How To Remove Someone from a Text Message Group on the iPhone

If you want to remove someone from a text message group on the iPhone, it is easier than you might think in iMessage. If you’re using the iMessage group message and someone no longer belongs in the group, it isn’t entirely impossible to remove them from future communications.

This tutorial will walk you through removing people and yourself, adding contacts, and muting groups. We’ll also walk you through how to handle trolls in your group.

Remove Someone From Text Message Group In iMessage

Being added to a particularly active group can be an inconvenience. Whatever your reasons for wanting to remove someone from a text message group, it’s easy to do on the iPhone, even if the controls are a little hidden.

Restrictions

Remember that everyone in the group chat needs to be using iMessage (blue chat bubbles); this won’t work with regular SMS or MMS group chats (green chat bubbles). For the Remove option to appear, you also need at least three other people in the group chat (four people total).

You will not see the ‘Remove’ option if:

• There are less than three total members in your group message.
  
• There is a contact using SMS messaging – Even an iPhone may be using SMS and still appear blue, meaning you won’t see the ‘Remove’ option.
  
• Someone is using a non-apple operating system.

How to Remove Someone from a Group Message

Assuming all conditions are right, here is how you remove someone from a group iMessage:

1. Open the group chat in question from your iMessage app.
   
   
   
2. Tap on the cluster of icons at the top of the iMessage group.
   
   
   
3. Tap the ‘i’ that appears on the right to open the list of group members.
   
   
   
4. Swipe left on the name of the person you’d like to remove and tap ‘Remove’ when it appears to the right. If you can’t swipe to reveal the ‘Remove’ option, see the disclaimer above.
   
   
   
5. Select Remove when the pop-up appears.
   
   

This immediately removes that individual from your message group. If you don’t have the option to ‘Remove,’ you’ll have to start a new thread without the unwanted contact. The chat history will remain on your phone, but they won’t receive any new ones as long as you send your texts to the new group and not the old one.

Removing Yourself From a Group iMessage

There is an option to remove yourself from an iMessage group, assuming the above-listed criteria are met. If someone adds you to a group that you don’t want to be in, follow these steps:

1. Open the group iMessage just as before and click on the small ‘i’ under the profile pictures.
   
   
   
2. Scroll down the information page and tap on ‘Leave this conversation.’
   
   

Again, if you don’t see this option, it may be because someone in the group isn’t using iMessage or the group is too small to meet the criteria we listed above.

How to Leave a Group iMessage on Mac

If you’re using a Mac or MacBook, you can leave the group iMessage from there. Here’s how to do it:

1. Open the Message app and tap on the group iMessage.
   
2. Tap i in the upper right corner.
   
3. Tap Leave this conversation.
   

If Leave this conversation is grey and you can’t click it, it’s because there’s an Android in the chat or less than four people.

Adding Someone to a Group iMessage

Fortunately, if you missed a contact, you can add one later on. The same admittedly strange criteria above apply, so if there’s an SMS user in the group, you won’t be able to pull this off.

1. Open the information page just as we’ve done above. Tap on the option ‘+ Add Contact.’
   
   
   
2. Choose the contact and add them to the group like you usually would.
   
   
   

Mute A Conversation In iMessage

If you’re not ready to leave the conversation but want to take a break, you can hide the alerts. This involves less hassle and saves you from a confrontation.

1. Open the group chat on your iPhone and tap the circle of profile pictures at the top of the window.
   
   
   
2. Tap the ‘i‘ option when it appears to view the list of group members.
   
   
   
3. Select Hide Alerts at the bottom of the group window.
   
   
   

This will stop any conversation alerts from hitting your phone, effectively ignoring them.

Block the Contact

If you’re all out of options, consider blocking a contact. Assuming you can’t leave a group you never asked to be in (such as a spammer), your only option is to block people in the group.

You can also stop messages from an individual in a group.

1. Open the group chat on your iPhone. Then, tap on the contact group at the top of the page.
   
   
   
2. Select the blue ‘i’ for Info icon in the top right to open the list of group members.
   
   
   
3. Select the individual you want to block.
   
   
   
4. Select Block this Caller.
   
   
   
5. Select “Block Contact” to confirm
   
   
   

That last step is important as iMessage won’t always block the person unless you confirm in the group window. If this is the option you’re bound to take, we have a full tutorial here on how to do it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Protecting your peace in the digital age shouldn’t be a hassle. Here is some more information about how to manage your iMessage groups.

Can I delete the entire group?

Unfortunately, no. You can swipe to remove the conversation, but everyone else will remain in the group. Whenever someone sends a new message to the group, you’ll receive a notification, and the conversation will reappear in your messaging app.

Can I update the contact information for someone in the group?

Yes, using the ‘i’ mentioned above, you should have access to update the users’ phone numbers. If it does not update properly, simply add the new contact to the group.

What happens if I block a contact who’s in a group message with me?

If you block someone in a group iMessage, they will still be in the group. But fortunately, they can’t see your messages, and you can’t see theirs. If one person is bothering you, you can block that contact without kicking them out of the iMessage group altogether.

Do keep in mind other contacts will continue to see messages from both you and the person you blocked.

Start A New Group Chat That Excludes The Troll

If you’re not the one who initiated the group chat and others are responding to the troll, you may have to remove yourself from the group chat, then start a new message group that excludes the troll. If you then send a message letting the group know why you’ve started the new message group, then people can mute or remove themselves from the original group and continue the more civil conversation in the new group.

Do you have any suggestions for avoiding trolls in text messaging groups, social media, and online forums? If so, please comment below.