iOS 26: How to create a poll in an iPhone group chat

If you're my friend, sorry, but you'll be getting tons of polls from me going forward. Why? Because once iOS 26 is installed, iPhones now let you create group polls in the Messages app. And for me, that'll be the end of sorting through a flurry of texts to decide where I'm going to dinner on Thursday night.

Polls are easy to make and they're conveniently located in the Messages menu that already houses apps like Camera, Photos, Apple Cash and Stickers. The goal is to make planning any group decisions less chaotic — whether those are dining choices, birthday gifts, vacation options or anything else you can think of.

iOS 26 is now available, so anyone with a recent iPhone can create or participate in polls once they've installed it. I'll tell you how to get started. And if you're looking for more cool features coming with Apple's latest operating system, including Liquid Glass, check out these changes to the screenshots process and all the ways to customize your lock screen.

How to create a group chat poll in Messages

It's pretty simple to craft a poll for your group chats. All you have to do is open the Messages app and select a group chat. From here, tap the "plus" button on the left side of the iMessage text box and then select Polls.

A box will open that shows Choice 1, Choice 2 and Choice 3 — you can add up to 12 choices if needed but that seems a bit excessive. Within those boxes, type in the answers your friends can choose from. For instance, it can be the names of restaurants or favorite ice cream flavors.

In the messages box (where it says "Add comment or Send"), type out your question so your friends know what you're asking of them. For instance, "Which restaurant should we go to this evening?" They can then vote for their choice(s) — just note that more than one option can be selected.

The choice with the most votes will appear wider than the rest of the options.

If you find you need to add additional answers later, you can tap Add Choice to edit. Others in the group chat can also add options — it'll show who added each option. For instance, it might say "Added by You" if you contributed or created the poll.

Also, if you have an iPhone with Apple Intelligence (iPhone 15 Pro and newer), it can tell you whether a poll would be useful in your conversations and give you suggestions.

Are the poll answers anonymous?

Nope. Anyone in the group chat can see your answers. Once you and others select an answer, your Apple ID icons will appear next to the choice. At this time, there's not an option to make answers anonymous but it could always change with future iOS updates.

How to see who's voted for what

Trying to look at multiple small Apple IDs to see who's voted isn't the easiest. Fortunately there's another way to see who chose what — or who hasn't voted at all. Just press and hold anywhere on the poll and tap Poll Details. Under each option, it'll list who's placed their votes there. At the bottom, there's a section called "No Votes" that shows everyone who might need a reminder to cast their votes. Unfortunately, tapping their name does nothing so you'll have to call them out in the group chat (or privately).

In iOS 26, you'll also get to change the snooze length on your alarms. Also, the Camera app got a makeover and several new features added.