text on Android
• How to add someone to a group text on Android

How to create a group text on Android

There are several ways to create a group text on Android, but the simplest way is to use the Google Messages app that’s pre-installed on a lot of phones. We’ll also walk you through the process of how to create a group text using Samsung Messages.

Sending a group text with Google Messages

Google Messages comes pre-installed on most Android phones. Since it’s usually set as the default messaging app, chances are you’re already using it for messaging friends and family. You can send a group text to up to 20 recipients using Google Messages.

• If you don’t already have Google Messages installed on your phone, download and install the app from the Google Play store.
• If you’re using the app for the first time, you’ll need to set it as your default SMS app when prompted.
• Launch the app and tap Start Chat.
• Tap Create Group.
• Start typing the name of the first person you want to add to your group, then select them when they appear. You can also choose them from the Contacts list. Repeat this for every person you want to add to the group text.
• Tap Next. If you want to name your group, type the desired group name in the Group Name menu, then tap Next once more. You can tap Skip if you don’t want to bother naming your group.
• Type the message you want to send, then hit the Send button next to the text entry box.
• Tap OK if you see a prompt to confirm your phone number.

Note: You need to ensure the group MMS option is enabled in your Messages app. To do so, open the Messages app, tap your profile image in the upper right corner, and then tap Messages settings. Go to Advanced and, under Group Messaging, ensure MMS is enabled.

Sending a group text on a Samsung phone

If you have a Samsung phone, you can send a group text to up to 20 recipients through the Contacts app.

• Open the Contacts app on your phone and tap the hamburger menu.
• Go to Groups >Create Group, then type in your group name and tap Add Member. You can also tap Group Ringtone to set a unique ringtone.
• Choose the contacts you wish to add to your group from the list. Don’t worry if you accidentally add somebody — you can tap the red minus icon to remove them.
• Once you’re finished adding contacts, tap Done, then tap Save.
• To send a message, tap the three dots menu, then tap Send Message, type your message as usual, then hit the Send icon.

How to add someone to a group text on Android

How to add someone to a group text on Google Messages

To add a recipient to your group text using Google Messages, just follow the steps below:

• Open Google Messages and open the group text you want to add recipients to.
• Tap the three dotsmenu at the top right, then tap Group Details.
• Tap Add People, then start typing the number or name of the person you want to add.
• Tap Next, and the person will be added to the group.

How to add someone to a group text on Samsung Messages

Provided everybody in your group has chat features turned on, it’s easy to add someone to a group text on Samsung Messages.

• Open the group conversation and tap More (the three dots menu), then head to People and Options >Add People.
• Select the recipient(s) you would like to add to the group.
• Click the down arrow icon to the right of the group name, then tap Add/Remove Recipients.
• Start typing the name or number of the recipient you’d like to add or select from your Favourites, then when you’re finished, tap Done.

Keep in mind that some phones come with their own messaging apps. Additionally, there are a lot of third-party messaging apps available on the Play Store. With so many apps available, we can’t create instructions for all of them, or this post would be too long. However, if you have a brand of device not mentioned on this list — or if you use a third-party messaging app — the steps to send a group text and add someone to a group text should be pretty similar across the board.

FAQs

You can only add up to 20 recipients to a group text on a Samsung phone or when using Google Messages.

If you want to send a group text on a Samsung phone or using Google Messages to a larger group with over 20 recipients, you’ll need to download a group chat app like WhatsApp or Telegram.

If you get an error message when trying to send a group text, it could be that you don’t have MMS enabled. You can check by opening the Google Messages app, tapping your profile image, and then tapping Messages settings. Go to Advanced and, under Group Messaging, ensure MMS is enabled.

Because sending group texts uses MMS rather than SMS, you may be charged for each group text you send unless you have picture/video messaging included with your phone plan.