I have iPhone 4s and my family use group sms like everyday, and it works perfectly.

I sometimes send group sms to my friends who have android phones and their replies come as unicast and not as multicast to the group. Is this limitation of android os or is it different per oem? I was reading third party app lets you "reply all" but does it work like native app?

 

Whatsapp is a third party app that I use to sms across platforms

 

Yes its a limitation of AOSP Android. Some carriers have their own messaging apps that handles group messages (and I believe some skins like Sense and Touchwiz as well but I can be wrong here):


Verizon:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...g.vzmsgs&hl=en

AT&T:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...bWVzc2FnZXMiXQ..


I can't remember what the others were for Sprint and T-Mobile.



Alternative solution is to install a different SMS app and make it your default. They have a lot more extra features and skinning capability so it may be even better than the stock messaging app:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...C5uZXh0c21zIl0.

https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...mpiLmdvc21zIl0.


Handcent should be able to handle and thread Group Messages properly. I believe Go SMS as well.



The final alternative would be to install a intercompatible group messaging app like Whatsapp, Google Messenger, and the many other third party group messengers out there. Downside is that you would have to install the app on all of the devices.

 

What I don't like about third party app, at least in iOS devices, is that they give you notification that you have message but does not download the content itself.

So, in case of pics and vids messages, you have to go in and have it download again where as native app will have it downloaded at the same time of the notification.

Would Verizon messaging app will behave as native app or same as other third party app?

 

As far as I'm aware, third party apps like Handcent act exactly like the stock apps in that when you receive the message, it'll automatically download the picture as long as you have data. I have read, in some instances however, that iOS uses a different format for media/pictures/videos in that it compresses them in a format that only iOS phones can read because its not a standard protocol under the GSM/CDMA guidelines. (Also another way to lock iOS users into their eco system.) This is where the other third party apps like Whatsapp, Viber, Google Messenger excel because they use their own proprietary system that's compatible for all devices. Again, the downside is that you have to have the apps installed in all of the devices.

 

Apparently, this app called Group.me doesn't require the app to be installed on all devices and will do group texting:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/d...roupme.android

I don't do any group texting so I'm not sure if it works or not.

 

so, you install it and it will enable group sms via native texting app?

 

From the description it looks like you can choose whether to use data or SMS. It will default back to SMS automatically if you're in a bad reception area or don't have data available. It also has a web interface?

 

i guess android can't do pure group sms/mms without 3rd party app like iOS..
sigh..

 

Like I said, you would need to install another app. Unlike iOS, however, in Android you can make 3rd party apps the default app to take over the functions of the first party apps. If your friends installed Handcent or Go SMS, they can do regular and group SMS as if it were the regular SMS app. All notifications, texts and everything else would go there like it normally would with the stock SMS app. This would in turn bypass the need to ever open the stock sms app ever again if they choose. They won't ever have to touch the stock SMS ever again and just use handcent or go SMS. If they use Whatsapp, GroupMe or the other apps, its the same idea. Every time you want to compose, share, or whatever you normally do with SMS, it'll ask which app you want to use. You can then make it the default app if you like or change it again in the settings. In iOS you can't do that because anything you do will direct you to the stock SMS even after installing a third party app.

 

I understand the part about using 3rd party app. I have this "Kakao Talk" that literally 100% of Korean people use and I can do group chat and share photo/video and even do voice chat like a phone call as well.

That's not exactly what I'm looking for. I'm looking for something that "I" can change on Android side that will enable the use of group sms with others (ie people with iOS using iOS text and not the 3rd party app).

Maybe I'm not making myself clear here... sorry.

 

I'm thinking of getting Galaxy Note 2 when it launches.. but need to know few things about Android devices before finalizing my decisions. And, this may not be a deal breaker, but will be one of the most frequently used feature that I have with my iphone (90% of my friends and family own iphone)

 

I understand what you're saying but I don't think I'm making myself clear. Think of the third party apps in this way. You've got 3rd party SMS replacement apps then there's the other apps that are basically social networks but for group messaging.

In the first category, we have Handcent and Go SMS. They're 3rd party yes but they do the same exact function as the stock SMS. They receive, send, download media immediately just like stock. However, unlike the stock SMS, they can do group messaging, albeit, maybe a little limited compared to bbm and iOS offering due to media compatibility issues. With that said you should get about 90% of group messaging just fine here. You would only have to install this app on your end and set it as the default SMS app. All your regular SMS, MMS, and group chats all come through here just fine as long as you make it the default. You would not need to maintain the stock SMS app because this replaces the stock SMS app.

The second category are the group messengers like Whatsapp, GroupMe, Kaokao, Viber, Google Messenger, etc. What's different here is that you would need to install all of these apps on each device (optional in GroupMe) and have everyone sign up for their service which is a hassle. Here, the app would act separately from your regular SMS, MMS, and other stock SMS derivatives. You would have to maintain both the regular and group messenger apps separately which is what I believe you're trying to avoid. So this is most likely not the scenario you want to do unless Handcent and Go SMS doesn't satisfy your group messaging needs. In this case you would get 100% of all the group messages because you would be using their proprietary network. Now all of the above is true except for GroupMe. From what I understand reading their description, the app is optional on the receiving ends. I haven't used it so I can't confirm but I believe it creates a unique number for a group that everyone can text to without having to install the app on everyone's device and has a web interface to interact with the group.

Now all of the above I said is true for AOSP Android. Some skins do account for group messaging like Sense, maybe TouchWiz and MotoBlur. I'm not 100% on this because I usually never stay stock on my devices so you may need to ask around on that info.

 

Thanks for the clarification.

I read that Verizon Wireless messaging app works as how I wanted (as well as Go SMS Pro as you described). I gotta try them when I get my Note 2.

Thanks for your help CGFebTSX04.