In the USA, the FCC took action to protect consumers from receiving unwanted marketing via text message. They established fines from $500-$1,500 per text message! It is your job to know the legal implications of sending mass text messages.
In general, you will be compliant with the Telephone Communications Protection Act (TCPA) if you follow a few simple guidelines:
- Make sure the recipients have opted in:
- If the messages are commercial, the recipients’ consent must be in writing.
- For non-commercial, informational texts, the recipients’ consent can be verbal.
- If the text is not banned by law, responsible content standards need to be applied, which includes honest and relevant content.
- Allow recipients an opportunity to opt-out
Here’s a few links that will help you understand the legal implications of sending mass text messages in the USA:
- Text Message Marketing is Now “Illegal” – Companies May Face Fines
- A Guide to Text Messaging Regulations
If you live outside the US, it is your responsibility to be aware of all local laws pertaining to mass text messages. Please protect your fellow consumers from unwanted text messages.
Category : Blog
- 64-bit Support for iOS11
- New icon and look
- Added User Guide – displays on launch, also available in settings menu (gear icon)
- Streamlined process to add members to a group. If you want to add people, tap the “hamburger” button next to the group name, then tap the plus (+) icon on the bottom right. Tap contacts to check/uncheck their numbers. Tap Back to confirm your selections. This method is much simpler than the previous version that only allowed one number to be selected at a time.
- Launch Manager feature
- ReadyText (saved messages)
- Attach photos
- Attach location
- Scheduler (available for In-App Purchase of $.99)
- Personalization (available for In-App Purchase of $.99)
- Relocated settings menu from bottom right to top left. Look for the same gear icon.
- Relocated ReadyText from bottom left of main screen to bottom left of Launch Manager. If you would like to use a ReadyText, tap on the “3 lines” button next to the group name, then tap on the Rocket icon at the bottom of the Edit Group screen, then tap on the ReadyText button at the bottom left of Launch Manager. Choose or edit your ReadyText, then tap the paper airplane button on the right to send your message. Tap Send on the In-app SMS screen, and your message will be on it’s way.
- Duplicate/Merge/Split Groups into 20, 50, or 100 recipients.
- Dynamic design to take advantage of larger screens
I hope you enjoy all the great new features and design elements!
Category : Blog
The recent release of iOS 8 may make it necessary to implement some changes to your groups. Because of the long wait time experienced when you try to send messages to large groups, we recommend groups of 100.
If you need to adjust your groups, you can use iCloud to make these changes.
Step 1: Log on to your iCloud account. (Note: See the Apple page for support)
Step 2: Click on the Contacts section of iCloud.
Step 3: Create new groups by dragging and dropping contacts.
Step 4: Pick up your iPhone and open the Mass Text Message app. Tap on the “gear” icon and tap on “Import a Group from Contacts”. Choose the groups that you would like to add to MTM. If there are any ambiguous contacts (with more than 1 mobile number), the app will prompt you to choose which number to add to the group.
Step 5: Begin mass texting. It’s really that simple! You can also do the same iCloud group management in the Contacts application on a Mac. See the Help Menu in Contacts if you need help with that process.
Category : Blog
Many of you have been frustrated with all of the issues with iOS 7, but finally, Apple has fixed many of those issues and you can enjoy reliable mass texting again.
We recommend that you update your software to iOS8 for several reasons:
1. We experienced successful sending for every test message that was sent.
2. No more group size limits. Batch Mode is no longer necessary and you won’t see the annoying pop-up warning that says “Cannot Add ‘Johnny’- To send a message to more than 0 recipients, they must all use iMessage”
3. Improved Group iMessage functionality.
4. Accurate iMessage/SMS Information. If you want other users to see replies, address the message to iMessage users and make sure the recipients are BLUE. If you don’t want recipients to see other recipients or use “reply-all” function, add non-iMessage recipients and make sure recipients are GREEN.
There is only one apparent problem with the iOS8 update. If the group is larger than around 100 recipients, you will likely see a long delay after tapping on a group. In testing on an iPhone 5, a group of 200 recipients took over 2 minutes to launch a text. This is not a programming error. There is a function of iOS8 that verifies whether each recipient is an iMessage user or not. That process takes time. Because of the time delay, we now recommend that you limit your groups to about 100 recipients. You may use groups that are larger than 100, but be prepared for long wait times.
If you would like to reduce the wait time for large groups, please turn off iMessage.
The settings requirements are the same for iOS 8. Please check your settings. Often, the settings are changed when performing a software update. Please open the Settings app and find the Messages section. Adjust the settings to:
iMessage: ON
Send as SMS: ON
MMS: ON
Group Messaging: OFF
If all of the recipients have iMessage, the message will be sent as a “Group iMessage” and recipients will be able to see other recipients and their replies. To avoid this issue, you can add atleast one non-iMessage recipient or turn off iMessage and MMS. If a Group Messaging option is not present in your settings, then that instruction is irrelevant.
Category : Blog
Our testing has revealed that Apple has fixed the bugs in iOS7. Please update your phone for reliable Mass Text Message app performance. Open the Settings app -> General -> Software Update.
If you are still using iOS6, I recommend waiting a few more days to ensure all of the bugs have been fixed.
Please reply to this blog post and provide feedback about your experience with iOS7.1
Thank you for your patience. We are thankful that Apple has finally addressed these issues.
Category : Blog
Initially it appeared that the update would fix the bugs, but many users are still having problems. Everyone is reporting that the “white screen” bug is fixed, but some users are reporting that messages are not sending, even though the Messages app does not indicate any sending errors. These problems are happening to all users of mass texting apps, indicating iOS7 is still flawed.
With regard to the limits, it appears that the limit of 20 (for iPhone 5) remains. Others report that they can turn off iMessage and send unlimited messages.
Please respond with your experience with the app. I am compiling a comprehensive report for Apple.
The questions I am interested in:
1. Which cellular carrier are you using?
2. Which settings are you using? I continue to recommend that you turn off Group Messaging, but some are reporting that the app works perfectly with iMessage turned OFF.
3. Are all of your messages being sent? Please do not attempt to multitask as messages are sending. Do not attempt to send another message until you hear the “whoop” sound that indicates a successful send.
4. Are you seeing any pop-up window warnings about recipient limits? What do the messages say?
Thanks for your feedback. Please answer these questions in an email to support@masstextmessage.com
Category : Blog
The information that was associated with the latest software update indicates that they have addressed the text messaging bugs in iOS7. If you’re still using iOS6, we recommend that you wait until it’s clear that the issues have been resolved. Please continue to check the support web site for information.
You can update to 7.0.3 by tapping on the Settings app on your iPhone. Tap General, then tap System Update.
After the update, verify that ‘Group Messaging’ is turned OFF. Open the Settings app, find the Messages section, then make sure “Group Messaging” is OFF.
Please attempt to send your messages and provide feedback about your experience. Developers do not get advance access to the smaller software updates, so we would like to hear about your experience.
The software update should address the “white screen” bug that significantly slowed down the process of sending a mass text. Please continue to stay in the MTM app after you tap send and verify that the message has been sent. You will hear a “whoop” sound after the message has finished sending.
If it appears that the app is still not sending messages, please turn off MMS. Some users on certain carriers have reported that to be a necessary step for successful mass texting.
Please provide feedback to support@masstextmessage.com
Category : Blog
Here’s a compilation of the comments left on iTunes:
“This is going to save me so much time, it is insane. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you! I’ve been using it all morning today and it’s very intuitive and super easy to use.” – Derek
“I’ve been waiting for this app for years! This app alone will save me 2+ hours alone in productivity. Well worth the $2.99!! My work requires that I send mass texts to large groups multiple times a week, month… This App does what no other native or third party app can do.” – Christian
“This is awesome…something we’ve needed for a long time! Easy to set up and use. Thanks!” – Gaillie
“This app has made my life easier! I use this for work all the time to get information out quickly.” – cbizzle05
“About time! This app is a huge help. I love that it helps you figure out how to get started. I need to send lots of texts all the time… This is perfect!” – CMStrange
“Most of the other apps have terrible reviews so I went with this one. It’s so easy to use. The developer’s website has easy to understand instructions; however, they weren’t really necessary since the app is so user friendly. I also really like the ReadyText Mode which allows you to save previously used messages and re-use them. One of my favorite apps of all time!! – Lewisville
“Mass greatness! Time savings galore! Get this app…” – lollyhpop
“Fantastic. It’s about time this app was developed” – 1mikehfrisco
“Awesome App. Worked perfectly from the very first time. Seamless.” – UnklePapi
“Awesome. Love this app!! Makes texting groups so much easier and efficient!!!” – Jenid2018
“Very Nice. Within moments of installing the app, I sent 100plus prospects an email and received replies back right away. It does what it says it will do and does it smoothly. It’s interface is clean and it works well.” – Richie
“This is the app I’ve been waiting for! Wow! Only problem is you guys shoulda did this earlier. Best $2.99 I’ve spent on a application! Saves me hours a week! I can’t thank you enough!” – olddirtydemon
Category : Blog
The good folks at the App Store recognize a great app when they see one. That’s why Mass Text Message was featured in the New and Noteworthy Productivity Applications from July 2nd to July 11th. It was a great run, but newer apps have taken over. Thanks for the recognition Apple! Here’s a screenshot of Mass Text Message in all its glory:
Category : Blog
“Texting is a huge part of this era. Young kids spend more time texting than talking on the phone. Older adults have adopted texting as a form of communication as well. If you intend to send the same text messages to multiple people, having to do that one person at a time is not productive. That’s where Mass Text Message comes into play. It lets you create groups, save your text messages, and send them to your groups with just a few taps.”
Rating: 8.5/10
