How to Make an iMessage Group Text Mockup

An iMessage group text mockup should make it easy to tell who sent each message. The outgoing blue bubbles identify the phone owner; names identify the other speakers. In this starter, a group accidentally plans a surprise party in front of the birthday guest.

1. Maya: What is our excuse to get Riley out?
2. Leo: Tell them the Wi-Fi is broken.
3. Maya: Perfect. Then we decorate.
4. You: Riley here. I can bring a router.

How to make the group text mockup

1. Open the birthday example. Choose Edit this script above. It loads iMessage group mode with Maya and Leo as incoming speakers and Riley on the outgoing side. You can also choose iMessage on the group chat maker, then select Group in the contact settings.
2. Name the thread. Open Group Info and change Group Name. “Saturday plans” keeps the surprise hidden better than “Riley’s surprise party.” Keep the name short enough to fit in the header.
3. Edit the participants. Under Participants, rename the incoming people or enter a new name in Add participant... and press Enter. Use their avatar controls to change their pictures. The outgoing phone owner does not need a separate entry in this list.
4. Edit the messages and assign the speakers. In Messages, replace each line, then click the sender name beside it to choose who speaks. Keep Riley’s final reply outgoing in this version; that is how the reader knows the guest is seeing the conversation on their own phone.
5. Add an optional Tapback. Open a message’s reaction control and choose an iMessage Tapback. Try one on the Wi-Fi excuse to replace a separate “good idea” reply. Check that it stays attached to the intended message and does not distract from Riley’s interruption.
6. Check the subtitle, times, and appearance. If you customize the group subtitle, make sure its names or member count match the cast. Click a timestamp to open Edit date & time. Choose light or dark chat appearance and check the preview.
7. Choose the format and export. Use Screen only for a display without a device frame, Phone mockup for a framed phone, or Vertical for a 9:16 composition. Open Export, choose Download PNG screenshot, and inspect the downloaded file for clipped names or a missing final reply.

PNG downloads are free without an account. Video export requires Pro.

Keep a larger group easy to follow

Give each person a different role. In the birthday scene, the planner asks, the helper supplies an excuse, and the guest interrupts. Adding more people who only say “okay” makes the screenshot taller without adding to the joke.

Decide whose phone the viewer is seeing before rewriting the scene. If you move the birthday guest to the incoming side, update the surrounding messages so the perspective still makes sense.

Turn the screenshot into a video

Message timestamps show when the fictional exchange happens; playback delays control the animation. Add extra reading time where the guest’s final reply changes the meaning, then follow the video tutorial to export it.

For a private blue-bubble conversation, use the iMessage generator and the general iMessage guide. The WhatsApp group tutorial covers a similar workflow in another platform style.

Before you share

Use fictional names or approved identities and present the result as a skit or mockup. It does not create an Apple Messages thread or send a text.

Give every bubble a speaker

Load a group scene, edit the cast, and export an iPhone-style mockup.

Open iMessage Generator