7 Simple Steps to Create an iMessage Poll

In today’s digital age, instant messaging platforms like iMessage have become indispensable tools for staying connected with friends, family, and colleagues. These platforms offer a plethora of features to enhance communication, and one of the most engaging ones is the ability to create polls. Polls allow you to gather opinions and make collective decisions in a quick and convenient manner. This article will guide you through the simple steps on how to create and conduct a poll in iMessage. Whether you want to plan a social outing, gather feedback on a project, or simply ask your contacts for their thoughts, iMessage polls provide a versatile and interactive way to engage with others.

Before you delve into creating a poll, it’s essential to note that this feature is currently only available on iMessage for iOS devices. To initiate a poll, open an existing conversation or start a new one in the Messages app. Once you’re in the chat window, tap on the App Store icon located next to the text field. From the app drawer that appears, select the “+” button to access the iMessage App Store. Within the App Store, navigate to the “Stickers” category and search for the “Polls” app. Once you’ve located the app, tap on the “Get” button to install it. After the installation is complete, you’ll find the Polls app icon in your iMessage app drawer.

With the Polls app installed, creating a poll is a breeze. Simply tap on the Polls app icon in the app drawer, and you’ll be presented with a blank poll template. Start by entering your poll question in the designated field. Next, add answer options by tapping on the “Add Option” button. You can have up to 10 answer options in a single poll. Once you’ve added all the necessary options, customize the poll further by setting a duration for the poll and allowing multiple votes. When you’re satisfied with your poll settings, tap on the “Create” button to launch the poll in the iMessage conversation. Participants in the conversation will receive a notification about the poll and can cast their votes by simply tapping on their preferred answer option.

Opening the Message App

To initiate a poll in iMessage, you must first access the messaging platform. Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to open the Message app:

Locate the Message App

On your iPhone or iPad, locate the Message app icon. It typically resembles a green speech bubble with a white message bubble inside. By default, it is often positioned on the home screen.
Tap to Open

Once you have found the Message app icon, tap on it to launch the application. The app will open, displaying a list of your recent conversations.
Start a New Conversation (Optional)

If you wish to create a new message thread to conduct your poll, tap the “New Message” button located in the upper-right corner of the screen. This will allow you to select the contacts you want to include in the poll.

Selecting Contacts for the Poll

Now that you know how to create a poll in iMessage, it’s time to choose the contacts you want to participate. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

1. Start a New Group Chat: Open your Messages app and tap the “New Message” icon. Select the contacts you want to add to the poll group.

2. Choose a Poll Option: Once you have added the contacts, tap the “Aa” icon to the left of the text field. From the menu that appears, select “Poll.”

3. Customize the Poll: Enter your poll question and options in the provided fields. You can add up to 10 options.

4. Select Contacts to Participate: By default, all contacts in the group chat will be included in the poll. However, you can selectively choose participants by tapping the “Participants” button in the Poll options.

5. Manage Participants: In the Participants menu, you can remove or add contacts to the poll. To remove a contact, tap the “x” button next to their name. To add a contact, type their name or phone number in the search field and select them when they appear.

6. Start the Poll: Once you have selected the participants, tap the “Send” button to start the poll. The poll will be displayed in the group chat and participants can vote on their preferred options.

Here is a table summarizing the steps for selecting contacts for the poll:

Step	Action
1	Start a new group chat.
2	Choose the Poll option from the Aa menu.
3	Customize the poll question and options.
4	Tap the Participants button to manage participants.
5	Select or remove contacts from the poll.
6	Tap the Send button to start the poll.

Composing the Poll Question

1. Craft a Clear and Concise Question

Begin by formulating a question that is specific and unambiguous, avoiding vague or open-ended language. Keep the question brief, directly addressing the topic you want feedback on.

2. Use Neutral Language

Use language that is free of bias or subjectivity. Avoid using leading or suggestive words that may influence the responses. Aim for neutrality to ensure that all participants have an equal opportunity to express their opinions.

3. Consider Question Format

Determine the best question format for your poll.

Question Format	Description
Multiple Choice	Present a list of options for participants to select from.
Yes/No	Offers two options for participants to choose between: “Yes” or “No”.
Scale	Asks participants to rate something on a numerical scale, typically from 1 to 5.
Open-Ended	Allows participants to provide their own written responses. This format offers more flexibility but may result in more varied answers.

Choose the question format that best aligns with the information you aim to gather and consider the preferences of your target audience.

Setting Poll Options

Once you’ve created your poll, you’ll need to set up the options that people can vote on. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Choose the number of options you want to include.

You can have up to 10 options per poll.

2. Enter the text for each option.

Each option can be up to 25 characters long.

3. Customize the poll settings.

You can choose to allow multiple votes per person, or you can limit each person to one vote. You can also choose to display the results of the poll to all participants, or you can keep them private.

4. Add an (optional) image to your poll.

You can add an image to your poll to make it more visually appealing. To do this, tap on the “Add Image” button and select an image from your library. You can also choose to add a caption to the image.

Here is a table summarizing the steps for setting up your poll options:

Step	Action
1	Choose the number of options you want to include.
2	Enter the text for each option.
3	Customize the poll settings.
4	Add an (optional) image to your poll.

Adding Additional Options

To add extra options to your poll in iMessage, follow these steps:

Tap on the poll you want to edit.
Tap the “Edit” button at the top of the page.
Below your poll question, tap on “Add Option” to create a new option.
Repeat step 3 to add as many options as you like.
If you need to remove an option, tap on the red “X” next to the option you want to delete. This feature is unique to iMessage and allows for more flexibility when creating your polls.

Platform	Option Limit
iMessage	Up to 10 options

Setting Expiration Time

After customizing your poll options, you can set an expiration time to limit the duration of voting. This ensures that the poll remains active only for a specific period, preventing endless votes. Here’s a step-by-step guide:

Once you’ve added your questions and options, tap on the “Expiration” option located at the bottom of the poll window.
You’ll see a list of preset time options: 1 hour, 24 hours, 3 days, and 1 week. These are convenient options for most polls.
If you want to customize the expiration time further, tap on the “Custom” option at the bottom of the list.
A pop-up will appear with a date and time picker. Set the desired expiration date and time using the provided controls.
Once you’re satisfied with the expiration time, tap on the “Done” button to save your settings.
Your poll will now have a set expiration time, and voters will only be able to cast their votes before the deadline. After the expiration time, the poll will automatically close, and the results will be displayed.

Here’s a table summarizing the different expiration time options available:

Option	Description
1 hour	Poll expires 1 hour after being shared.
24 hours	Poll expires 24 hours after being shared.
3 days	Poll expires 3 days after being shared.
1 week	Poll expires 1 week after being shared.
Custom	Allows you to set a specific date and time for the poll to expire.

Sending the Poll

Once you’ve created your poll, it’s time to send it to your friends. Here’s how:

1. Open a New Message

Start by opening a new message thread with the person or group you want to poll.

2. Tap the App Store Icon

In the message composer, tap the App Store icon to open the iMessage App Store.

3. Search for Polls

In the App Store search bar, type “Polls” and select the “Polls” app.

4. Create a New Poll

Tap the “Create New Poll” button to start building your poll.

5. Enter Question and Options

Enter your poll question in the designated field and add your answer options below it.

6. Set Poll Duration (Optional)

If desired, set a duration for your poll by tapping the “Duration” option and selecting a time frame.

7. Customize Poll Settings (Optional)

Tap the “More Options” button to access additional settings, such as:

Allow Multiple Votes: Enable multiple votes from each participant.
Show Vote Counts: Display the number of votes received for each option.
Allow Comments: Let participants add comments to their votes. (Not available on all platforms)
Share Results: Enable the sharing of poll results with participants after the poll has ended.

Once you’ve configured your poll settings, tap “Done” to save them.

Viewing Poll Results

Once you’ve created and sent a poll, you can view the results at any time by opening the message thread that contains the poll.

Check the Poll in the Message Thread

1. Open the Messages app on your iPhone or iPad.
2. Tap on the message thread that contains the poll.
3. The poll will be displayed in the thread, along with the current results and the number of votes cast.

Breakdown of Results

The poll results are displayed in the following format:

Poll Question	Option	Votes	Percentage
Favorite Color?	Red	5	40%
Favorite Color?	Blue	3	25%
Favorite Color?	Green	2	20%
Favorite Color?	Yellow	1	15%

Additional Details

The results are updated in real time as people vote.
You can only vote in a poll once.
If you change your mind, you can tap on the “Change Vote” button to cast a new vote.
You can view the results of a poll even if you didn’t participate.

Viewing Individual Votes

To view the individual votes for a poll, follow these steps:

Open the Messages app and navigate to the conversation containing the poll.
Tap on the poll message.
Tap on the “View Votes” button.

This will open a new screen that shows a list of all the participants in the poll and their votes. You can also see the total number of votes for each option and the percentage of voters who chose each option.

**Details:**

Participant	Vote
John Doe	Option A
Jane Smith	Option B
Bob Jones	Option C

The “View Votes” screen also provides the option to export the voting data to a CSV file. This can be useful if you want to analyze the data further or share it with others.

Closing the Poll

Once you’re done collecting responses, you can close the poll to prevent further voting. Here’s how to do it:

1. Open the Messages conversation where the poll was created.
2. Tap on the poll message.
3. Tap on the “View Poll” button at the bottom of the screen.
4. Tap on the “Close Poll” button.

After you close the poll, the results will be displayed to all participants:

Poll Results
Option	Votes
Option 1	5
Option 2	3
Option 3	1

You can also see who voted for which option by tapping on the “View Details” button at the bottom of the poll results screen.

How to Do a Poll in iMessage

Conducting a poll in iMessage is an efficient way to gather responses from a group of individuals. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you do it:

Open the iMessage conversation where you want to create the poll.
Tap the “App Store” icon next to the text box.
Search for “Polls” and install the Polls app.
Once installed, tap the Polls icon in the iMessage app drawer.
Create your poll by entering a question and response options.
Tap “Create” to send the poll to the conversation.