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Creating contact groups on your iPhone or iPad can help you send group emails and messages with ease. Instead of typing recipients one by one, you can enter the name of the group and everyone will receive your message. Additionally, you can exclude groups of people from Do Not Disturb. However, Apple removed the ability to create contact groups on the iPhone or iPad itself a few iOS updates ago. But don’t worry, you can still create and manage contact groups by using a third-party app or via iCloud on your Mac or PC. In this article, we will guide you through the steps of setting up contact groups on your iPhone, iPad, or Mac.
Option 1: Use a Third-Party App
If you prefer using a third-party app to create and manage your contact groups, you can check out various free options available on the App Store. One such app is “Groups,” which makes it easy to set up contact groups on your iPhone or iPad. Simply tap “Add new group,” give the group a name, and select the relevant contacts. However, please note that groups created in third-party apps may not always sync seamlessly with Apple’s native apps.
Option 2: Set Up Contact Groups in iCloud
A long-term solution for managing your contact groups is to set them up on iCloud on your Mac or PC. This way, the groups you create on iCloud are synced with your iPhone or iPad, and you can use them without any hassle. To do this, follow these steps:
- On your iPhone or iPad, go to the Settings app, tap your name at the top, and select iCloud. Ensure that Contacts have a green slider next to them. If not, tap the slider to activate them.
- On your Mac or PC, sign in to iCloud.com using your Apple ID, and select Contacts.
- You will see a list of all the contacts on your iPhone or iPad. Click the + icon at the bottom of the left pane and select “New group.”
- The new group, “Untitled Group 1,” is created under All Contacts in the left column. Rename it and hit enter to save it.
That’s it! You have created a contact group that syncs with your iPhone or iPad. To delete a group, select it, click the gear icon, and choose “Delete.”
Add and Remove Contacts
Now that we have created the group, it’s time to add contacts to it. To do this, go back to the All Contacts group and select the contacts you want to add. You can add contacts one by one by dragging their names into the new group. Alternatively, you can select multiple contacts by holding down the Cmd button (on Mac), selecting the contacts, and dragging them into the new group. To remove a contact from the group, highlight the group, select the contact you want to delete, click the gear icon, and select “Remove.”
Use the Contact Group
After creating and populating the contact group, it’s time to use it. Launch the Contacts app on your iPhone or iPad and select “Groups” at the top left of the screen. The new group should be listed under iCloud. To view the contacts in the new group, deselect all other groups and select the new group.
You can now send an email to the entire group in one go. Open the Mail app and create a new message. In the “To” field, type the name of the group, and iOS will suggest it. Tap the group to insert all email addresses as recipients. You can also send a message to the group through the Messages app, but please note that it will fetch all listed phone numbers and iMessage addresses, resulting in more recipients than you intended.
Latest FAQs
Can I create contact groups for texting?
Yes, you can create contact groups for texting. Once you have set up a contact group on iCloud or a third-party app, access it via the Messages app, and type in the name of the contact group as the “To” recipient. All group members will receive the message.
Can I reorder contacts in a group on iPhone?
Yes, you can reorder contacts in a group on iPhone by selecting the group and tapping “Edit” in the top right corner. Drag the contact to its new position and click “Done.”