Are you looking for a way to engage your friends and family in a fun and interactive way? Look no further than iMessage polls! With iMessage polls, you can create polls with multiple choices and send them to your contacts. Your contacts can then vote on their favorite option, and you can see the results in real time. This can be a great way to get feedback on a variety of topics, from what movie to watch to where to go for dinner. So what are you waiting for? Start creating your own iMessage polls today!
To create an iMessage poll, simply open up an iMessage conversation with the person or group you want to poll. Then, tap on the App Store icon in the bottom left corner of the screen. From there, select the Polls app. Once you have selected the Polls app, you will be able to create a new poll. To do this, simply tap on the “Create a Poll” button. Then, enter your question and add your answer choices. You can add up to 10 answer choices to your poll. Once you have added your question and answer choices, tap on the “Create” button. Your poll will then be sent to the person or group you are messaging. Your contacts will be able to vote on your poll by tapping on their favorite answer choice. You can see the results of your poll in real time by tapping on the “Results” tab.
IMessage polls are a great way to get feedback from your friends and family on a variety of topics. They are easy to create and send, and the results can be viewed in real time. So next time you need to make a decision, why not create an iMessage poll and see what your friends and family think? You may be surprised at the results!
Getting Started: Sending a Poll
Conducting a poll in iMessage is a quick and convenient way to gather opinions from your contacts. Here are the steps to get started:
1. Open a Group Chat or Start a New Group
To initiate a poll, you’ll need to be in a group chat or create a new one. If you’re creating a new group, tap the New Message icon, enter the names or phone numbers of the participants, and tap Create. Once the group is created, you’re ready to proceed with creating the poll.
2. Tap the App Drawer Icon
In the message composition field, locate the App Drawer icon. It’s usually represented by a series of nine dots arranged in a square. Tap the icon to open the App Drawer.
3. Select the Polls App
Within the App Drawer, scroll down until you find the Polls app. Tap on the app icon to launch it.
| Poll Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Multiple Choice | Allows participants to choose multiple options from a list. |
| Single Choice | Limits participants to selecting only one option from the list. |
4. Create the Poll
Enter the question you want to ask in the designated field. Below the question, tap the Add Option button to create options for your poll. You can add up to 10 options for multiple-choice polls and 2 options for single-choice polls.
5. Customize the Poll (Optional)
To customize your poll, tap the Settings icon in the top-right corner. Here, you can configure the following options:
- Allow Multiple Answers: Enable this option for multiple-choice polls to allow participants to select multiple answers.
- Show Results to All: By default, only the poll creator can view the results. Enable this option to make the results visible to all participants.
- Time Limit: Set a time limit for the poll to automatically close after a specified period.
Crafting a Clear Poll Question
Crafting a clear and concise poll question is crucial for gathering accurate and meaningful feedback. Here are some tips to help you craft the perfect question:
1. Define the Purpose
Before you start writing your question, take a moment to define the purpose of the poll. What information are you trying to gather? What decisions will you make based on the results? Having a clear understanding of the poll’s purpose will guide your question formulation.
2. Keep It Simple and Neutral
The question should be easy to understand and avoid bias. Use simple language and avoid using loaded words or leading questions. Instead of asking, “Do you support Candidate A over Candidate B?”, ask, “What is your opinion of Candidate A and Candidate B?”
Avoiding Bias
| Biased Question | Unbiased Question |
|---|---|
| Do you believe in the importance of climate change? | What are your thoughts on the scientific evidence supporting climate change? |
| Are you in favor of banning assault weapons? | What are your views on the potential impact of gun regulation on firearm violence? |
3. Use Closed-Ended Questions
For simplicity and ease of analysis, use closed-ended questions that provide a limited number of response options. This ensures that the participants understand the question and that the results can be easily tabulated. If open-ended questions are necessary, consider adding a comment box for participants to elaborate on their answers.
Adding Options
Start by typing your question into the message field. Then, tap the “Poll” button (the icon with two checkmarks) to the right of the text field. A numbered list will appear with a default option of “Option 1.” To add more options, tap the “+” button next to the last one, and a new one will be added. You can add up to 10 options per poll.
To edit an option, simply tap on it. You can also reorder the options by dragging them up or down the list. To remove an option, swipe it to the left.
Images
You can also add images to your poll options. To do this, tap on the “Image” button next to the “Send” button. This will open your photo gallery. Select the image you want to use, and it will be added to the poll option. You can add up to 5 images per poll.
Multiple Choice vs. Single Choice
By default, polls in iMessage are multiple choice, meaning that users can select more than one option. You can also change this to single choice so that users can only select one option by tapping on the “Multiple Choice” toggle switch below the poll options. This is useful if you want to create a survey or get a definitive answer to a question.
| Question Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Multiple Choice | Users can select multiple options. |
| Single Choice | Users can only select one option. |
Setting Up the Poll Duration
After creating your poll options, you need to specify how long you want the poll to remain open for voting. This duration can range from an hour to a week or even longer, depending on your preference. Here’s a step-by-step guide to set up the poll duration:
Step 1: Open the Poll Settings
Once you have created your poll options, tap on the “Poll Settings” button located at the bottom of the screen.
Step 2: Select the Duration Option
In the “Poll Settings” menu, you will see an option labeled “Duration.” Tap on this option to bring up a list of preset time intervals.
Step 3: Choose a Time Interval
The default time interval for polls is one hour. However, you can choose from various preset options ranging from 1 hour to 1 week. You can also select the “Custom” option to set a specific duration in hours, minutes, or days.
Step 4: Customizing the Duration
If you choose the “Custom” option, you will see three separate fields for setting the duration in hours, minutes, and days. Enter the desired values to set a custom duration for your poll. For example, to set a poll duration of 2 days and 5 hours, enter “2” in the “Days” field and “5” in the “Hours” field.
| Time Interval | Duration |
|---|---|
| Preset options | 1 hour, 2 hours, 3 hours, 1 day, 1 week |
| Custom duration | Set in hours, minutes, or days |
Inviting Participants to the Poll
Once you’ve created your poll, it’s time to invite participants to vote. There are several ways to do this:
1. Share a Link
You can generate a link to your poll and share it with participants via text message, email, or social media. To do this, tap the “Share” button in the poll creation menu and select “Copy Link”.
2. Use a Group Message
If you’re using an iMessage group chat, you can simply paste the poll link into the chat and send it to all participants.
3. Send Individual Messages
You can also send individual messages to each participant with a link to the poll.
4. Post to a Shared Calendar
If the poll is related to an event or schedule, you can post the link to the poll on a shared calendar.
5. Use a Third-Party App
There are several third-party apps that allow you to create and share polls in iMessage. These apps often offer additional features, such as the ability to add images or videos to your poll, or to set a deadline for voting.
| App | Features |
|---|---|
| Poll Everywhere | Add images or videos, set voting deadlines |
| Simple Poll | Create polls quickly and easily |
| Crowdsignal | Advanced polling features for large groups |
Checking Poll Results in Real-time
Once you’ve created a poll, you can track the results in real-time. To do this:
- Open the Messages app and select the conversation where you created the poll.
- Tap on the poll.
- The results of the poll will be displayed in a pop-up window.
- You can see the total number of votes for each option, as well as the percentage of votes each option has received.
- You can also see who has voted for each option.
- To close the pop-up window, tap on the “X” in the upper-right corner.
Real-Time Poll Results
The following table shows how the real-time poll results are displayed:
| Option | Votes | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
| Option 1 | 5 | 50% |
| Option 2 | 3 | 30% |
| Option 3 | 2 | 20% |
As you can see, the table shows the option, the number of votes it has received, and the percentage of votes it has received. You can also see that the options are sorted by the number of votes they have received, with the most popular option at the top.
Ending the Poll
Once you’re satisfied with the results, you can end the poll by tapping on the “End Poll” button located at the bottom of the message thread. By doing this, no further votes will be accepted, and the poll will be closed.
Viewing Results
To view the results of the poll, simply tap on the poll message. The results will be displayed in a bar chart format, showing the number of votes received by each option. Additionally, you can view the percentage of votes received by each option as well.
Additional Details
Here are some additional details about viewing poll results in iMessage:
- Live Updates: The poll results are updated in real-time as votes are cast, so you can see how the poll is progressing as it happens.
- Multiple Devices: You can view the poll results on any of your Apple devices that are signed into your iCloud account.
- Sharing Results: You can share the poll results with others by tapping on the “Share Results” button and selecting the desired sharing method.
- Exporting Data: You can export the poll results to a CSV file by tapping on the “Export Data” button. This can be useful for further analysis or record-keeping.
- Deleting Results: If you no longer need the poll results, you can delete them by tapping on the “Delete Results” button. This will remove the poll results from the message thread.
- Clearing Poll: If you want to start a new poll, you can clear the existing poll by tapping on the “Clear Poll” button. This will remove all votes and options from the poll message.
- Privacy: Poll results are kept private within the iMessage conversation. Only the participants in the conversation can see the results.
- **Keep it simple. **People are more likely to participate in a poll if it’s easy to understand and doesn’t take a lot of time.
- **Use clear and concise language.** Make sure your questions are specific and easy to answer.
- **Offer a variety of options.** Give people a few different options to choose from, so they can find the one that best suits their needs.
- **Set a time limit.** This will help ensure that the poll doesn’t drag on indefinitely.
- **Promote your poll.** Let people know about your poll and encourage them to participate.
- **Use a reputable polling tool.** There are a number of different polling tools available, so make sure you choose one that’s reliable and easy to use.
- **Analyze the results.** Once the poll is closed, take some time to analyze the results. This can help you make informed decisions or get a better sense of what others are thinking.
- **Follow up with participants.** Let people know what the results of the poll were, and thank them for participating.
- **Use polls regularly.** Polling can be a great way to get feedback from your friends and family on a variety of topics. Don’t be afraid to use it often.
- **Have fun!** Polling can be a great way to connect with others, so make sure to have some fun with it.
- Open an iMessage conversation.
- Tap the App Store icon next to the text field.
- Search for “Poll” and select the “Create a Poll” app.
- Enter your question and up to two options.
- Tap “Create” and then send the poll to your conversation.
Utilizing Third-Party Poll Apps
If the built-in options in iMessage don’t meet your needs, you can turn to third-party apps for more advanced polling capabilities. Here are a few popular options:
1. Poll Everywhere
Poll Everywhere is a comprehensive polling tool that lets you create and share polls with your contacts. It offers a variety of question types, including multiple choice, open-ended, and ranked-choice. You can also customize the appearance of your polls and track responses in real time.
2. Slido
Slido is another popular polling app that is specifically designed for use in presentations and webinars. It allows you to create live polls that attendees can participate in using their smartphones. Slido also provides analytics that help you understand how your audience is responding to your polls.
3. SurveyMonkey
SurveyMonkey is a well-known surveying platform that also offers a polling feature. With SurveyMonkey, you can create polls with various question types and share them with your contacts via iMessage. You can also collect and analyze responses to your polls.
| App Name | Key Features |
|---|---|
| Poll Everywhere | Comprehensive polling tool with multiple question types, customization options, and real-time tracking. |
| Slido | Ideal for presentations and webinars, allows live polling with attendee participation via smartphones. |
| SurveyMonkey | Well-known surveying platform with polling capabilities, supports various question types, and offers data analysis. |
How to Do a Poll in iMessage
iMessage is a great way to stay connected with friends and family, and it’s also a great way to get their feedback. If you’re looking to make a decision or just want to get a sense of what others think, creating a poll in iMessage is a quick and easy way to do it.
Here’s how to do it:
Best Practices for Effective Polling
| # | Best Practices |
|---|---|
| 1 | Keep it simple |
| 2 | Use clear and concise language |
| 3 | Offer a variety of options |
| 4 | Set a time limit |
| 5 | Promote your poll |
| 6 | Use a reputable polling tool |
| 7 | Analyze the results |
| 8 | Follow up with participants |
| 9 | Use polls regularly |
| 10 | Have fun! |
