# Planning a family get-together in a group chat

> Pick a day without forty messages, keep the side chats out of the way, and put the plan in everyone's calendar. Polls, plans and threads on Philos.

By Suhail (One of the people who make Philos) · Published 30 Sept 2026 · 2 min read
Section: Guides · Topics: Family
Source: https://getphilos.com/blog/plan-a-get-together-in-chats

## In short

- Start a group from Chats and add people from your space, or pick a Circle to add its people in one go.
- Ask a poll to find the day. People pick every choice that works, and you see names, not counts.
- Make a plan with what, when and where. Everyone can add it to their calendar, in their own time zone.

You know the thread. "Sunday?" "Can't do Sunday." "What about the 14th?" "Which month?" Forty messages later, half the family has muted it and nobody is sure where lunch is.

Here's how to plan the same lunch on Philos in four moves, with fewer messages and nothing lost.

## 1. Start the group

1. In **Chats**, tap **+** and choose **New group**.
2. Give it a name everyone will recognise, like **Sunday lunch**, and add a photo if you like. There's room for what it's for, too: "Saturdays, trips and everything in between."
3. Add people from your space. Tip: pick a Circle, such as Family, and Philos adds its people for you. The Circle stays private: nobody in the group sees it.

Each person joins when they say yes. If they choose **Not now**, nobody is told.

![A Philos group chat called Sunday lunch, where Sonia invites everyone and Harshit, Rio and Suhail say what they'll bring](https://getphilos.com/_image?href=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.getphilos.com%2Fv1%2Fcms%2Fimages%2F448ef01eebf2c2fe21059e56d9735f3036d0c7ebbcbac5e54195d7c6c0b4b71c.webp&w=1080&h=2348&q=78&f=webp)

*Who brings what, settled in a few messages.*

## 2. Find the day with a poll

In the group, tap **+** next to the message field and choose **Poll**. Philos calls it **Decide together**.

1. Write the question: "Which Sunday works?"
2. Add the choices: three dates is plenty.
3. Tap **Ask**.

Everyone picks **all that work for them**, so the best day shows itself. There are no counts, just names: tap **See who picked what** to see that Grandma can do the 14th but not the 21st.

## 3. Make it a plan

Once the day is clear, turn it into a plan: tap **+**, choose **Plan**, and fill in **What** ("Grandma's 80th lunch"), **When**, and **Where** if you know it.

The plan sits in the chat where everyone can find it later in Search. Anyone can tap **Add to Calendar**. If your brother lives in Lisbon, an hour behind, he sees the time where you set it as well as his own, so he knows exactly when to call in.

## 4. Keep the side chats in threads

Someone wants to argue about the cake. Fine, but not in the main chat. Hold their message and tap **Reply in thread**. Replies there stay in the thread and don't appear in the main chat, so the plan stays easy to find.

## Two more tools worth knowing

- **Pin the essentials.** Hold the plan or the address and tap **Pin**. Up to three pins, and everyone in the group sees them.
- **Mention someone who's gone quiet.** Type **@** and their name. A mention reaches them even if they've muted the group.

**Groups on Philos**

- Up to 25 people: you and 24 others.
- In a group, people see each other's names and messages, nothing else.
- Joining a group doesn't add anyone to your space.
- Nothing sent in a group can be forwarded.

## Questions people ask

### Can someone outside my 49 join our group?

You invite people from your space to a group. Joining a group doesn't add anyone to anyone's space. In the group, people see each other's names and messages, nothing else.

### How many people can be in a group?

Up to 25: you and 24 others.

### Can messages from the group be forwarded?

No. Only people in the group see what's sent there, and nothing can be forwarded.

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© 2026 Philos. From the Philos blog: https://getphilos.com/blog/plan-a-get-together-in-chats