How The Heck Does Group Texting Work?
When a group text message is sent out, it’s my understanding that everyone in that group can see the other recipients’ phone numbers and get the subsequent replies that are sent. Or can they? Cue suspenseful music…
Something as simple as a text becomes very complicated when you decide to send it to a group of people. Part of that complication has to do with the phone operating software (Android, Blackberry OS, iOS, Windows, etc.), phone types and brand (smart and non-smart phones; Apple, HTC, Motorola, Samsung, etc.), and even the phone carrier (AT&T, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile), as each combination of these three will handle and display the text information differently.
I know that on an iPhone (my phone model) all of the recipients show at the top. But I wonder if this is the case for non-iPhone users since most of the time when someone other than the sender gets my reply, they don’t usually make the connection and will ask me “Who is this?” Also, I personally don’t always get the replies from everyone when they respond to the group text message. Unless they’re not replying? Though, that seems highly unlikely.
Sometimes it’s convenient to send a group text, say, if you want to plan a get together with friends or want to share the exact same piece of information with multiple people. But consider the following:
- Arrange your social groups.
You have your core group of friends, your coworkers, your classmates, your family members, your whatever. Depending on the topic you want to text about, you should know which group of people needs to hear what, and in which manner. You probably wouldn’t use the same words/phrases/etc. with each of these groups.
- Do not group people who don’t know each other or don’t like each other.
This is to avoid any tense situations or any like the ones from my picture above. In some cases, someone might reply with something that not everyone else will tolerate or find nice. In other cases, someone might not respond to the text if they know who else might be getting it.
- Start a new message.
If you find yourself receiving a group text and you don’t recognize any of the numbers included, then simply start a new message with just the original sender to avoid any confusion.
Group texting is appealing in theory, but really it’s not all that much more efficient than one-on-one texting, especially if everyone has different phone models, operating software, and carriers. I don’t understand how it all works, so I just find it safer not to do it!