From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

On my 20-year-old Samsung dumb phone it is easy to set up a group to
send SMS messages to, and it is very easy to resend such a message to
others.

Is there any way of doing the same thing on an Android phone?

I have a sent message I want to resend to the same or other people --
like a reminder of a regular meeting. On the dumb phone I just mark
Forward, Add Recipients, and can then send it to a named group.

Is there any easy way of doing the same thing on an Android phone?
--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
Web: http://www.khanya.org.za/stevesig.htm
Blog: http://khanya.wordpress.com
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk --- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

On 2026-03-03 06:24, Steve Hayes wrote:

On my 20-year-old Samsung dumb phone it is easy to set up a group to
send SMS messages to, and it is very easy to resend such a message to
others.

Is there any way of doing the same thing on an Android phone?

I have a sent message I want to resend to the same or other people --
like a reminder of a regular meeting. On the dumb phone I just mark
Forward, Add Recipients, and can then send it to a named group.

Is there any easy way of doing the same thing on an Android phone?

Certainly, at least with RCS. You can define a group as such, or just
resend to several recipients.
--
Cheers, Carlos.
ES🇪🇸, EU🇪🇺;
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From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

Carlos E.R. wrote:

Is there any easy way of doing the same thing on an Android phone?

Certainly, at least with RCS. You can define a group as such, or just
resend to several recipients.

Maybe I don't understand the question because I would have thought every
SMS app can create a group just by, well, just by hitting the plus sign.

At least in my PulsSMS (last known good version) that's how it works.
1. I open my SMS app and I hit the (+) button to choose/add recipients
2. I add one or more recipients & when done adding I hit the (->)
3. That creates the group

Likely most other people are on the default SMS messenger & not PulseSMS.
But I would think it works similarly.

So maybe I didn't understand the question.
Is the problem you want to "forward" the conversation to a new group?

For that, on PulseSMS, what I'd do is select it, copy it & send it.
--
When someone asks for help, I invest energy in helping them.
Don't you?
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From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

Steve Hayes wrote:

On my 20-year-old Samsung dumb phone it is easy to set up a group to
send SMS messages to, and it is very easy to resend such a message to
others.

Is there any way of doing the same thing on an Android phone?

A few years ago, Google's default text message app (might have had a
different name back then) tended to "promote" SMS to MMS, because the
American developers didn't realise they cost more in other countries.

Now Google Messages makes it easy, add multiple phone numbers to a conversation, and it'll offer to save the group with a name (that's
private to you) works with SMS or RCS ...

--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

Maria Sophia wrote:

Maybe I don't understand the question because I would have thought every
SMS app can create a group just by, well, just by hitting the plus sign.

I saw Andy's post which clarified it was about SMS not doing groups by
default, but my PulseSMS has an option for that. Let me look...
PulseSMS > MMS Configuration > Use Group MMS = on/off
When disabled, group messages will be sent out as
individual SMS to each of the recipients.

There's also an option to send long SMS messages as MMS called
PulseSMS > MMS Configuration > Convert to MMS = on/off
Long messages will be sent as MMS instead of individual SMS...
(_)Never
(_)After one message
(_)After two messages
(o)After three messages
(_)After four messages
--
I'm never afraid to say what I don't know or what I do know as my ego isn't tied to pretending otherwise, unlike most people, who are always afraid.
--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

Maria Sophia wrote:

PulseSMS has an option for that. Let me look... PulseSMS > MMS
Configuration > Use Group MMS = on/off
 When disabled, group messages will be sent out as
 individual SMS to each of the recipients.

I don't think replies from the recipients go to other group members,
unless it's converted to MMS, so conversations tend to get fragmented.
--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

On 03/03/2026 05:24, Steve Hayes wrote:

On my 20-year-old Samsung dumb phone it is easy to set up a group to
send SMS messages to, and it is very easy to resend such a message to
others.

Is there any way of doing the same thing on an Android phone?

I have a sent message I want to resend to the same or other people --
like a reminder of a regular meeting. On the dumb phone I just mark
Forward, Add Recipients, and can then send it to a named group.

Is there any easy way of doing the same thing on an Android phone?

I think you will need all the numbers to be in your contacts, but yes - it's
possible, but probably quite different to how you do it already.
--
--
A PICKER OF UNCONSIDERED TRIFLES
--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

On Tue, 3 Mar 2026 09:17:10 +0000, Andy Burns <[email protected]>
wrote:

Steve Hayes wrote:

On my 20-year-old Samsung dumb phone it is easy to set up a group to
send SMS messages to, and it is very easy to resend such a message to
others.

Is there any way of doing the same thing on an Android phone?

A few years ago, Google's default text message app (might have had a >different name back then) tended to "promote" SMS to MMS, because the >American developers didn't realise they cost more in other countries.

Now Google Messages makes it easy, add multiple phone numbers to a >conversation, and it'll offer to save the group with a name (that's
private to you) works with SMS or RCS ...

I've never seen it offer to save the group with a name. That would be
a useful start.
--
Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
Web: http://www.khanya.org.za/stevesig.htm
Blog: http://khanya.wordpress.com
E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk --- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

Steve Hayes wrote:

Now Google Messages makes it easy, add multiple phone numbers to a >>conversation, and it'll offer to save the group with a name (that's >>private to you) works with SMS or RCS ...

I've never seen it offer to save the group with a name. That would be
a useful start.

Funny story... after testing all the known free SMS/MMS messenger apps long ago, I've been using (the last known good version of) PulseSMS as my
SMS/MMS messenger which has always had the ability to name a conversation.
<https://home.pulsesms.app/overview/>

Since the only way to store contact privately is to keep them out of the contacts sqlite database, those named conversations were my contacts too.

If I wanted to call or text someone, I'd just search for them in PulseSMS.
I'd hit the phone icon to call them, or the text icon to message them.

Recently though, I've started porting those "contacts" from PulseSMS named conversations to the F-Droid DOpen Contacts privacy-aware contacts app.
*DOpen Contacts* (Dialer + Open Contacts)
<https://f-droid.org/en/packages/opencontacts.open.com.opencontacts/>
<https://gitlab.com/sultanahamer/OpenContacts> debug APK available
"Even though we are not having any problem sharing our mobile number
with all third parties, people in our phone book might have.
We should not be sharing their contact information online.
This app saves contacts in its own database separate from android
contacts. This way no other app would be able to access contacts.
Can be used in place of your default phone(dialer) app.
It can import contacts from vCard files.
So we can export Android contacts and import into this app.
Maintains call log as well.
Also shows the person's name upon receiving call"

It's used by people who are courteous to others because it stores the
contacts in its own sandboxed database that can't be uploaded by apps.

All this is simply to opine that being able to name a group seems to me to
be one of the basic things that any decent MMS app should be able to do.
--
Most people know three of the million things they should know about
privacy, where some people design privacy into everything they do.
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From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

Steve Hayes wrote:

I've never seen it offer to save the group with a name. That would be
a useful start.

What SMS app are you using?

On mine (Google Messages v20260217_00_rc01)

I click "start chat", the first field is to: where I can enter (or pick) contact names or numbers, and immediately below that is a "create group" button ...

--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

Andy Burns wrote:

What SMS app are you using?

On mine (Google Messages v20260217_00_rc01)

I click "start chat", the first field is to: where I can enter (or pick) contact names or numbers, and immediately below that is a "create group" button ...

I ran some research, which, if correct, means the only client that will
work for most people is Google Messages with RCS enabled, and where
EVERYONE on each of the groups has RCS enabled (and a few other caveats).

Newsgroups: comp.mobile.android
Subject: PSA: Which standard text-messenger (SMS/MMS) apps can name any conversation?
Date: Tue, 3 Mar 2026 19:55:19 -0800
Message-ID: <10o8af8$d9n$[email protected]>

Just a side note that it works for me on (the last known good version of) PulseSMS, but most people aren't using PulseSMS like I do.

So, for most people, the "only" one that I think will work, is Google
Messages, and even then, there is a list of caveats that must be checked.
--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

Maria Sophia wrote:

for most people, the "only" one that I think will work, is Google
Messages, and even then, there is a list of caveats that must be checked.

Sounds likely, how old does an iPhone have to be, for it not to support
RCS, do they enable RCS by default?
--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

Andy Burns wrote:

for most people, the "only" one that I think will work, is Google
Messages, and even then, there is a list of caveats that must be checked.

Sounds likely, how old does an iPhone have to be, for it not to support
RCS, do they enable RCS by default?

Thanks for all your information about RCS group naming as I don't use RCS.

I get "most" of what's in RCS with PulseSMS, but of course, they're
different things altogether, but I do get group and individual naming.

RCS came with iOS 18, released in 2024.
Any iPhone that can run iOS 18 supports RCS such as the iPhone 11.
But none of the X iPhones support iOS 18, hence they don't have RCS.

RCS is NOT enabled by default on iOS.
Settings -> Apps -> Messages -> RCS Messaging
<https://support.apple.com/en-us/122195>

Caveats:
RCS only activates when messaging non-iMessage devices (e.g., Android).
RCS messages still appear as green bubbles, just like SMS/MMS.
Apple added RCS in iOS 18 (2024) & expanded features in iOS 18.1+
--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2

From Newsgroup: comp.mobile.android

Maria Sophia wrote:

RCS is NOT enabled by default on iOS.
Settings -> Apps -> Messages -> RCS Messaging

More or less what I suspected; most of my contacts use android, the
techie iphone users have enabled RCS, I'm not sure if the others have
iphones that are too ancient, are unaware that RCS exists, or don't know
where to turn it on ...
--- Synchronet 3.21d-Linux NewsLink 1.2