Create Votes and Polls in iMessage

Well, it’s finally here - you can now create polls in your group chats in iMessage. No more massive conversation threads trying to arrange what day to meet up or what film to watch at the cinema. Polls let everyone vote in real time, and everyone can instantly see the results so you can move forward with your plans.

To make a new poll, just press the plus button in Messages, then choose the new Polls option in iOS 26. By default, you’ll have three choices in your poll, but you can add more or remove them if you like.

For this demo, I want to get some feedback on my new book cover. I’ll just use emojis as the options: fire for “it’s great,” shrug for “it’s okay,” and the poo emoji for… well, you get the idea. Just like sending a normal message, I can send that into my group chat, and as quick as that, people can respond in real time.

I can see Miriam has already voted, and yes Miriam - it does work! I can also vote myself, which is handy if we’re deciding something like what film to see.

You can change a poll at any time by pressing Add Option. Let’s add a heart emoji in case it’s not fire or poo, but just “I really like it.” When a poll is updated, people can vote again, and you can even vote multiple times.

In busy group chats, it might be tricky to see who’s voted and who hasn’t. To check, just long press on the poll and select Poll Details. Here you’ll see who voted, what they chose, and who hasn’t voted yet.

And one last thing - anyone in the group chat can add options to the poll too. It’s not just your poll to control, it’s a collaborative group experience in Messages.

If you want to see what else is new in iOS 26 - and there’s loads in Messages - check out my channel down below for more QuickTips.