iMessage group chats via API

Building on the iMessage API? Build on iMessage with Flow: one agent for iMessage, WhatsApp and Telegram. New to it? Read the iMessage API guide.

Flow’s group model

Flow is deliberately join-only. Add the line to a group, and your agent can read and reply with text, files, effects and threaded replies. The agent cannot create a group, rename it or change its members.

That boundary is useful for product teams: your agent participates in a conversation people chose to include it in, without becoming a group-management tool. The same agent and tools remain available on WhatsApp and Telegram.

Designing for groups

A group changes what an agent has to think about.

• Who is being addressed. In a one-to-one chat every message is for the agent. In a group, most are not. Decide when the agent speaks. Mentions, a keyword or a direct question are common triggers.
• Who sees the answer. Everyone. Do not reveal one person’s private data, such as an order or an account detail, in a shared chat.
• Whose identity is it. Several people write in one conversation. Do not apply one person’s permissions to the whole group.
• Typing and tapbacks. Keep group interactions lightweight. Use a clear reply rather than relying on a transient UI detail.
• Retries. Use an idempotency key for every send so a retry does not create duplicate messages. Idempotency keys cover the pattern.
• Limits. Group sends still count against your line’s rules. See iMessage API rate limits.

If you need groups

If your agent answers customers, including in groups they add it to, Flow on iMessage fits: the agent can reply in any group the line was added to, and the same agent also answers on WhatsApp and Telegram. Be clear about the limit: Flow’s groups are join-only, so it cannot create a group, rename it or change its members.

Frequently asked questions

Keep reading

All posts: the Flow blog. The Flow docs have the reference.