Image: MASHABLE COMPOSITE, MERIEL JANE WAISSMAN / GETTY CREATIVE
Anyone who’s gotten stuck in an unwanted group text knows how terrible it can be. Your phone blows up uncontrollably, and all you can do is hope the thread eventually quiets down.
For the longest time, the only way to leave a group text was to block your friends or flat-out tell them to stop texting you. Luckily, Apple added support way back in iOS 8 to easily remove yourself from an iMessage Group, and it’s still here in iOS 12.
Android doesn’t have an iMessage equivalent (at least not one that’s universal, though that might be changing with Chat), but in that ecosystem it’s as simple as deleting the message.
Below, we’ll walk you through how to opt-out of a group text on your iOS and Android devices.
1. Open the group text you want to leave
First step is to open the Messages app in iOS and select the Group messaged you’d like to leave.
2. Select the ‘Info’ button
You’ll want to tap right under the status bar on the images or initials of those in the Group chat. This will open a new drop-down menu, and you’ll select the ‘info’ button
3. Select “Leave this Conversation”
Taping the “info” button will bring you to the details section. Just select “Leave this Conversation” at the bottom of the screen, and you will be removed.
If that option is gray, it means someone in the group text does not have iMessage on or is running the latest version of iOS. If that’s the case, you won’t be able to leave the conversation. The workaround is either to delete the message or mute notifications by enabling selecting “Hide Alerts.”
How to leave group texts on Android
For Android users, since there isn’t really an iMessage equivalent, you’ll need to delete the group message. Unfortunately, this won’t technically remove you from the conversation and messages will still come through (more a temporary relief).
If there’s just one major offender on the group text, you may need to just block that particular person, but it won’t remove you from the conversation. However, you should have multiple options for muting the conversation so you’re not pinged on it every damn time.
