Quick answer: On iPhone and Android, a normal group text shows everyone’s number, and replies go to the whole group. Your phone has no BCC field for texts. To text a group privately, you have three options: send separate messages, use Android’s “mass text” setting for a small group, or use a mass texting service like TextSpot, where each person gets the message as a private one-to-one text and replies come back only to you.
Send a private group text free 50 message credits, no credit card required.
How to Send a Group Text on iPhone
- Open Messages and tap the compose button.
- In the To: field, type or select each person’s name or number.
- Type your message and tap Send.
That creates a group conversation. Every recipient can see who else is in it, and every reply goes to the whole group. If everyone uses iMessage, it’s an iMessage group. If anyone uses an Android phone, it becomes an MMS group, which works the same way: shared thread, visible numbers.
Can an iPhone hide recipients? No. iPhone has no BCC or “send individually” option for texts. The only built-in way to keep recipients private is to send each person a separate message.
How to Send a Group Text on Android
- Open Google Messages and tap Start chat.
- Tap Create group, add your contacts, and tap Next.
- Type your message and send.
By default this is a group conversation where everyone sees each other. But Google Messages has a setting that sends a group text privately:
- Tap your profile icon → Messages settings → Advanced → Group messaging.
- Choose “Send an SMS reply to all recipients and get individual replies (mass text).”
With mass text on, each person receives the message individually and replies come back only to you, the closest thing a phone has to BCC. Samsung Messages and other Android apps label this differently, and menus change between versions, so test with two contacts before a real send.
Why Your Phone Can’t Hide Recipients (and 3 Ways Around It)
Phone messaging apps are built for conversations. When you add several people, the app assumes you want everyone talking together. That’s great for planning dinner with friends, and a problem when you’re texting customers, parents, or a team who don’t know each other.
1. Send separate messages
Copy your message and send it to each person one at a time. It’s completely private and works on any phone, but it doesn’t scale past a handful of people.
2. Use Android’s “mass text” setting
Fine for a small group of people you know. It still comes from your personal number, there’s no scheduling or opt-out handling, and carriers can filter personal numbers that send the same message to many people.
3. Use a mass texting service
A mass texting service like TextSpot sends from a registered business number. You write one message, pick a list, and each person gets it as a private text, as if they were the only recipient. Nobody sees anyone else’s number, and replies land in your inbox as individual conversations. This is what people mean by “BCC texting.” More on that in BCC text messages.
How to Send a Group Text Without Showing Recipients in TextSpot
1. Set up your number
Create a free account and choose your business number. TextSpot walks you through carrier registration, which U.S. carriers require before business numbers can send at volume.
2. Add your contacts
Upload a CSV or Excel file of people who’ve agreed to hear from you, or let people join by texting a keyword. Organize them into lists such as parents, members, customers, or staff.
3. Write and send your message
Write the message once. Add each person’s first name with merge fields so it reads like a personal text, attach an image with MMS if you want, then send now or schedule it.
4. Reply privately
Every response comes back to your inbox as a one-to-one conversation. Nobody else sees it. If you don’t want replies at all, see one-way group messaging.
Sending to a large list? Our guide to sending a text blast covers list size, costs, and the rules in detail.
Try TextSpot free: 50 message credits, no credit card
Group Text vs. Private Group Text: Which Do You Need?
| Group text (phone) | Private group text (TextSpot) | |
|---|---|---|
| Recipients see each other | Yes | No |
| Replies go to | Everyone | Only you |
| Practical group size | A handful of people | Thousands |
| Scheduling | No | Yes |
| Opt-outs (STOP) | No | Automatic |
| Best for | Friends and family | Businesses, schools, churches, teams |
Group Texting Best Practices
- Say who you are first. Recipients may not have your number saved.
- Keep it short. One point, one action. Texts over 160 characters split into multiple segments.
- Include one clear next step, such as a link, a reply keyword, or a time and place.
- Proofread before you send. You can’t unsend a text to 300 people.
- Send at reasonable hours. For marketing messages, stick to 8 a.m.–9 p.m. in the recipient’s time zone.
- Don’t over-send. Frequent messages lead to ignored texts and opt-outs.
Group Texting Compliance for Businesses
Personal group texts don’t need any of this. Business texts do:
- Get consent first. Marketing texts require prior express written consent under the TCPA. Collect it with a web form, a keyword, or a checkbox, and keep a record.
- Make opting out easy. Contacts must be able to reply STOP to opt out, and you must honor it. TextSpot handles this automatically.
- Register your number. Carriers block unregistered business texting traffic.
- Keep records of consent and messages sent.
This is general information, not legal advice.
FAQ
Can you send a group text without showing all recipients?
Not from an iPhone, and only to a small group on Android using Google Messages’ “mass text” setting. For anything larger, or from a business number, use a mass texting service, which sends each person a private copy.
Can you BCC a text message?
Phones have no BCC field for texts. A mass texting service gives you the same result, because each recipient gets an individual message and can’t see who else received it. See BCC text messages.
How do I send a group text where people can’t reply to everyone?
On Android, turn on “mass text” in Google Messages group settings. On iPhone, send separate messages. With TextSpot, replies always come back only to you, and you can turn replies into private conversations or make the message one-way.
How many people can be in a group text?
Phone group texts are capped by your carrier and messaging app, and they get unwieldy past a handful of people. A mass texting service has no practical limit. You can text your whole opted-in list in one send.
Will recipients know the message went to other people?
Not with TextSpot. The message arrives as a normal one-to-one text. Add their first name and it reads like you wrote it just for them.