iOS 26 introduces a new feature to iMessage that simplifies group planning. You can now create polls directly inside conversations, making it easier to reach decisions without endless back-and-forth messages. Whether you are choosing where to eat, agreeing on a meeting time, or planning a trip, polls help keep everything organized in one place.
Polls in Messages are interactive, easy to use, and built right into the app. Once you send one, everyone in the chat can vote, add their own choices if needed, and view results in real time. Votes are not anonymous, so you can see exactly who voted for what, and poll details let you check who still has not participated.
Here is how to create a poll in iMessage on iPhone with iOS 26:
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Open the Messages app and enter a conversation.
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Tap the plus (+) button to the left of the text box.
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Select Polls from the menu.
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A poll template will appear with Choice 1, Choice 2, and Choice 3. Tap into each field to add your options. Press Return to move to the next line. You can have between 2 and 12 choices.
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Type a question or message if you want to add more context.
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Send the poll to the group.
Once the poll is live, anyone in the chat can tap to cast their vote. Multiple options can be selected, but each participant can only vote once per option. This means a poll can end up with more total votes than the number of people in the chat. Recipients can also add their own options if the creator did not include them, as long as the 12-option limit has not been reached.
Votes are displayed visually like a bar graph, with the most popular choices standing out at a glance. Each vote shows the Apple ID image of the person who selected it, so results are always transparent. You can also long-press on a poll and tap Poll Details to see a breakdown of who voted for each option and who has not yet participated. Poll creators can close voting at any time when a decision has been reached.
By making polls a built-in feature of iMessage, iOS 26 turns group chats into a more practical space for planning, eliminating the need for outside apps and helping friends and families coordinate plans faster.
