iphone

iMessage is developed by Apple for iPhone but it’s not uncommon to see Android users discussing topics such as iMessage group chat Android. In times of need, it’s possible for Android and iPhone users to text each other. That being said, a group chat that includes Android as well as iPhone users is not the same as a group chat that only includes iPhone users. Read to the end to be able to text your contact regardless of the devices they use. 

An Overview Of The Situation

In layman’s terms,  group messaging on iMessage is only available for those who own iPhones. That means there is no way for Android users to make use of iMessage on their phones at the moment. However, it’s important to point out that there is a workaround: text. If some members in your chat group use iPhone while the rest use Android, you could still communicate via MMS/SMS text messages (green bubble) instead of iMessage (blue bubble). 

Note: Keep in mind that all the Android contacts need to be included in the group from the beginning. The reason is that you will not be able to add/remove people in the middle of the conversation. To add/remove someone, you have no choice but to create a whole new iMessage group conversation. 

MMS 

In case you don’t know, MMS messages will go through the devices’ service providers instead of Apple. Therefore, unlike the free iMessages, MMS messages cost money to send. In a group MMS, everyone can: 

• Send and Receive photos, videos
• See all responses from the group 
• Mute notification 

SMS 

Similar to their MMS counterparts, SMS messages will go through the devices’ service providers. However, a few differences exist: SMS messages don’t support multimedia attachments such as pictures and videos. In addition to that,  responses in the group will be sent individually and the recipients can not see other responses in the group. 

Create Group Chat For Android And iPhone Devices

On iPhone

• Step 1: Open Settings, select Messages and turn on MMS Messaging. If you don’t see the option, ask your provider if your plan supports the feature. 
• Step 2: Navigate back to your home screen, open Messages and hit the Compose Icon in the top right corner. 
• Step 3: In the To section, enter numbers and names or use the + icon to add contacts from your list of contacts. Next, tap the Text Message box and start typing in your message. Hit the Send button after you finish. 

On Android

• Step 1: Launch the Message app, choose the Start chat button and select the Create Group option.
• Step 2: Pick contacts you want to add to your group then click Next. 
• Step 3: Set a name for your group chat and click Next. Now, your group is ready so feel free to enter your message as usual and hit Send. 

On Samsung

• Step 1: Open Messages and click the Compose button at the bottom right.
• Step 2: Either add contacts that you want to add to your group manually or click the + icon to pick them. Remember that you could remove a contact by hitting the – icon next to it. 
• Step 3: Type in your message on the chat box and hit the Send button 

What Is An iMessage? 

iMessages are texts, photos, or videos that iPhone users could send to other Apple devices via Wifi as well as mobile Internet connection. iMessages do not require a cellular network to work. Being end-to-end encrypted using dedicated servers, iMessages cannot be read on non-Apple devices including Android. 

What Are MMS And SMS?

• SMS is short for Short Message Service, the oldest type of texting technology and the most used one in the world. Each of the SMS messages is limited to 160 characters and if the message exceeds the limit, the message will be divided into multiple segments. 
• MMS is short for Multimedia Messaging Service. MMS messages could include pictures, videos, audio, and photo contacts. Also, there is no limit. 

Note: Both types are not encrypted and are sent over a cellular network. You only need a wireless plan from cellular carriers to take advantage of SMS and MMS. 

How Many People Can I Add To A Group Chat? 

In an iMessage group chat, you can add up to 25 people and text those people based on the information provided by the Apple Tool Box blog. However, Verizon users can only add 20 people