How to create and manage SMS and Email Groups on OS 10.2.1

One of my most highly anticipated features of OS 10.2.1 is the ability to create text and email groups for sending broadcast messages. Not that I’m an abuser of this capability but it is an important one nonetheless and one that quite a few people were waiting for.

Rather than utilize a third party application, it is now baked into the Contacts Application. While SMS group conversations had been enabled in OS 10.2, it is nice to see the option expanded and improved in this update along with email options as well.

Create a New Group

• Open the Contacts application
• From the bottom menu, tap on New Group
• Enter in a name for your new group
• To add members, tap on the Add Contacts icon at the bottom
• The contacts list displays next and allows you to select multiple contacts at once
• You may also search and select members individually
• When all of your desired contacts have been selected, tap on Done in the upper right

 

Sending messages to a group

Once your group is created it is easy to send a message through the contacts application.

• Swipe to the right in the contacts application tap on the Groups icon
• Tap on the Group you wish to send an SMS or Email to
• Tap the three dots to open the menu and using the options you can select to send an email or send a text message
• Another method is to press and hold on the contact group list itself and the same options appear in the side action menu and tap on the SMS or Email icon
• Tapping on either icon brings you to the new messages screen where all of the numbers or addresses automatically populate the appropriate fields
• All that is left to do is enter in your message and hit Send

Your groups are also accessible when composing a message in the hub.

• From the Hub tap on Compose
• Choose Text Messages or your email account (if not already in the one you want)
• Tap on the + in the To: field 
• Scroll to or search for the name of your Group List, tap to select and then hit done to add
• For texts you have the option of enabling Group conversation (though this counts as MMS)
• Simply hit send and all of the members of the list will receive the message

 

Deleting and Editing Groups

If you’re looking to add or remove contacts or simply delete the entire list altogether this process is rather easy.

• Go into the Groups tab of the Contacts Application
• To edit
  • Tap on the list and select edit from the bottom menu
  • Tap the “x” next to each group members’ name to remove or tap on the Add Contacts icon to include additional participants
• To delete
  • Press and hold the group list and tap on the Delete icon in the side action menu. Only the group list is expunged, your contacts will remain, or,
  • Tap on the list and then tap on the three dots, overflow menu and select Delete

 

In addition to sending broadcast communications, this feature also allows for inviting contacts to a meeting or starting a multi-person chat (if all have BBM PIN’s associated with them) as well. Convenient and useful it is a much needed feature to be included in OS 10.2.1. 

Be sure to check out all of our BlackBerry 10 Help Guides for more tips and tricks.