Collaborate on projects with Messages on iPad

You can send an invitation to collaborate on a project in the Messages app , and everyone in the conversation is added to the document, spreadsheet, or other shared file.

Note: To start collaborating on a project with Messages, you and your recipients must be using iMessage with iOS 16, iPadOS 16, macOS 13, or later, and you must first save the content somewhere it can be accessed by others, such as iCloud Drive. For iPad apps, you may need to turn on iCloud to use their collaboration features: go to Settings > [your name] > iCloud > Show All (below Apps Using iCloud).

Invite people to collaborate

You can invite people to collaborate on a project from another app, and then discuss your content in Messages. Share files from apps like Notes, Freeform, Reminders, Safari, Keynote, Numbers, Pages, and more, as long as you first turn on their collaboration features in iCloud settings and save the content somewhere it can be accessed by others, such as iCloud Drive.

The process for inviting someone to collaborate depends on the app. Here’s one way you might start a collaboration in a supported app:

Select the file you want to share, then tap , or tap Collaborate.
Make sure Collaborate (rather than Send Copy) is selected, then tap the group or individual you want to collaborate with. If you don’t see the group or person listed, tap .
The suggested icons may correspond with groups or individuals with active FaceTime calls or recent Messages conversations.
A Messages conversation opens with the invitation ready to send. Add a note (optional), then tap .

A collaboration invitation to a drawing in Notes, showing Collaborate for the share option and “Only people you invite can edit” as the access and permission setting. Four possible recipients, including a group, form a row below that. The bottom row offers different ways to share the note: AirDrop, Messages, Mail, and Freeform.

After you invite participants in Messages, you can work on the project in the other app and return to the Messages conversation by tapping the Collaborate button in that app.

When someone edits the file, you see updates at the top of the Messages thread. To return to the shared project and see changes, tap an update.

Note: Your participants may need to accept your invitation or join the shared item before they can interact with it or see any updates.

Tip: When you have your Files and Messages open in Split Screen, you can start a collaboration by dragging a file into the new message window and choosing Collaborate in the pop-up menu before sending.)

Collaborate on a project in Messages

After you share your project, you see activity updates at the top of the Messages conversation whenever someone makes an edit.

A group conversation in Messages including a collaboration invitation and updates at the top of the conversation window.

Open the Messages app on your iPad.
Open the conversation that contains the invitation to the project you’ve started collaborating on, then do any of the following to return to the project:
- Tap the file in your conversation to open it.
- If you see an update at the top of the conversation, tap Show.
- Tap the name of your participant or group at the top of the screen, scroll to Collaboration, then tap the shared project.

When you make any changes or edits to the project, your participants get updates in the conversation.

Note: If you add a new person to a group conversation, you have to grant them access to the projects you’re collaborating on. If they’ve been added to the group conversation recently, you can tap a notification at the top of screen to add them. Or invite them to collaborate.

Manage the collaboration and group

The group of people in the Messages collaboration and the group collaborating on the file may not match. For example, you may invite people to collaborate on the file outside of Messages. Or you may have two different groups in Messages, each with its own collaboration conversation.

If you share a project with two or more people in a Messages conversation, you can add or remove participants.

Open the Messages app on your iPad.
Open the conversation you want to manage, then tap the group icon at the top of the conversation to open details about the group’s conversation.
Tap the button showing the participants in the conversation, then do any of the following:
- Add new participants: Scroll to the bottom of the list, tap Add Contact , then add contacts.
  If you started collaborating with just one other person, you must start a new conversation to add people to the collaboration.
  Note: You must add new participants to any files that were shared in the conversation before they joined. As you add participants, a notification appears at the top of the conversation. Tap Show in the notification to review the previously shared files you can add new participants to.
- Remove participants from the conversation: Swipe left on the name of the person you want to remove, then tap Remove.
  Important: The apps where the collaboration happens usually control access to the project. Check participant access in the app itself to remove viewing or editing privileges completely.

When you add someone to a document you’ve shared with others earlier, you have the option of adding them to an existing conversation or keeping the conversations separate. People added to conversations aren’t able to read messages sent before they joined the conversation.

Stop collaborating on a project in Messages

The apps where the collaboration happens usually control access to the project. For example, if you’re collaborating on a document in the Pages app, the Pages settings take precedence over the Messages settings. You can, however, unsend or delete the invitation from the conversation just as you would any other message.

Important: When you delete an invitation from a thread, that conversation is no longer associated with the collaboration, but it doesn’t remove participants from the file. Check participant access in the app to remove viewing or editing privileges completely.

Helpful?

iPad User Guide

Collaborate on projects with Messages on iPad

Invite people to collaborate

Collaborate on a project in Messages

Manage the collaboration and group

Stop collaborating on a project in Messages