Setup guide · iMessage groups
How to add AI to an iMessage group chat
To add AI to an iMessage group chat, add Cole's number (+1 614 531 8571) to the group like any other contact, then start a message with "Cole" when you want an answer. Cole is an AI assistant from Pocodot that replies inside the group, can post reminders there for everyone, and helps each person with their own email and calendar.
Before you start
- Cole works in iMessage groups, the blue-bubble group chats in Messages on iPhone, iPad and Mac.
- Each person who wants Cole to answer them needs a Pocodot account connected to the phone number they text from. It is free to start, with 150 one-time credits.
- Everyone else can stay in the group, read Cole's replies and keep chatting as usual. Cole does not answer people without an account.
- Cole only receives messages sent after its number joins the group.
Add Cole to your iMessage group in 5 steps
01
Create your Pocodot account
Sign up at pocodot.ai. The free plan gives you 150 one-time credits to try Cole.
02
Connect iMessage from your phone
In your Pocodot dashboard, choose iMessage. Messages opens with a one-time code already typed to Cole's number,
+1 614 531 8571. Send it from the phone number you use in the group, and Cole replies in your private chat.03
Add Cole's number to the group
Open the group in Messages, tap the group name or icons at the top, tap Add and enter Cole's number. Apple only lets you add someone to a group that already has three or more people (Apple's guide). For a smaller chat, start a new group that includes Cole.
04
Start your message with Cole
Write "Cole" in the message, for example:
Cole, remind everyone on Friday at 6pm to bring the deposit. There are no @mentions for Cole in iMessage. A reply to one of Cole's messages also needs the name, unless you are answering a question Cole just asked you, within two minutes.05
Ask the others to connect if they want answers
Anyone in the group who wants Cole to answer them repeats steps 1 and 2 with their own number. Nobody else has to do anything.
Good to know
Cole never leaves a group on its own. To remove it, remove Cole's number from the group in Messages, like any other person.
What you can ask Cole in an iMessage group
Cole answers in the group, so everyone sees the result. A few things that work well:
Reminders for everyone
"Cole, remind everyone on Friday at 6pm to bring the deposit." At that time Cole posts the reminder in the same group.
Quick research
"Cole, which of these three hotels is closest to the station?" Cole looks it up and answers in the group.
Photos, files and voice
In your private chat with Cole, send a photo, a PDF or a voice message and ask about it; Cole transcribes voice and answers in writing. In the group, a voice message reaches Cole only when it answers a question Cole just asked you, so write requests with Cole's name.
Your language
Write in any language. Cole replies in the language you write in.
A page to share
"Cole, make the trip plan a page." Cole turns a plan or list into a page with a link anyone can open.
Your own calendar
"Cole, add dinner on Friday at 7 to my calendar." Cole uses your own connected Google Calendar or Outlook, and asks before anything goes out in your name.
What Cole sees in an iMessage group
Cole answers the messages that use its name. Other messages in the group from people with a Pocodot account are kept as background, at no cost, so Cole can work from what the group already said. Messages from people without an account are not kept.
What a group says stays with that group. Nothing from your private chats or private notes comes into it, and files shared in a chat are kept for 7 days. The full rules are on how Cole works in group chats.
Who pays
Every answer uses credits: a short answer uses a few, longer work uses more. Everyone who asks Cole in the group needs their own Pocodot account with credits left. Each person's answers come from their own credits, unless someone has agreed, when Cole asked them in a private chat, to pay for everyone in the group. Nobody becomes the group's payer without that yes.
The free plan gives you 150 one-time credits. Paid plans start at $19 a month for 2,000 credits. See current plans and limits.
If Cole does not answer
- Check that your message contains the word "Cole". A reply without the name only counts as an answer to a question Cole just asked you.
- Check that you connected iMessage from the same phone number you use in the group.
- Check your credits. Text Cole privately: "how many credits do I have left?"
- This guide covers iMessage groups. We have not tested Cole in SMS or RCS groups that include Android phones.
About Cole
Pocodot makes Cole, an AI assistant you add to WhatsApp, iMessage, Telegram, LINE and Slack, including group chats. Cole handles reminders, email, calendar, research and calls, in private chats and group chats.
Frequently asked questions
Can I add an AI to my iMessage group chat?
Yes. Add Cole's number, +1 614 531 8571, to the group in Messages and start a message with "Cole" when you want an answer. Each person who wants Cole to answer them needs a free Pocodot account connected to the phone number they text from.
Which AI assistant works in iMessage group chats?
Cole by Pocodot works inside iMessage groups through its own phone number. It answers messages that use its name, can post reminders into the group at the time you set, and uses your own connected email and calendar when you ask it to.
Does everyone in the iMessage group need an account?
Only the people who want Cole to answer them. Everyone else can stay in the group, read Cole's replies and keep chatting as usual. Cole does not answer messages from numbers that have no Pocodot account.
Can I @mention Cole in an iMessage group?
There are no @mentions for Cole in iMessage. Write the word "Cole" in your message instead. Replying to one of Cole's messages without its name does not reach Cole, with one exception: when Cole has just asked you a question, you can answer it within two minutes without the name.
Does Cole read every message in my iMessage group?
Cole answers only the messages that use its name. Other messages from people with a Pocodot account are kept as background, at no cost, so Cole can work from what the group already said. Cole never sees messages sent before its number joined the group.
How much does an AI in an iMessage group cost?
Cole is free to start with 150 one-time credits. Paid plans start at $19 a month for 2,000 credits. A short answer uses a few credits; longer work uses more. See current plans.
How do I remove Cole from an iMessage group?
Remove Cole's number from the group in Messages, the same way you remove anyone else. Cole never leaves a group on its own. Apple's rules for removing people from a group apply (Apple's guide).
Free to start
Add Cole to your iMessage group
Sign up, connect iMessage, then add +1 614 531 8571 to the group.