Skip to main content

How to make a contact group on an iPhone to message multiple people

Close-up of the cameras on the iPhone 15 Pro Max.
Joe Maring / Digital Trends

iPhone has a bunch of cool features, but few are as useful as contact groups. As of iOS 16, Apple lets you pool contacts together into groups, making it easy to spam out messages to family, friends, or colleagues without needing to tinker with a bunch of clunky settings. You don't even need any extra software or apps – as long as you're running iOS 16 or later, you can quickly make a contact group on your iPhone.

Difficulty

Moderate

Duration

15 minutes

What You Need

  • An iPhone

  • An iCloud account

In this guide, we'll show you exactly how to create a contact group on your iPhone, how to send messages to that group, and how to remove contacts or delete groups from your phone.

How to create a contact group on your iPhone

When you create a new contact group, you can add as many contacts as you want. And the steps for doing so are as follows:

Step 1: On the iPhone home screen, tap on the Contacts app. You can also get there by tapping on the Phone app, then selecting Contacts at the bottom.

Open the Contacts app on your iPhone Home screen
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 2: Tap Lists at the top left.

Adding contacts to a list in the Contacts app
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 3: Next, tap Add List at the top right.

Name your new list in the Contacts app
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 4: In the newly formed box, type the List Name. Tap Add List at the top right.

Add contacts to a Contacts group
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 5: On the Lists page, choose the list you just created. Tap Add Contacts. Choose every contact you wish to add to the list. When finished, tap Done at the top right.

How to send a message to your contact group

With your contact group created, you're now ready to send messages to your group. Here's how it works:

Step 1: Go back into the Lists page in the Contacts app, then long press the list you just created.

Prepare to message everyone in a group
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 2: Choose Message All. Send a message to the group as you would any other message.

How to remove a contact from your group

The time may come when you want to remove someone from your group. Should the need arise, doing so is quite simple:

Step 1: To get started, go into the Contacts app, then select the list you created above.

Remove a contact from a group
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 2: Swipe left on the contact you wish to remove and tap Remove. Your contact has been permanently removed from your group.

How to delete a contact group on your iPhone

Similarly, you can also delete the entire contact group if it's no longer needed.

Step 1: To get started, go into the Contacts app, then choose the List page.

Delete a contacts group in the Contacts app
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Step 2: Tap Edit at the top left.

Step 3: Tap the red icon to the left of the list you wish to delete.

Step 4: Tap the red garbage icon to delete the list. Your list is now deleted.

There are a lot of unique things you can do with the Messages app on your iPhone and iPad. In iOS 17, there's even more, such as creating your own iMessage stickers. You can also edit and unsend messages, along with the option to filter unknown senders. Managing your contacts and messages can be a pain, but if you know how to take control of the settings at your disposal, it doesn't have to be.

Bryan M. Wolfe
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Bryan M. Wolfe has over a decade of experience as a technology writer. He writes about mobile.
Apple iPhone 16 Plus vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max: Which big-screen iPhone should you buy?
iPhone 16 Plus teal and iPhone 16 Pro Max natural titanium rear

If you want an iPhone, there are multiple models to choose from, with smaller options and bigger models alike. We’ve already covered the differences between the iPhone 16 and iPhone 16 Pro, but if you want the bigger iPhone screen, should you go with the iPhone 16 Plus or the iPhone 16 Pro Max?

Both feature the latest generation of processors and offer similar camera experiences, albeit with a few key differences in both areas. Both also feature the same Action Button and Camera Control features.

Read more
iPhone SE deals: Refurbished 2nd and 3rd Gen iPhones
apple iphone se 2020 news new black camera and touch id 04152020

While many of the best Apple deals don’t often include newer iPhone models, there are some iPhone deals available to help you land some savings on the popular phone lineup. One model that comes in at relatively low price points is the iPhone SE. There are two generations of the iPhone SE on the market, and while both are only available in refurbished condition at this point, that allows for even more savings. In fact, if a cheap iPhone is what you’re after the iPhone SE might make your list of the best phone deals to shop right now, which is why we’ve tracked down all of the best iPhone SE deals and listed them below. Read onward for those details, and you can find some similar phone deals among today's best iPhone 14 deals, best iPhone 15 deals, and best refurbished iPhone deals.
iPhone SE 2nd Gen deals

The second generation of the iPhone SE was initially launched in 2020, but it still manages to keep up with the needs of many phone users today. It utilizes the body of the Apple iPhone 8, which means it will have a home button and fingerprint ID instead of the Face ID technology in current iPhone models. That’s not much to give up, however, as the second generation iPhone SE still has a great display, a 12-megapixel camera with the ability to shoot 4K video, and wireless charging capability.

Read more
Apple iPhone 16 Plus vs. iPhone 14 Plus: Is it upgrade time?
Composite shot of iPhone 16 Plus and iPhone 14 Plus.

It’s an exciting year for Apple’s iPhone 16 lineup, and that’s not merely because of the upcoming Apple Intelligence features. After two years of enduring relatively uninspired updates, fans of Apple’s standard iPhone and iPhone Plus models finally have a pair of iPhones that feel like more than “also-rans” compared to Apple’s flagship iPhone Pro lineup.

While the standard iPhone 16 models may not have gotten all the upgrades we hoped for, Apple is no longer arbitrarily reserving its best chips and user interface features for its flagship Pro series. In addition to the Dynamic Island and Action button, the iPhone 16 Plus gets the same Camera Control feature that Apple introduced in the iPhone 16 Pro, a powerful new A-series chip, and some unique design changes that are entirely its own.

Read more