LDS Tools Texting - Lists not working

I recently tried to use LDS tools to create and send a group text to my elders quorum members - maybe 65 people. I created a list, then selected the list, and attempted to send out a text to the group and no one got it. I suspect there may be a capacity on the number of text recipients. I don't know , but this it is also dissapointing that it did not inform me that the text was not successful. So if i am missing in LDS tools let me know. please.

Otherwise. I'm looking for some app that has the following characteristics - because I can't see that LDS tools offers this - or does it?

- I can send a text message to people in a group (strongly prefer it to be a text message, not e.g. a Hangouts message), ideally more than 20 people.
- This message is sent directly to their phone (like SMS) and doesn't require anyone beyond the quorum presidency to download an app
- Those who receive the message can’t “reply all” and text everyone I sent the text to
- Those who receive the message an reply to the message to contact the EQ leaders (and just us)
- The entire EQ presidency would have access and permissions to send a message
- Allows us to easily make and maintain a group so we don’t have to enter everybody’s phone numbers every time, but also easy to modify the group
- Is free

Is there any available messaging platform that matches the above criteria? I tried messing with LDS tools and it doesn't seem to wri

What you may have run into is that your wireless provider limited the number of recipients. Nothing Member Tools can do about that - or know about in advance.

Odds are, you'd have to enter everyone's phone number into this app - something that could be questionable. Read the Terms of Service very carefully. It may require you to have permission from each recipient before adding them.

I would just like to add that many wireless providers (at least in the US) limit the number of texts that can be simultaneously sent, usually <= 20, so this feature is kind of useless for many of us. It would be ideal if there were at least a more convenient way to break them up into subgroups easily, even if it means manually resending to each group. Currently, I have to send to each individual or ministering companionship one at a time.

I would like to see a more convenient way of texting contacts lists from LDS Tools as well. It's a major inconvenience to try to manually add 20 or less contacts into individual text batches for 200 members. I'd love to see a way to more easily break out contacts or batch communication sends via text message through LDS Tools.
Text Messaging is widely used today for members of ALL ages, and the visual insights for official church communications via text message would be received at a higher rate than email.

I would like to see a more convenient way of texting contacts lists from LDS Tools as well

As much as Forum members might agree (and we likely all do), since this Forum is primarily member-to-member discussion, it's unlikely to reach anyone in the Church's IT department tasked with considering new features. Please use the "Feedback" functionality available at the bottom of most Church web pages to communicate this request. You may feel it's going into an invisible bucket, but our hope always springs eternal that each individual drip into that bucket, will eventually gain enough weight for a feature like this to be considered.

That said, for many countries outside the USA, texting is not really a thing. For example, I personally know that in Brazil and Argentina, it seems like WhatsApp is used there to the same degree that texting is used here, and people coming to the States from those countries can't understand why we keep wanting to text them...

My list does not respond when I try to send out a text to the group. I’ve used it before with no issue. What changed and how do I fix it?

I'm experiencing the same thing. I've used group lists for a few years with no issues. Now when I select my group and then tap the share button and then "send text message to group", nothing happens. Please help.

I am on
iPhone 13
iOS 17.1.1
Lds tools app version 4.10.0

The app allows a user to create a group - in my case a group of 8 people.

The app has an option that says “send message to group”

I click that option.

Nothing happens.

I close app and retry. Same thing.

The app, stupidly, does not allow you to export a list of phone numbers out of it to create a text in your own messaging app. I am well well below any “limited number of recipients” and this does not work. Will it be fixed?

Will it be fixed?

@italyrm, although there may be a Forum member or two that is an actual Church employee with knowledge of these things, they only rarely weigh in on matters like this. The rest of us Forum participants are regular church members like yourself. Your best option to get this feedback (both the bug fix and the enhancement request) into the Church system is to use the "Feedback" option inside the Tools app (or use the Feedback button at the bottom of most Church webpages).

That said, posting here is good because it allows you to see if others see similar behavior. If so, then at least you know it's not "just you". If not, then Forum members can suggest ideas about what you might do to get it to work. But actual bug fix or enhancement requests, should be routed thru the Church Feedback system.

italyrm wrote: Fri Nov 10, 2023 8:27 am The app has an option that says “send message to group”

I click that option.

Nothing happens.

I'd image the app uses whatever is set as a default messaging app. Is one set and is functional?

russellhltn wrote: Fri Nov 10, 2023 11:35 am

italyrm wrote: Fri Nov 10, 2023 8:27 am The app has an option that says “send message to group”

I click that option.

Nothing happens.

I'd image the app uses whatever is set as a default messaging app. Is one set and is functional?

Yes, iMessage is my configured messaging service

I can select a solitary member of the group of 8 people -> hit message

From there I can message them one by one

But if I select 'send text message to group' - nothing happens at all. The app acts as if I did nothing.

So today, I had to text 8 head of households separately, to tell them about cleaning the church building, after I had already created a group of all of them.

I have groups set up for every week this month - as it is our ward's turn to clean. I will have to message each of these 40 families separately. That's not great functionality

As a test - I have created a group with a single member in it. When I click "send text member to group" -> nothing happens either. So it seems that if you have a group of 1 or a group of 60 set, it will not work

BrianEdwards wrote: Fri Nov 10, 2023 8:37 am

Will it be fixed?

@italyrm, although there may be a Forum member or two that is an actual Church employee with knowledge of these things, they only rarely weigh in on matters like this. The rest of us Forum participants are regular church members like yourself. Your best option to get this feedback (both the bug fix and the enhancement request) into the Church system is to use the "Feedback" option inside the Tools app (or use the Feedback button at the bottom of most Church webpages).

That said, posting here is good because it allows you to see if others see similar behavior. If so, then at least you know it's not "just you". If not, then Forum members can suggest ideas about what you might do to get it to work. But actual bug fix or enhancement requests, should be routed thru the Church Feedback system.

Thanks. I have routed it through the Church's system in Feb 2021, in Sept 2021, Jan 2022, Mar 2022, Aug 2022, Dec 2022, Jan 2023, June 2023 and now again in Nov 2023- and NEVER receive even a 'thanks for your report' email.

I've run into the same thing myself. Been using Lists/Groups to text people for years.

As of last week I can no longer text a List from my iPhone. The messages app doesn't even open when clicking 'Send Text Message to Group' option.

Same here….I have reported this to Feedback…The Tools tech people have been good to respond…

I just downloaded the new beta version 4.10.2, and the texting is working. Seems they have fixed it.... Not sure when this version will be available in the App Store.

Our newly called (December) RS presidency is made up of iPhone users. Through trial and error we have learned that iPhone users can’t text ALL RS sisters (simultaneously through Tools). In the previous presidency, the president had an android phone and was able to text ALL sisters.

With iPhones, the messages show as “sent”, but sisters don’t receive them… Any suggestions? Thanks

deannefindlay wrote: Tue Jan 23, 2024 8:38 pm Our newly called (December) RS presidency is made up of iPhone users. Through trial and error we have learned that iPhone users can’t text ALL RS sisters (simultaneously through Tools). In the previous presidency, the president had an android phone and was able to text ALL sisters.

I'd look at what service provider they're using. Many providers limit the number of text messages that can be sent. I'm not sure what they do when the limit is reached, but it's not far fetched to think the app would be unaware of what happened.

If they're trying to send to ALL sisters, they might want to consider circles instead.

deannefindlay wrote: Tue Jan 23, 2024 8:38 pm Through trial and error we have learned that iPhone users can’t text ALL RS sisters (simultaneously through Tools). In the previous presidency, the president had an android phone and was able to text ALL sisters.

I have found that Apple plays by its own rules. I have never seen much success with MMS text messages (a text message with things besides just text). Apple also plays with the rules when a text message is sent from an iPhone to multiple recipients at the same time.

Those receiving the RS messages probably have iPhones. Those who are not receiving the messages probably have Android phones. Usually all of the iPhone people will get the message, and often the Android people will not.

The only workaround I know of is to resend messages individually to those who do not receive the multiple addressee message. Yes, it is a pain.

Messaging is not the only area where iPhones work differently. For a year while I was serving in a stake presidency the iPhone users could not access Member Tools at all, and the Android users provided all of the needed information as we met in presidency meetings.

From Apple Support page:

ypes of group text messages
The Messages app automatically chooses the type of message to send based on settings, network connection, and carrier plan. For example:

If all of the recipients are using Apple devices and iMessage is turned on, then the group message is sent as an iMessage.
If any of the receipients aren't using iMessage, then the message is sent as an MMS or SMS message.

SMS is the OG and universal - but limited. MMS is pretty common, but it's possible that some people have it turned off, either at the phone or at the account. iMessage is Apple only. I'm not sure how Tools is sending. It's quite possible it's handing it off to iMessage to make that determination.

I used to have MMS turned off as it was a vector for malware. The malware was taking advantage of a OS flaw at the time. But that was many years ago. But since then I've had to turn it on so family with iOS can reach me.

It's quite likely that the prior President's Android was sending SMS and the new RS President is trying to send MMS.

In my ward we initially started using text groups as well. However when the pandemic started it got difficult to message members through groups and keeping threads clean. As there was a lot of free time through pandemic i built a proof of concept application to send messages. It uses twilio as a service to deliver messages. https://ward-notification-pager.io/ I'm currently the only admin/dev but so far is pretty stable. I was called as a bishop a year a go so my dev time has gone down but I still have try to take on feature requests and fix bugs as well. Feel free to check it out and there is a contact page as well if you want demo credentials. It doesn't make sense for say like presidency group texts but it does if you want message entire wards or organizations.

I am a recently called RS secretary. I sent out a ward newsletter weekly, so I am very familiar with using the send message feature. These last few days I went to send a message and none of the recipient dropdowns are working for me. If I selt one, I get the loading animation and then the dropdown closes. I logged into my husband's account to see if it was just me and his account is doing the same thing. I updated Chrome, deleted cookies, and tried it in the Edge browser as well. Anyone else having the same problem?

It looks like it is working for me now, there have been some issues with systems this week, so try it again and see if works for you too.