Easy Ways to Add Someone to an Existing Group Text

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A step-by-step guide to adding someone to a group text message

Co-authored by Darlene Antonelli, MA Reviewed by Stan Kats

Last Updated: December 20, 2024 Fact Checked

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Using an iPhone

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Android: Google Messages

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Android: Samsung Messages

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Android: Chats App & Gmail

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Did you forget to add that person to your group text so they can stay up to date? Luckily, you can add people to existing group texts on your Android, iPhone, or iPad as long as the person has the same device and messaging type (Android RCS or iOS iMessage) as the other people in the chat. If you're using an Android, you can also create a group chat for people using any type of device in the Chats or Gmail app.

Adding People to a Group Text

iPhone/iPad: Tap the member icons at the top of the group text, select "Add Contact," and choose a contact to add.
Android (Google Messages): In the group text, tap ⋮, go to "People & options" > "Add people" and select a contact.
Android (Samsung Messages): Tap the name of the group at the top of the chat, tap "Add/remove recipients," and choose who to add.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Using an iPhone

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1
Open the group text you want to add someone to. As long as the person you want to add is also using an iPhone or iPad with iMessage enabled , you'll be able to add them to the group text.
- If anyone in the group is using a non-Apple device like an Android, you won't be able to add someone to the group text. Instead, just create a new group text that includes the new person. ^{[1]
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This opens the group's details.

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3
Tap + Add Contact . It's at the bottom of the page.
- If you don't see this option, tap the gray arrow to the right of the contacts first.
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Select a contact. If the person you're adding is in your contacts, their information will auto-fill as you're typing their name.
- You can also enter their Apple ID if you don't know the other information.
5
Tap Done . You'll see this in the upper right corner of your screen. ^{[2]
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- That person, if they have an iPhone or iPad, is now added to the conversation. While they won't see previous messages, they can start chatting with everyone right away.
- If you have a lot of groups, it might be easier to give them nicknames so you can quickly identify them.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Android: Google Messages

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As long as everyone in the existing group text has enabled RCS , you can add another person to the chat. ^{[3]
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Research source} The person you're adding must also have RCS enabled and be using an Android phone or tablet.
You'll see this at the top of the conversation.
Now you can add one or more new people to the conversation.
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Choose who to add and save your changes. Once you add someone to the group text, they'll start receiving messages that anyone sends to the group.
- The person you add will not be able to see messages that were sent to the chat before they were added.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Android: Samsung Messages

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1
Open the group text on your Samsung Galaxy phone or tablet. If you're using the Samsung Messages app, you can easily add someone else to an existing group text.
- To add someone to the conversation, they'll need to have RCS enabled, as will everybody else in the existing chat.
This displays a list of who's already in the group chat.
You'll see this at the bottom of the screen. ^{[4]
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Once you add someone to the group text, they'll start receiving messages that anyone sends to the group.

Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Android: Chats App & Gmail

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1
Open the Chats app or Gmail. If you want to have a group conversation with people who don't have Androids, you can create a chat in the Google Chat or Gmail app. The Chat app looks like two green chat bubbles, but you can also launch Gmail and tap the Chat tab at the bottom.
- An alternative is to use an internet-based messaging service like WhatsApp , which lets you add people to group chats at any time.
The group name is at the top of the group chat.
This will only work if you started the group originally. If you join the group later, you'll see the option to start a new chat with the same people in the group and have the ability to add more.
You can also tap their Contact under Frequent .
This is in the upper right corner of your screen and will add that person to your group text. ^{[5]
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