What is Group Messaging and group MMS?
Group MMS is an upgraded group messaging feature in Spoke Phone that uses native carrier network technology to create true group conversations with external participants. When you send a message to a group, all participants can see everyone else in the conversation, just like popular messaging apps you use every day.
Spoke also supports group messaging with one external participant and many internal users. This continues to use SMS technology. We have improved user workflows to make creating groups more easily accessible.
Key Benefits
Better User Experience
Recipients understand they're in a group conversation
No confusion about who else is included
Clear, natural conversation flow
External participants can belong to multiple groups (as long as the external participant combinations differ)
Have both group conversations AND private 1:1 messages with the same contact
Professional Business Communication
Your business maintains a single, professional phone number identity
Add unlimited internal participants to any conversation
Multiple team members can support the same conversation
Enable team coverage, training, and expertise sharing
Seamless handoffs without exposing individual employee numbers
Carrier Network Standard
Uses the same technology as native phone group messaging (MMS)
Reliable delivery through carrier infrastructure
Familiar experience for your customers
Automatic handling of restrictions based on your External Number or selected contacts
How Group Messaging Works
Group Messaging capabilities vary based on your business phone number type (DID):
When sending from a US Number (+1):
✅ Create conversations with multiple US/Canada (+1) external participants, they all see each other in the messages.
✅ OR create conversations with one non-US/Canada (+1) external participant.
✅ Add unlimited internal team members to any conversation.
When sending from a Non-US Number:
✅ Create conversations with one external participant (any country).
✅ Add unlimited internal team members to any conversation
⚠️ Cannot create groups with multiple external participants
For All Numbers:
✅ Direct (1:1) messaging works with any contact in any country
✅ Internal team conversations works always
The Spoke app automatically guides you with visual feedback, greying out contacts that can't be added based on your selections.
For Internal Participants:
All internal team members remain "behind the scenes"
Multiple team members can participate using the same external-facing business number
Your customers see a single, consistent business number
Your team members can all move the conversation along
How This Differs from Previous Group Messaging
Previously, Spoke sent individual SMS messages to each participant separately. While participants received the messages, they couldn't see who else was in the conversation.
What's New:
True shared conversations where participants see each other (when using US DDI with multiple US external participants)
Unlimited internal team collaboration on any conversation (single or multiple external participants)
Fixes the problem whereby an external participant could not belong to a group AND a private message.
External people can now belong to multiple groups - as long as they have different external particpants.
Carrier network-based group messaging technology
Visual guidance showing which contacts can be added based on your Direct Dial Number type
Automatic prevention of invalid group combinations
What's The Same:
Direct (1:1) messaging works with any contact in any country
Existing conversations continue working as before
Same reliable message delivery