What a contact group is and why you'd use one

A contact group is a folder inside the Contacts app that holds multiple people under one name. Instead of typing ten email addresses one by one, you type the group name once and the message goes to everyone in it. Groups work with email, text messages, and FaceTime calls — though the behavior differs slightly depending on which one you use.

The most common reason to create a group is to send the same message to several people at once without having to add each address individually. A family group, a work team, a book club, or a carpool group all save time when you're sending something to the same set of people repeatedly.

iPhone groups live in the Contacts app and sync across your devices if you use iCloud. That means a group you create on your phone appears on your iPad and Mac automatically, as long as they're signed into the same Apple ID.

Key Takeaways

  • Contact groups are created inside the Contacts app by tapping Edit, then the plus sign, then selecting Add to Existing Contact.
  • You add people to a group by opening the group, tapping Edit, then tapping the plus sign and choosing contacts one by one.
  • Groups work with email and FaceTime but behave differently with text messages — some phones treat a group text as a conversation with multiple people rather than a single message to a group.
  • Groups sync automatically across your iPhone, iPad, and Mac if you use iCloud, so you only create them once.
  • You can rename or delete a group at any time by opening it, tapping Edit, then tapping the group name or the red delete button.

How to create a new group from scratch

Open the Contacts app on your iPhone. Tap the Groups button in the upper left corner — it appears as a small icon that looks like two overlapping circles. If you don't see it, you're already inside a contact card; tap Contacts at the top left to go back to the main list.

Tap the plus sign in the upper right corner. A menu appears with two options: "New Group" and "Add to Existing Contact". Choose "New Group". A text field appears asking you to name the group. Type the name you want — "Family", "Work Team", "Carpool", or whatever describes the people you're about to add. Tap Save.

The group now exists but is empty. You'll see it listed in your Groups view. To add people to it, tap the group name to open it, then tap Edit in the upper right corner. Tap the plus sign that appears, and your full contact list opens. Tap each person you want to add to the group — a checkmark appears next to their name when selected. Tap Done when you've chosen everyone.

Adding people to an existing group

If you already have a group and want to add more people to it, open the Contacts app and tap Groups in the upper left. Find the group in the list and tap it to open it. Tap Edit in the upper right corner.

Tap the plus sign. Your contact list appears. Scroll through and tap the name of each person you want to add — they'll show a checkmark when selected. You can add one person or many at once. Tap Done when finished, then tap Done again to save the changes to the group.

If a contact doesn't exist yet, you'll need to create it first before you can add it to a group. Open Contacts, tap the plus sign in the upper right, fill in the person's name and email or phone number, tap Done, then go back and add them to your group using the steps above.

Sending messages to your group

To send an email to your group, open Mail, tap the compose button (pencil and paper icon), and tap in the "To" field. Start typing the group name — it appears as a suggestion. Tap it to add the whole group at once. Type your message and send normally.

Text messages to groups work differently depending on your phone and the other people's phones. If everyone has an iPhone and iMessage is turned on, tapping a group name in Messages creates a group conversation where everyone can see replies. If anyone has an Android phone or iMessage is off, the message may send to each person individually instead of as a true group message. There's no way to control this from your end — it depends on the recipients' devices.

FaceTime calls to a group work the same way as email: open FaceTime, tap the plus sign to start a new call, tap in the "To" field, type the group name, and tap it when it appears. Everyone in the group receives an invitation to join the call.

Editing or removing people from a group

To remove someone from a group, open Contacts, tap Groups, tap the group name, then tap Edit. Find the person you want to remove and tap the red minus sign next to their name. Tap Delete to confirm. Tap Done twice to save.

To rename a group, open it, tap Edit, then tap the group name at the top of the screen. The name field becomes editable. Type the new name and tap Done twice.

To delete an entire group, open it, tap Edit, then scroll to the very bottom and tap Delete Group (in red). Confirm by tapping Delete Group again. Deleting a group does not delete the contacts inside it — only the group itself disappears.

Syncing groups across your devices

If you're signed into iCloud on your iPhone, any group you create syncs automatically to your iPad and Mac. You don't have to do anything — the group appears on those devices within a few minutes. If you create a group on your Mac or iPad, it shows up on your iPhone the same way.

If you're not using iCloud, groups stay only on the device where you created them. To check if iCloud is on, go to Settings, tap your name at the top, tap iCloud, and look for Contacts. If the toggle is green, iCloud is syncing your contacts and groups. If it's gray, turn it on by tapping it.

If you switch to a new iPhone, groups transfer automatically during setup if you restore from an iCloud backup or sign into the same Apple ID. If you set up as a new phone without restoring a backup, you'll need to recreate your groups on the new device.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I create a group inside a group?

No. iPhone Contacts doesn't support nested groups — a group can only contain individual contacts, not other groups. If you need to organize groups further, you'll have to create separate groups with descriptive names instead.

Why doesn't my group show up when I try to send a text?

Groups work reliably with email and FaceTime, but text message support is limited. If you're trying to text a group and it doesn't appear as an option, your phone may not support group SMS in that context. Email is the most reliable way to reach a group at once.

What happens to a group if I delete one of the contacts in it?

The group stays, but that person's name disappears from it. Deleting a contact removes them from all groups they were in, but the group itself remains and you can add other people to it.

Can I share a group with someone else?

Not directly through the Contacts app. You can tell someone the names of the people in your group, but there's no built-in way to send them the group itself. They would need to create their own group and add the same contacts.

Do I need to pay for contact groups?

No. Contact groups are a built-in feature of iPhone and Contacts, included at no cost. You don't need any subscription or extra app to use them.