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How to leave group text
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I have a 6 person text string going. Including me, its 6. I do not have an option to leave, just hide alerts. Updated to beta 6 and still no option to leave. That sucks. I should mention I do not have iMessage turned on, never have. But I recall that being an option, even with iMessage off, on iOS 11.
If the group is a mix of iPhone and non-iPhone users you can’t.
Is this documented somewhere? I figured you should be able to leave an iMessage group no matter the size.
I don't know if that's the answer either though. In a text with 3 others, 4 total and we all have iPhones. No option to leave either. I guess it's gone....? Just wondering.
It probably is documented, though I can't tell you where.
Try it. Add a fourth friend. Watch your "leave converstation" option activate.
Likewise, if I have a one-on-one iMessage conversation already going with someone, I can't add people to it. A new session and separate conversation must be initiated and the users must be ad
For lack of an actual explanation as to why:
3 or more people: iMessage group chat
2 people : regular iMessage chat
iMessage can't seem to transition between the two for whatever technical reason at least for the time being.
You can see the following scenarios I have with the three same people - three separate conversations, Note the diffs between "add contact" and "leave conversation" in the first two and the lack of both in the third.
These are all iMessage users, no SMS in this group. Screenshots taken on iOS 12 beta 6.
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I can definitely say it has always worked this way for me for as long as I can remember.
It very well could change later. I definitely have not heard of any plans to do so; but you know how Apple doesn't like to show its cards. I really don't think we're going to see it in iOS 12 though.
I just checked a few groups and you are indeed correct. After doing a bit of Googling, I found this and it makes sense that you cannot on the fly convert the 3 group chat to a 2 group chat - esspecially if the two other members already have a one-on-one message, they would not technically have two following you leaving.
https://www.payetteforward.com/iphone-leave-this-conversation-grayed-out-missing-fix/ said:If Leave This Conversation Is Grayed Out
If Leave this Conversation is grayed out on your iPhone, there are only three participants in the iMessage conversation, and you can’t convert a three-person iMessage conversation to an iMessage between two people.
Even if you delete the entire conversation from your iPhone, you will be added back to the group the next time someone sends a message. The only way to leave a three-person iMessage conversation is to add someone else to the group so it becomes a four-person conversation: Then you can leave.
I’m pretty sure FreeState was using iPhone as shorthand for iMessage (ie making the assumption that all iPhone users have iMessage enabled).
It’s an iMessage group if everyone in it is using iMessage and your messages are blue. You can leave these groups- if there are 4 or more, as others have pointed out.
If your messages are green then it’s an MMS group and you can’t leave. My guess is that MMS groups are handled at the carrier level and there is no standard way to leave them. Apple can’t implement or force a way to do it unless carriers support a way to do it, which I guess they don’t.
Sorry if I’m stating the obvious here but I don’t think this clear distinction between iMessage and MMS groups had been made here yet.
Very helpful distinction, thank you GreyOS. However, I remember distinctly a text message string I had been in, with 7 others, discussing fantasy football, one of the guys left the conversation. In fact, it clearly stated in the text string "Mike has left the conversation." This was iOS 11 and I was NOT on iMessage. I'm a phone dork so I switch back and forth between my iPhone and an android device, so I keep iMessage off. And I would imagine not all of the other 7 were using an iPhone either. Although that is strictly speculation. So back to the original question, the iOS 12 betas must've removed leaving text message strings as an option??
No, it’s not a new change in iOS 12; what I described is in their current support document:
https://support.apple.com/en-gb/HT202724
Note when describing iMessage groups it says you can leave them in the final bullet point. For MMS groups it omits that.
I fear you may be misremembering.
[doublepost=1534200984][/doublepost]Perhaps Mike literally texted that message about leaving and just put the conversation on mute?
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Sorry - still confused. "Leave This Conversation" is not available for me - missing from the "info" page. There are 11 people in the conversation. I'm using iPhone 7/IOS 12.2. I have not responded to the thread, so don't know whether this is MMS, SMS, iMessage, what have you, and there is nothing on this screen that gives me that info.
However on the very same message thread, my husband, on his iPhone 6/IOS 11.2.2 has "Leave This Conversation" available. He left the conversation, and I got a notification on my iPhone that he had left the conversation. I do not know how this could be possible. It's very frustrating, as I would like this conversation GONE from my screen forever. "Hide Alerts" does not help, the conversation remains at the top of my screen, as new replies keep it stapled there.
Between the two of us, I have the newer iPhone. However, I also have the current IOS and he does not. Looks to me like this is another feature deletion in an "upgrade." Any insights are welcome.
However on the very same message thread, my husband, on his iPhone 6/IOS 11.2.2 has "Leave This Conversation" available. He left the conversation, and I got a notification on my iPhone that he had left the conversation. I do not know how this could be possible. It's very frustrating, as I would like this conversation GONE from my screen forever. "Hide Alerts" does not help, the conversation remains at the top of my screen, as new replies keep it stapled there.
Between the two of us, I have the newer iPhone. However, I also have the current IOS and he does not. Looks to me like this is another feature deletion in an "upgrade." Any insights are welcome.