How to delete a group text you started

Learn how to add and remove people in group text messages on your iPhone or iPad.

Table of Contents Show

How to add someone to a group text message
How to remove someone from a group text message
If you can't add or remove someone in a group message
How to leave group texts on iMessage
1. Open the group text you want to leave
2. Select the "Info" button
3. Select "Leave this Conversation"
How do I delete a text group I created?
How do you delete a group chat?
How do you delete a group on iPhone?

With iMessage, you can add someone to a group text message if there are three or more people in the group and everyone is using an Apple device. To remove someone, you need four or more people in the group.
You can’t add or remove people in group SMS/MMS messages and you can't add or remove someone if anyone in the group uses a non-Apple device. Learn the difference between iMessage and SMS/MMS messages.

How to add someone to a group text message

Tap the group message that you want to add someone to.
Tap the group icons at the top of the thread.
Tap the gray arrow icon to the right of the contacts, then tap Add Contact
.
Type the contact that you want to add, then tap Done.

How to remove someone from a group text message

Tap the group message that has the contact you want to remove.
Tap the group icons at the top of the thread.
Tap the gray arrow icon to the right of the contacts, then swipe left over the name of the person you want to remove.
Tap Remove, then tap Done.

If you invite others in your group message to collaborate on a project, those contacts may still have access to the project after you remove them from the group message. Apps that host the shared project usually control access.

Want to remove yourself from a group text message? Learn how to mute the notifications from a group text or leave the conversation in the Messages app.

If you can't add or remove someone in a group message

You can only remove someone if the group has four or more people, and everyone is using an Apple device, like an iPhone or iPad.
You can only add someone to a group message if they're using an Apple device. If you want to add someone to a group message but they're using a non-Apple device, you need to create a new group message. That message will use SMS/MMS by default since someone is using a non-Apple device.
You can only add someone to a group message that already includes three or more people. You can't add someone to a messages conversation that you're already having with just one other person.

Published Date: September 12, 2022

Android

As creator, you can delete a group at once, without having to remove all members manually. Please note: after you have deleted a group, other group members can’t use it anymore.

To delete a group, open it, tap on the group’s name in the title bar, open the menu, and select “Delete group.”

As a regular group member, you cannot delete a group, but you can leave it. Please note: when leaving a group, the group messages will not be deleted. To leave a group, open it, tap on the group’s name in the title bar, open the menu, and select “Leave group.”

To remove the chat from your chat list and delete the chat history, tap and hold the chat, then tap “Empty chat.”

iOS

Groups created by an iOS user are deleted as soon as the last member has left the group.

To leave a group on iOS, swipe left on the group (in the chat list or in the group list), and tap “Delete.”

Anyone who's gotten stuck in an unwanted group text knows how terrible it can be. Your phone blows up uncontrollably, and all you can do is hope the thread eventually quiets down.

Luckily, Apple added support way back in iOS 8 to easily remove yourself from an iMessage Group, and it's still here in iOS 16.

Android finally started offering an iMessage equivalent called Chat for all users in 2019. You can't leave a group message as you can an iMessage. But you can mute future updates so your phone doesn't keep alerting you every time someone responds to the group conversation.

Below, we'll walk you through how to opt out of a group text on your iOS and Android devices.

How to leave group texts on iMessage

1. Open the group text you want to leave

Remove yourself from group texts on iOS Credit: Apple

First step is to open the Messages app in iOS and select the Group message you'd like to leave.

2. Select the "Info" button

Step 2 for how to get out of group texts on iOS Credit: Apple

You'll want to tap right under the status bar on the images or initials of those in the Group chat. This will open a new drop-down menu, and you'll select the "info" button

3. Select "Leave this Conversation"

Remove yourself from group texts on iOS in three steps. Credit: Apple

Tapping the "info" button will bring you to the details section. Just select "Leave this Conversation" at the bottom of the screen, and you will be removed.

If the "Leave this Conversation" option is not shown, it means someone in the group text does not have iMessage on or isn't running the latest version of iOS. If that's the case, you won't be able to leave the conversation. The workaround is either to delete the message or mute notifications by selecting "Hide Alerts."

For Android users, Chat does not allow users to leave a conversation entirely. Instead, you'll need to mute the conversation (Google calls this "hiding" the conversation). The conversation will still live on in Chat, but your phone won't be constantly going off every time someone responds.

To mute a group text in Android, follow these steps:

1. Tap the group conversation.

2. At the top, tap the down arrow, then select "Hide Conversation."

If there's just one major offender on the group text, you unfortunately can't hide updates only from them. You must hide the entire group conversation. However, you can block that person from messaging you directly.

How do I delete a text group I created?

If you want to remove the group text from your messaging app entirely, you'll need to take one more step. 4. After muting the group text, tap and hold the conversation again, then tap the "Delete" button in the bottom-right of the screen. 5.