Group SMS – how to send a text message to a whole group at once
A group SMS (group text) is a text message sent to several recipients at the same time, where each person gets the message individually without seeing the other recipients' numbers. It is used for quick notices to defined groups such as customers, members, participants or staff.
Practice is canceled, the meeting has moved, the extra shift needs staffing. When a notice has to reach a whole group fast, SMS is unbeatable: it is read within minutes, by almost everyone. The only question is how you send it. From your phone it works for a small group, but the limits show quickly. This guide goes through both ways, what sets them apart and how to do it right as the group grows. Want to test first? The free account in Paloma has 5 SMS to try with.
Group chat, group SMS and bulk SMS are three different things
The words are used interchangeably but describe completely different ways of reaching several people. The difference decides whether the numbers are visible, who sees the replies and how many you can realistically reach.
In a group chat everyone ends up in the same thread. Each person sees the others' numbers and every reply goes to the whole group. It works for the family and the team's parents, but not for customers or members who do not know each other.
A group SMS goes out to many recipients but lands as a separate message with each one. Nobody sees anybody else, and any replies come only to you. That is the form this guide is about.
A bulk SMS send is the same technology but on a larger scale and usually with a marketing purpose, that is, campaigns and offers to the whole customer register. If that is the kind of send you have in mind, there is a separate walkthrough in the guide on bulk SMS, and the strategy behind the channel is described in the guide on SMS marketing.
How to send group SMS from your phone
For a smaller group you can handle it directly in the phone. How well it works differs between Android and iPhone.
Android
Google Messages has a setting that does exactly what you want: each recipient gets their own message and the replies come to you separately. Open the app, go to the settings, on to Advanced and then Group messaging. Choose the mass text option instead of group MMS. Then create a new message and add the recipients.
The menu names vary between manufacturers and Android versions, so look for wording along the lines of mass text or individual messages if the text does not match exactly.
iPhone
iPhone has no equivalent feature. If you add several recipients, a group conversation is created where everyone sees each other, whether it goes as iMessage or SMS. There are workarounds through the Shortcuts app, but they are cumbersome and unreliable for recurring sends.
If you need to send to a group from an iPhone and keep the numbers hidden at the same time, a service in the browser is the practical solution.
When your phone is not enough
The phone works up to a certain point. Four things make it run out as a way of working:
- The numbers risk being exposed. One wrong tap and the whole list is open in a group chat.
- The sender is your private number. The recipient sees an unknown number instead of the organization's name, which lowers both trust and the number of people who read.
- No follow-up. You do not see what has been delivered and which numbers have stopped working.
- No scheduling. A notice that has to go out at seven in the morning requires you to be awake at seven.
The operators also put blocks on many messages in a row from a private subscription, since the pattern resembles spam. The send can then be stopped without you noticing.
Group SMS for businesses, associations and large groups
When you want to reach many customers, members or employees at the same time, you use an SMS service in the browser instead of your phone. This is how the service differs from the phone, point by point.
Recipients: you upload contacts from Excel or a spreadsheet, or let members sign up themselves through a form. There is no practical limit to the number of recipients.
Sender: the organization's name appears as the sender instead of a phone number, so the recipient sees right away who is writing.
Replies: each recipient gets their own message. Replies go only to you, never to the whole group, and can be collected in the web platform or forwarded to a phone.
Timing: you schedule the send for any time you like, for example seven in the morning without being awake yourself.
Follow-up: you see the delivery status per recipient and can clean out numbers that no longer work.
Unsubscribing: anyone who does not want more sends can unsubscribe themselves, and the list is updated automatically.
Cost: you pay per SMS sent. Several services, Paloma among them, have a free account so that you can test before you decide. Paloma's free account includes 5 SMS a month with no time limit.
How to send group SMS from your computer, step by step
With a service in the browser you do the same thing but without the limits. Five steps are enough.
- Gather the group in a list. Upload the numbers from a spreadsheet or let contacts add themselves through a form. Keep the list up to date: old numbers cost money without getting through.
- Write short and concrete. What has happened, when it applies, where, and what the recipient should do. Everything else can be cut.
- Choose a sender name. The organization's name shows in the notification instead of a number. It often decides whether the message is read right away or ignored.
- Send or schedule. Urgent notices go out right away, planned ones are set for a sensible time. Avoid early mornings and late evenings.
- Follow up the delivery. Check that the message got through and clean out numbers that bounce.
The same way of working is described in more detail, for those who want to send regularly, in the walkthrough of SMS sends.
What to write in the message
An SMS holds 160 characters. That sounds like little but is plenty for a notice, provided that you stick to the essentials. Longer messages are split automatically into several parts, and each part costs.
If you use emoji, the message switches character set and the limit drops to 70 characters. It is rarely worth the space in a plain information message.
Three examples that fit:
- Hi! Tonight's 6 pm practice is canceled because of the hall booking. Next session Thursday, same time. /The Club
- Reminder: the annual meeting is tomorrow at 7 pm in the clubhouse. The documents are on the website. Welcome!
- Service notice: our system is down for maintenance 10 pm–midnight tonight. Orders can be placed again after midnight.
Always state the sender in plain text if the sender name does not make it obvious who is writing. The recipient should never have to guess.
What does it cost to send group SMS?
You pay per message sent, not per recipient on the list. A send to eighty people therefore costs eighty SMS, provided that the text fits in one message. If the text is split in two, it becomes one hundred and sixty.
That makes it worth shortening the text before you send, especially to larger groups. One sentence less can halve the cost.
With most services you buy credits in advance that are drawn when you send. Current levels are on the pricing page.
When does group SMS fit best?
The channel is at its strongest when something is time-critical and the recipient needs to know now.
Associations use it for canceled practices, gatherings and notices that must arrive in time. If the notice also has to be sent formally, there is a separate walkthrough of the notice of an annual meeting. For the regular member mailing, email is usually the right channel, and that combination is described in the guide on newsletters for associations.
Businesses send service information to customers, quick notices to staff and requests for staffing. Short text, a clear sender, no attachments.
Events use it for practical information to registered participants, preferably combined with an SMS reminder the day before to reduce the number of no-shows.
Healthcare and service businesses send changed appointment times and notices that must not drown in a full inbox.
GDPR and group SMS
A mobile number is personal data. That does not mean it is complicated, but three things need to be in place.
You need a legal basis. A membership, a customer relationship or consent, depending on what you send. Practical notices to someone you already have a relationship with are easier to justify than pure marketing to a bought list.
The numbers must not be exposed to the other recipients. A proper SMS service solves it automatically, since each message is sent individually. A group chat does the opposite.
It should be easy to opt out. Anyone who does not want more sends should be able to unsubscribe without having to call. The basics of data protection are collected in the guide on what the GDPR means.
Send group SMS with Paloma
In Paloma you send SMS from the same tool as newsletters and events. That means the same contact lists whatever the channel, your own sender name, scheduling and statistics, with data stored on Swedish servers. Paloma is a Swedish platform, built in Hedemora since 2003, with no lock-in period.
The free account includes 5 SMS a month so that you can try the whole flow before you decide. If you need to compare alternatives first, there are six Swedish services side by side in our comparison of SMS services, and a walkthrough of what to look for in the guide on SMS services for businesses.
Create the group
Upload the numbers from Excel or filter out the group from the contact register. Members can also add themselves through a form.
Write the message
Set the organization's name as the sender. Add first names or other fields if needed. An SMS holds 153 characters in Paloma; longer texts are split automatically.
Send or schedule
Urgent notices go out right away, planned ones are set for the right time. Feel free to send a test to yourself first.
Follow up
See the delivery per recipient and clean out numbers that bounce. Unsubscribes are handled automatically.
Frequently asked questions about group SMS
Can you make a group in SMS?
Yes, in two ways. In your phone you create a group conversation where everyone sees each other, which suits family and teams. In an SMS service you create a list or group of recipients and send the same message individually to everyone, without anyone seeing the others. That is the right way for customers, members and staff.
Can the recipients see each other's numbers?
No, not when you send through an SMS service. Each recipient gets an individual message and sees only their own. That is the most important difference from a group chat in your phone, where everyone sees everyone.
Can you send group SMS from a computer?
Yes, and that is the normal way of working when the group is larger than a handful of people. You write the message in the browser, choose which list it should go to and send right away or schedule it.
Where can I find free group SMS?
Several SMS services have free trial accounts. Paloma's free account includes 5 SMS a month with no time limit and no card. For larger groups you pay per SMS sent, since each SMS has a real cost with the operators.
How many can I send to at the same time?
Through a service there is no practical limit; the list can contain tens of thousands of numbers. From your phone it gets sluggish already at twenty to thirty recipients, and the operators can stop the send if the pattern resembles spam.
What does it cost to send group SMS?
You pay per message sent. In Paloma you buy SMS credits that are drawn when you send, with no extra fee for the feature itself, and the free account includes 5 SMS a month.
Can the recipients reply to a group SMS?
It depends on the setting. With a sender name in text, for example The Club, the recipient cannot reply, which is often desirable for plain notices. If you need replies, you use a mobile number as the sender or link to a form. The replies then go only to you, never to the whole group.
What is the difference from a bulk SMS send?
The technology is the same. The difference lies in purpose and scale: a group SMS is usually a notice to a defined group, while bulk sends are about campaigns to the whole register.
Do I need consent to send?
It depends on the content. Practical notices within an existing membership or customer relationship can normally be justified on another basis, while pure marketing sets higher requirements. Check what applies to your particular business before you build the list.
How long can the message be?
An SMS holds 160 characters. Longer texts are split automatically into several parts and each part is charged separately. Emoji lower the limit to 70 characters, since the message then switches character set.
Reach the whole group in a minute
Create a free account and test with 5 SMS a month. The same contact list for SMS, newsletters and events.
Create a free accountThis guide is about group SMS, also called group texting: the difference from group chats and bulk sends, how to send from Android and iPhone, when your phone is not enough, how an SMS service works for businesses, associations and large groups, what it costs and what the GDPR requires. If you want to go further, the guide on bulk SMS and the comparison of SMS services are among our guides.