Group text is a fast, cheap, and reliable way to send the same message to multiple people at once. For example, if you host parties and want to notify all invitees, sending them a group text can save time and even phone bills.
Here’s how to create and send a group text on the Google Messages app and on a Samsung phone.
How to Send Group Messages on Android Using the Google Messages App
Google Messages is an insanely fast and highly customizable text messaging app, and is the default on many Android phones. Here’s how to send group SMS using the app.
Type in the names of the people you want to add to your group and select them when it pops up. You can also see your Frequent Contacts highlighted at the top. If a contact has multiple saved numbers, select the number you want to group.
Sometimes, group text sending won’t work unless you enable the Group MMS option in the Messages app. To do so, open the Messages app and tap on the three-dot menu, and select Settings. Then, go to Advanced and enable MMS under Group Messaging.
You may need to turn on the auto-retrieve (or auto-download MMS on some devices) option to stop receiving notifications every time a group member answers. You can also check out Best free Android messaging apps for a more feature-rich messaging experience.
How to create groups and send group messages on Samsung phones
If you have a Samsung phone and you use Samsung Messages over Google Messages, you can create groups from within the Contacts app and mass-text them later.
How to Create Groups in the Samsung Contacts App
To send text messages to a group, we’ll first create a group to contact.
Find and select your desired contact from the list. If you accidentally add the wrong contact, tap the red minus icon beside the name to remove the contact from the group. Tap Done to finish.
Note that group texting uses the SMS protocol, so group creators are the only ones who will receive replies from recipients. If you want all recipients in a group conversation to be replied to, you should consider enabling MMS.
Also, note that you can only group texts to up to 20 recipients at a time, regardless of whether you’re using Google Messages or Samsung Messages. If you have more members in your group, you may find these group chat apps for Android more suitable.
And if you’re planning on sending messages to hundreds or more recipients, check out our list of the Best Android Apps for Sending SMS Messages in Bulk.
Is group texting still relevant today?
Absolutely! Many apps can do the job when it comes to group texting, but they may require an internet connection to work. This is in contrast to Google Messages and other SMS apps, which do not require a data connection to send group texts.
Apps like MightyText and Pushbullet for texting from your PC always come up when discussing ways to send SMS messages from your PC. But they limit your monthly texts unless you pay for the expensive Pro subscription. Pulse is one of the best alternative apps for SMS text messaging, which lets you text from your PC, but it costs a few dollars a year.
If you want to stay signed in, enable the Remember this device slider. Then tap Scan QR Code on your phone, and use your device’s camera to scan the code on your PC screen.
Once it’s done, your latest conversations should appear on your PC. Google says they are encrypted and cached in your browser. If you don’t access it for 14 days, Google will automatically sign you out for protection.
You can pair with multiple computers, but only your current one will be active at a time. And since it goes through your phone, it won’t work if your phone is turned off.
For convenience, you can use Chrome to create a proxy app for it on your PC. While on the Messages page, go to Menu > More Tools > Create Shortcut. Give it a name and check Open as window to add a link to it on your taskbar. You can then access your messages in a dedicated window.
If you’re not tied to SMS texting, check out the best messaging apps that work on both your phone and your computer.