(Group messaging) Text msg. recipients receiving the replies from other recipients

[edenney]

Did some searching but couldn't find this answer...

I don't know when this started, or if it's always been this way on all Android versions and I somehow managed to never notice, but last year I noticed on my S3 and now on my S4, that when someone sends a text msg. to more than one recipient, any replies from those recipients go to both the original sender AND the other recipients. It's as if sending a text to multiple users had the effect of involuntarily pulling everybody into a chat room. The intent was simply to send a msg to more than one user simultaneously to save time and effort, rather than having to send a msg., and then resend the same msg. to someone else who needs that same information. I don't necessarily want everybody I texted to see the list of other people I sent the msg. to, and I certainly don't want any replies that were intended for me, to be sent to everybody else on the list, completely confusing them as to why they're getting text msgs. from each other, and sharing information that might be private. This applies to the default messaging app in the Galaxy S3 and S4, with all recent Android versions.

Anybody know how to change it so that if a text msg is sent to multiple recipients, they won't see the other recipients, and more importantly, their replies will ONLY go back to the original sender??? If this can physically be done with the default messaging app on the S3/S4, that's what I need to know. This isn't just for me, it's for multiple family members that hate this default functionality and they're not going to want to switch messaging apps just to work around this problem.

TIA

 

[Rukbat]

Send the message to yourself. Put everyone else in the BCC (blind carbon copy) field. Everyone will respond to you. They'll see you as the sender and themselves as the recipient.

 

[edenney]

Send the message to yourself. Put everyone else in the BCC (blind carbon copy) field. Everyone will respond to you. They'll see you as the sender and themselves as the recipient.

Um, I've never seen a BCC field in the default messaging app. Looking at it right now and there isn't one, before or after adding any recipient names. Hitting the menu button offers no such options while selecting recipients, and the only clickable on-screen buttons are the recipients button, and the attachments button. Can you clarify?

 

[Whiskeypawz]

I know your question was specifically about the stock SMS app but if you download Handcent SMS there is an option in the settings to send a group message as split threads so that doesn't happen.

 

[djclemon]

Have you went into the text messaging settings and make sure group conversation is unchecked? I believe factory default has it checked

 

[BigRedGonzo]

The stock messaging app is capable of sending group messages in two different ways. First is Group Conversation, which sends the text shotgun style to everyone as a group and it is supposed to link those messages so that a response goes to everyone. Like one big conversation. The other way is Individual Conversations. This one will allow you to send one message to a group of people individually and each message is its own thread. There are two tabs at the bottom of the composition screen. One is labeled Group Conversation and the other is labeled Individual Conversation and you switch between the two different conversation methods by selecting the appropriate tab at the bottom of the screen. At least that is the way it is on my VZW branded S4.

 

[punkinhead26]

I have the two tabs (group, individual) however when I select individual it appears that the entire group receives my response.

This behavior is quite annoying! Invariably I will get at least one response asking what I meant by that text. When in fact it was a reply to a group text

Any other suggestions on how to reply ONLY to the sender on a group text?

 

[speedlever]

I don't see the two tabs mentioned above in my stock msg app.

I just did a quick test on my ATT GS4 using the stock messaging app. I went to settings for the stock app, unchecked Group messaging, then sent a test text to two people (group msg). I heard back from one person thus far... and the reply came back as a separate response, not part of the original group text I sent.

So perhaps the stock messaging app varies between service providers. ??

Edit: person #2 later replied. He also got the message and his reply came back as a separate response, not to the group text I sent out.

Based on this (for my ATT GS4 stock msg app), I have to conclude that unchecking the Group MMS option, still lets me send group texts, but the replies come back to me as individual texts, not to the group. This would seem to satisfy the OP's question. But whether or not that works on his Sprint system is unknown.

If I check the Group MMS box, any replies come back to the group text (so everyone can see the replies).

My main issue with the group texting feature under AT&T is that I'm limited to 10 people per group (and it doesn't matter which messaging app I use, Handcent, Go SMS Pro, etc.). Ergo, I use Groupme for any larger groups when I need to shotgun the same info to more than 10 people.

 

[punkinhead26]

Anyone have a solution for a Samsung Note 3