Group Message Replies Individually On iPhone In iOS 15?
Group messages not working on iPhone
Are Group Messages not working properly after updating to iOS 15? Group message replies individually in separate threads, for each person from the conversation? This is a common issue that might be carrier related.
Group Messages Not Working In iOS 15
This issue has been signaled to us by Selena:
“Having problems with group messages. They reply individually to each person instead of the group conversation thread. Any advice?”
Although we couldn’t replicate it, I’ve found similar reports on websites like Reddit
“Fingers crossed this fixes the text message forwarding bug where group messages come though as individual threads for each person.”
How To Fix Group Message Replies Individually On iPhone
It’s not clear yet if this is an iOS 15 bug or the issue is carrier related. However, do try the following troubleshooting tips and let us know if anything works:
1. Turn On Group Messaging
Open Messages and check the participants once again. If one of them doesn’t have an iMessage compatible device like iPhone, iPad or Mac the messages will be sent as SMS, and this could lead to replies being sent to individual threads instead of the whole group.
You can use group messaging even in this scenario, but texts will have to use an MMS related feature. This means that participants have to enable both MMS and Group Messaging in Settings -> Messages.
Fact: Group Messaging seems to be a carrier related feature, not available for everyone. If you don’t see the Group Messaging option in Messages, please contact your carrier and ask for support.
2. Use Apple Watch
In some cases the group messages replies individually issue has been fixed by responding to a group message thread from the Apple Watch.
If you own one you can try this out and let us know if it works.
3. Be Patient
In other situations, users have confirmed that the issue has fixed itself after a couple of days. An explanation for this could be a carrier-related (T-Mobile) problem that was preventing group messaging from working properly.
Contact your carrier and ask if they experience any kind of downtime, or just be patient and try to use the feature tomorrow.
Have you managed to fix group messaging not working on iPhone? What carrier are you using? Do you have a better solution? Use the comments section to share your feedback.
Related: Check out more fixes for common iOS 15 Messages issues:
– Messages badge won’t go away
– Messages read status not syncing between devices
My group message or send as sms has disappeared from settings
These are carrier related. Have you changed your cellular plan?
For Group Messaging to be available you need MMS option to be enabled. But if Send as SMS is also not available it means that you’re missing the SIM card or eSIM or your carrier plan has been downgraded. Can you please check and let us know?