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Help Group Messaging (Not Mass) on S3 w/o third Party App...Help please!!!

S

SimplyGorchess

Lurker
I've been pretty much looking for the answer to this for most of the day and I still have not found the solution I am looking for.
What I'm trying to figure out is does the S3 stock app support group messaging( and my group messaging I mean sending a text to a group of people and having their replies all come back to 1 threaded msg (not individual messages like I have been receiving) where I can see everyone's replies in one msg.)
I've notice that a lot of people confuse group texting with mass texting....
Does any one know if I can do the group text I explain above on the S3 without a third party app??
I would really rather not download an app for this...
I've read on several forums that S4 supports group texting.
Also, I've read that all I have to do is go under my stock message app settings and toggle on group sms but I've checked and I don't have a group sms option?
I'm running 4.1.2 on the T-mobile network...Has anyone been able to try out 4.2? (also read that group sms is supported on this newer system)
Please help!!!
Thanks!!!
 
Yes the S3 with the second to last update(Verizon that is) does do individual messages and group conversations. To receive everyones responses they also must have a phone that supports group messaging and they have to select group conversation. So what you are asking is dependent upon the other person.
 
Can you explain to me how it is set up on the s3 or how I would go about sending a group message?
When I have tried before, I go to messages>compose message, then I type in all of the recipients that I want to send the message to and I hit send.Normally when they reply I get individual messages back from each one of them instead of the original message that I sent out. So it seems that I'm sending out a mass msg instead of a group sms msg.
Most (if not all) recipients have either an iphone 4-5, or an android, and I've verified that the iphone users have group messaging turned on. I'm not sure how it would work for other android phones.
So I'm still confused about the whole thing...
 
Mass message and group message are one in the same as far as I understand. Guess I'm not following what you are asking. Look at my attachment. Do you not have the options to send as individual and conversation?

After you've sent the message it's all up to the person responding to you whether or not they send it as a group (or on the s3 as a conversation) or as an individual message. If it's sent as an individual message then you get a separate message from the group message you sent out. That's just the way it is.
 

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No I don't have the option at the top of a composed message for it to either be a group conversation or an individual text message...I'm I missing something because I've seen that screen before and I don't understand why I don't have the option. When I go in to compose a message if I just want to send the message to one person. I just type their name in the to box. But if I want to send out a group conversion I type all recipients names in the to box, but it sends it as a mass msg. So when everyone replies it comes in as indiviual messages and I'm basically missing the whole conversation and lost because I'm getting individual msgs instead on everything coming back under one message.

If you don't mind me asking which os are you running and what phone carrier do you have?

I'm running 4.1.2, and I have T-mobile. Is it the version of phone I have or maybe my operating system? I'm starting to just think my phone doesn't have this option but why would some s3's have it and some don't?
 
To my knowelege the S3 does not support group chat over SMS (or MMS). My recommendation is GroupME. You do have to get an app to set up/manage your groups. Once you have done that you can communicate through regular SMS. Also no one else needs to sign up for GroupME or use the app.
 
Yes it does support group chat. That's the point of all my posts here.
You don't have an update that I do. But I am on 4.1.2 on Verizon. I've received 2 updates to my phone within in the year. Second to last update enabled this feature in my attachment above. The phone did not come with the conversation option originally. Try a secondary messaging app like handcent. I do believe you can do group with it.
 
I can confirm that I get the option to send the text message as a group message with stock SMS app. I am on Verizon ( I see you have T Mobile) with the latest update they sent out to the S3. It doesn't show up right away, but it comes up AFTER I add the second contact to the list. Again, this would work if someone has a phone that supports group SMS.

Second, I have seen this type of thread many times. I always say the same thing. If you are THIS dependent on group messages with a select group of people, just get a third party app. It works so much better. Whatsapp, kik, etc. I hate group messages anyway, cause they send as an MMS. So the third party app is nice.

Also does Google Hangouts do group? I am sure that would be a nice alternative. Haven't tested that myself.
 
I understand what Simply is saying. My phone does the EXACT same thing. I'm on Sprint with version 4.1.2 and I do not get the choice to select individual or group message when im in the stock messaging system. It drives me crazy cause I have a group of friends who do group messages all day long and they all have iPhones...so its all in one message thread for them, but from me it comes as an individual message. Its annoying.

Ive used the Handcent app to solve this problem but overtime, that app causes problems, lock ups and other things that piss me off more than the fact that my SG3 doesnt just support the damn group messaging from its stock form. So I delete the app and go back to the drawing board.

So I guess the pressure is on Sprint and T-mobile? Wonder why the Verizon update gets the group mess function but not us. Makes no sense.
 
All group messages are, is a MMS with multiple recipients and when it is received, the phone puts it in a thread with all the recipients. Any phone can send it, its the recieving that makes the thread. Now the issue is with the s3 (as it was before, havent check in a few months as my wife's been using goSMS, and hating it lol) is it would send group messages to other s3's just as the iphone sends messages to another iphone with ichat thing (not through sms/mms), but I assume when it went to send a group message to non-s3's, it just says, oh well, f you and sends individual texts. I think it only wants to send group messages through their messaging app (via data).
 
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