
06 May 2026
You want to text five people at once. Maybe it's the family WhatsApp alternative, or maybe for coordinating a trip. Or maybe you just need everyone to know dinner is at 7. It's not hard to send a text to different people at once.
You can create a group text on Android. And trust me, it's very simple. In this guide, I will discuss how to create a group text on your Android phone and discuss some group text features.
Well, group text and group chat on Android are different. It's not a huge difference, but it still matters.
Group text uses the mobile network to operate. Everyone can see everyone's replies in one shared thread. It's generally available on every Android phone.
Group chat is generally available on a few devices. Read receipts, typing bubbles, better photo quality. It works great, but only when everyone in the group has RCS switched on.
Most Android phones use Google Messages these days. Pixel phones, Motorola, and newer Samsung Galaxy phones have this app. Here are the steps to create a group text on Google Messages.
Newer Galaxy phones, S23, S24, that era have Google Messages. If you have it, just follow the steps above.
Samsung is slightly different from other Android devices. You can say it's a little more annoying.
The older Samsung has two steps for the Samsung Messages.
The second step includes:
Once your group is saved in Contacts, you can reuse it without rebuilding it every time, which is handy. In Samsung Messages, when someone replies to your group text, that reply comes back to you only. The other people in the group don't see it.
Group text not sending, it happens to everyone at some point. Messages just don't go through as a group, or they arrive as individual texts. It may happen due to the following reasons.
In Google Messages:
MMS needs it even on Wi-Fi. This trips people up constantly. You're connected to your home network, assume everything works, but MMS quietly fails because mobile data is toggled off. If you're traveling internationally and facing this issue, an eSIM data plan keeps your mobile data active without relying on roaming. You can read more about what is data roaming and why it affects MMS delivery.
In Google Messages, you can add someone to the group who was left out.
In Samsung Messages, you can follow these steps.
If you add someone without RCS to an RCS group, the whole conversation converts to MMS. Slightly annoying.
Muting is the most underrated feature.
Messages still arrive, and you will just stop getting buzzed.
To leave the group text on Google Messages, you can follow these steps.
Samsung Messages SMS groups don't actually have a proper Leave option. You can only delete the conversation from your end, but the group keeps going.
You will require the data connection for RCS. They run over mobile data, the same as WhatsApp and other internet-based apps.
Standard MMS group texts are the problem. MMS routes through your home carrier, not your data plan. So if you're travelling abroad on an eSIM and someone adds you to an MMS group thread, it might not go through because MMS needs your actual carrier connection. To understand this better, our guide on how to receive an SMS on eSIM explains exactly how carrier messaging works with eSIM profiles.
To use an eSIM and a physical SIM card, use a dual SIM device. Keep your home SIM active for calls and carrier services, use eSIM for data. If you are unsure whether your Android device supports eSIM, check our guide on how to install eSIM on Android before getting started.
For eSIM data connection, Yaalo is an ideal option. It is the global eSIM carrier that offers eSIM cards for 200+ countries. Each plan costs a few dollars with instant connection assurance. Browse Yaalo's eSIM plans and find the right one for your next trip.
Group texting on Android is fine once you know the two or three things that actually matter. Which app you're on, whether MMS is enabled, and what the 20-person limit means for larger groups.
The Create group button, the MMS setting, and the Samsung two-step process, once you've done it once, it's just muscle memory.
It's because Samsung Messages SMS groups work like a broadcast. The replies come back to you only. The other people in the group don't see each other's responses.
Yes, MMS group texts run over your carrier network. It doesn't require the internet. MMS needs that carrier pathway to work.
You can add only twenty people. That's the limit for both Google Messages and Samsung Messages. WhatsApp or Telegram is a better platform for bigger groups.
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© 2026 Yaalo.All Rights Reserved