How to change the name and photo of an iPhone group text

If one of your group chats in Apple Messages has become a permanent staple, it’s probably time to give it its own identity. Here’s how you can assign not just a name but a custom image to group texts on an iPhone.

How to name a group text on an iPhone

There’s not much to the renaming process, but there is a big catch: everyone in the group has to be using an Apple device, whether it’s an iPhone, iPad, Mac, or even an iPod touch. Even a single person using SMS/MMS messaging (presumably, on an Android phone) is going to prevent the following steps from working, because renaming is tied to Apple’s iMessage framework.

Here’s what to do:

• Open a Messages conversation with three or more people.
• In iOS 15 or later, tap the group icons at the top. If you’re using iOS 14 or earlier, tap on the group icons and then the Info button.
• Tap Change Name and Photo.
• Enter a group name. Make it memorable — you want a sense of who’s in the group and/or what it’s about. If the conversation is entirely about an upcoming bachelor party, for example, you could name it something like “New Orleans Bachelor Party 2023.”
• Tap Done.

How to add photo to a group text on an iPhone

When using the Change Name and Photo menu above, there are several image options. The Camera button takes a new photo, while the Photos icon lets you use an existing image saved on your device. Alternately you can select text, an emoji, or a Memoji. We’d recommend an emoji over a Memoji, since a cartoon of yourself probably won’t identify a conversation at first glance.

Why can’t I name a group text on my iPhone?

Almost certainly the issue is that someone in the group is using an Android device. When Messages detects that the people in a conversation are signed into Apple accounts, it routs their texts through iMessage, which enables expanded functionality like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger, but is entirely exclusive to Apple devices. Without iMessage, group chats have to default to the SMS/MMS framework all cellular carriers offer.

For that reason, if you’re organizing a group of people on multiple platforms, it’s probably best to stick to a service like Messenger. That’s especially true if you want people to be able to reply from Windows PCs.

Read more: iMessage’s blue bubble vs. green bubble controversy