Overview

Group text messaging in SMS applications is emerging as a transformative tool providing seamless collaboration and connection between members in a group. The group text feature empowers users to engage in dynamic discussions, organize plans as a group, and share updates with multiple individuals simultaneously. This messaging feature offers a platform for real-time interaction that enhances communication efficiency among team members in a group.

Group texting is disabled by default

Group texting is disabled by default in the ConnecttoTeams system to prevent unintentional charges. Group Text messages are typically billed at a higher rate than standard SMS messages by most carriers. If you intend to use Group Texting for your enterprise, contact your ConnecttoTeams Service Provider.

Dependency on Underlying SMS Providers

Note to the Service Provider: Group Texting compatibility varies by carrier. See the full list of supported carriers.

Secure SMS Affects Group Texting

If your organization is Secure SMS enabled and uses the legacy SMS Connector App, the SMS page will not be available and you will have no way to start a new group text. You can still take part in group texting by replying within the relevant Teams channel for the particular group text.

If your organization is Secure SMS enabled and uses the new Unified Connector App, the SMS page will not be available to you but, with the AI support, you can initiate group texting from the app Chat tab. The only limitation is that you cannot start with an MMS, as file attachment is not supported via AI. Once the relevant Teams group chat for the group text is created, you may reply to the group text from there, including attaching files for MMS. This support is included in Portals upgrade 2.18.4

Using Group Text in the SMS Connector App

The Group Texting feature is available through the new Unified Connector App and the legacy SMS Connector App in MS Teams. Group Texting is used to streamline conversations and it allows multiple participants to engage in a single thread offering a dynamic platform for collective interaction among members of the group.

Sending a Group Text Message

To start a new group texting, do the following:

1. Open the embedded SMS page in the app in MS Teams.

2. Click the New Conversation button.
   

   

3. In the Mobile Number field, enter the mobile numbers of the group members.
   When multiple numbers are detected as recipients, the following options display:

   • Broadcast SMS - When this is selected, the message is sent to recipients individually. Each recipient appears as an individual contact in the Recent Conversations tab.

   • Group SMS - When this is selected, a group thread is created for selected group members when the message is sent.
     

     

4. Select Group SMS for the Send Option and do the following:

   1. Enter the group name.

   2. Type the message.
      

      

5. Click the Send icon.

Results:

• A group thread is created for selected group members when the message is sent. The SMS/MMS message is sent as a group text over the SMS carriers. Note that SMS carriers charge group texts at MMS rates.
  

• When using the new Unified Connector App, the created group appears as a group chat in Microsoft Teams. To view the list of participants, click the pinned message within the group chat.
  

• When using the legacy SMS Connector App, the created group appears as a channel in Microsoft Teams. Recipients can reply to the group text directly through the associated Teams channel.
  

  

Notes

When phone numbers that do not support group text are included in the group text message as recipients, the unsupported numbers may still receive the message but not in a group. This is then treated as one-to-one or single messaging instead.

Starting a Group Text via AI (Unified Connector App)

You can also start a group text by simply telling the AI what you want to do in the Chat tab of the Unified Connector App. This is especially useful if you want to quickly fire off a group message without navigating to the embedded SMS page.

Secure SMS users

If your organization has Secure SMS enabled, you were previously unable to start new group texts because the SMS page is restricted. With AI support in the Chat tab, you can now initiate group texts by describing your request in plain English. This removes the previous limitation.

How It Works

Open the Unified Connector App and go to the Chat tab. In the compose message box, type a natural language request describing the group text you want to send. For example:

“Send a group text to +1 555-123-4567, +1 555-987-6543, and +1 555-222-3333 from +1 747-111-2222 saying: Team meeting moved to 3 PM”

“Start a group SMS with +1 555-111-2222 and +1 555-333-4444. Message: Don’t forget to bring your laptops tomorrow. Give alias Group1 to this group text.”

“Text this to a group of +1 555-100-2000, +1 555-300-4000: The project deadline has been extended to Friday”

The AI will identify the phone numbers, compose the group message and send it on your behalf. You’ll receive a confirmation once the group text has been sent. You don’t need to use exact phrasing — just describe what you want in your own words. Once sent, your message will appear as a dedicated Teams group chat for the group text participants.

Important: Do not begin your messages with these words

The Chat tab also supports traditional commands that use the following reserved keywords:

• echo

• help

• invite

• initiate

When using natural language to instruct the AI, do not begin your message with any of these keywords, as the app will interpret it as a traditional command rather than an AI prompt.

In a future update, these reserved keywords will be removed, and the Chat tab will fully support natural language processing for all inputs without restriction.

Important

AI-powered group texting supports SMS (text) messages only. MMS messages (pictures, videos, and other media attachments) cannot be initiated through the AI. To send MMS to a group, use the dedicated Teams group chat created after the group text is established.

Starting a New Group from an Existing SMS Group

When additional numbers are added to an existing group using the + icon or when numbers are removed from the group, and a new message is sent, a fresh group is formed, allowing for the definition of a new group name.

Note: Starting a new group from an existing SMS group requires the embedded SMS page in the app, which is only available to enterprises that do not have Secure SMS enabled. If your organization has Secure SMS enabled, this feature is not available to you.

Do the following example:

1. In the embedded SMS page in the app, open an existing SMS group.
   

   

   In this example, the existing group’s name is Sales Group.

2. Click the + icon, and add new mobile numbers or remove any from existing recipients.
   

   

   The new numbers are added at the end.

3. Enter the name of the new group and type the message to be sent.
   

   

   In this example, the new group name is Support Group.

4. Click the Send icon.

Result: A new group is created with the new group name.

Note

When opting to create a new group with the same set of members from an existing group, the SMS app does not create a new group and still use the detected existing group instead. Messages are sent in the same thread but the group name is updated to the recently defined name of the group.

Managing a Group Conversation

• Group members may change the group name through Change Group Name. The group name is specific to members defining it. The updated group also reflects in the corresponding Teams Channel dedicated to the SMS conversation.

• A group text message thread may also be deleted through Delete Conversation.

Replying to the Group Text from the Embedded SMS Screen

To reply to a group text, you can simply compose your response in the same messaging thread where you received the original message. The response is sent to everyone included in the group.

Do the following:

1. Open the SMS group.
   The group displays the message received.
   

   

2. Type message to be sent to the group.
   

   

3. Click the Send button.

Result: The response is sent as a group text.

Replying to the Group Text via the Teams Group Chat (Unified Connector App)

When using the new Unified Connector App, group texts are represented as a standard group chat in Microsoft Teams. Recipients can simply send a message in the group chat, and it will be delivered as a group text to all participating phone numbers.

Replying to the Group Text via the Teams Channel (Legacy SMS Connector)

When using the legacy SMS Connector App, the group text is represented as a channel in Teams. Recipients may also respond to the group text through the Respond to Message button in the corresponding Teams Channel’s SMS conversation.

Do the following:

1. Open the corresponding Teams channel of the group text.
   

2. Click the Respond to Message button.
   The SMS Composer displays the following window with all the recipients of the group text.
   

3. In the Message textbox, type the response message to be sent.
   

4. Click the Send icon.

Result: The response is sent as a group text.

Extent of Group Text Feature

ConnecttoTeams group texting feature is available in the following components: