We raised $7M to supercharge your business! 
If you’re wondering how to send a text to multiple contacts without group messages, you’re not alone. Group texting can be convenient when you want to interact with multiple people at once, but it also often means everyone on your contact list can see each other’s numbers and replies.
This can be problematic for everyday consumers, if you want to do something like share your new phone number with your contacts without ending up with a cluttered group messaging thread.
However, it’s particularly troublesome for companies. Group messaging can put you in violation of various data protection regulations and make it much harder to manage one-on-one interactions with customers. Fortunately, there are solutions.
Here, we’ll show you how to send a text to multiple people without using group messaging on iPhone, Android, and WhatsApp. Plus, we’ll share how business users can leverage the right mass texting service to optimize their bulk SMS strategy.
If you're concerned about the limitations and risks of group messaging, consider a secure and compliant mass texting solution for businesses.
Why Text Multiple Contacts without Group Messages?
There are plenty of reasons you might want to avoid using group messaging when you’re texting multiple people at once. You might want to avoid bombarding people with notifications or sharing phone numbers and personal details with all of your contacts.
In business messaging, however, there are a few key reasons why it makes sense to learn how to send a message to multiple contacts separately:
- Data security: As a business, you’re responsible for protecting the data your customers and colleagues share with you. Group messaging can make valuable information (such as phone numbers, and even personalized messages) visible to the wrong people. This can cause serious problems with noncompliance with SMS regulations linked to data protection.
- Compliance: Aside from making it harder for you to protect sensitive data, group texting solutions don’t give people a way to “opt out” from receiving additional messages from other people who respond to your text threads. This leads to non-compliance with mandates set by things like the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA).
- Limitations: Most group messages will limit the number of people you can message at once. There may also be limitations on the number of texts you can send or how long those messages can be. Alternatively, a dedicated text blast service allows you to send thousands of messages to endless contacts at once.
- Reply to All: With group texting, the “reply to all” response is the default setting. This means everyone on your contact list will end up with a cluttered inbox full of messages that might not be relevant to them.
How to Send a Message to Multiple Contacts Separately
The good news is learning how to send a text to multiple contacts without a group message is simpler than you’d think. You can do it on Android and iOS devices, messaging apps like WhatsApp, and with advanced business messaging platforms.
Basically, all you need to do is adjust the settings on your phone or use the right technology to send a “BCC” or mass text to multiple contacts. This way, only the sender can see all of the recipient’s phone numbers and replies.
How to Text More than One Person on Android
On an Android device, the first thing you’ll need to do to send a text to multiple people separately is turn off the group messaging feature. To do this, tap on your Messaging app, then tap on Settings (the three vertical dots in the corner). Select MMS, then “uncheck” the Group Messaging option.
Once you’ve done this, you can send a message to multiple people simultaneously without having to worry about things like SMS opt-in and opt-out standards. Simply:
- Open your default text messaging app
- Tap on New Message
- Add all the contacts you want to communicate with into the recipient box
- Write your message
- Hit send
This should ensure you send individual texts to everyone in your contact list. You’ll also be able to see responses from your contacts in individual threads, which can make it easier to keep track of everything and personalize any future responses.
How to Send a Text to Multiple Contacts on iPhone
Figuring out how to send a text to multiple contacts without a group message on iPhone devices is pretty similar. First, you’ll need to turn off iMessage (which prioritizes group messaging as standard). Do this by clicking on your Settings app, then Message and choosing Turn off iMessage.
Once you’ve done this:
- Launch the default messaging app on your phone
- Tap New Message or “+”
- Add your contacts to the To field
- Type and send your message as normal
This messaging strategy will create a broadcasting group on your phone, so you’ll still see a “group” in your messages. However, each recipient will receive the message individually. You’ll also be able to reply to each response in a separate thread for more personalized messaging.
How to Send a Text to Multiple Contacts without Group Message on WhatsApp
WhatsApp also gives you an easy way to send mass text messages without group messaging. In fact, it’s easier to text multiple contacts at once on WhatsApp than it is to use your phone’s native messaging option. All you need is the WhatsApp Broadcast feature.
This feature lets you broadcast messages (while ensuring they’re delivered individually) on both Android and iOS phones. The first thing you’ll need to do is create a Broadcast List.
To do this:
- Open WhatsApp and click on the Chats tab
- Tap on the three vertical dots menu and select either Choose new Broadcast on Android, or Broadcast Lists on iPhone.
- Create a new list, and select all of the contacts you want to receive your message
Once you’ve created your broadcast group, you can send your message to your recipients here, and each person will receive a message in a “personal chat” with you.
Mass Texting on iPhone, Android and WhatsApp: The Problems
Although learning how to send a text to multiple people isn’t particularly complex, there are issues with using the three methods mentioned above. With all options, there will be limitations on the number of people you can send your messages to, and what kind of messages you send.
You may not be able to schedule text messages to reach people at the ideal time, and you won’t be able to personalize each notification either. Plus, you won’t be able to choose which number you send your message from, so if you need to know how to text from a different number to protect your personal privacy, this is a problem.
Additionally, although you won’t be sharing phone numbers and personal information with different contacts using this method, you’ll still face some compliance issues.
If you're concerned about the limitations and risks of group messaging, consider a secure and compliant mass texting solution for businesses.
How to Send Texts to Multiple People with Clerk Chat
Fortunately, there’s a better way for businesses to send mass texts to customers and colleagues, without relying on group messaging, or any of the problematic options above. Dedicated text messaging automation platforms like Clerk Chat make bulk texting simple.
You can use Clerk Chat to send a text to thousands of contacts at the same time, without any restrictions, and you even get a unified inbox to keep track of message threads.
Plus, you can personalize each message you send, schedule them for a specific time, and keep track of key metrics like sent, received, and SMS deliverability rates.
Clerk Chat even comes with advanced features that can help you optimize your SMS strategy, like an AI SMS assistant for real-time customer support. Additionally, it allows you to choose the number you want to use (such as a 10DLC registration number).
You can even send bulk texts from a landline.
Here’s how to send a text to multiple contacts without a group message using Clerk Chat.
- Choose your Clerk Chat plan and sign up for an account.
- Upload your contacts (you can even pull information from a CRM or other communication apps with integrations).
- Select all the people you want to send your group message to.
- Toggle the Send a campaign option.
- Compose your message, send immediately, or schedule for a time when you want it to be delivered.
It’s as simple as that. With Clerk Chat’s integrations for tools like Microsoft Teams, Webex, and Zoom, you can even send text messages from a computer instead of a smartphone. Plus, our technology integrates with archiving and eDiscovery tools, so you can ensure you’re adhering to compliance standards and avoid regulatory fines.
Master Mass Messaging
Group messaging can be a handy, convenient way to communicate with a lot of different people via SMS at once. However, most of the time, it’s not the ideal option for businesses.
Whether you’re trying to send updates and alerts to customers or share promotional messages, group messaging can cause a host of privacy and security issues. Plus, you’ll be exposed to a number of restrictions and technical difficulties that can negatively impact your communication strategy.
Ultimately, an application to person messaging solution, like Clerk Chat, is the ideal alternative. It will ensure you can send messages to all of your contacts at once, without compromising on privacy, or falling victim to compliance issues.
Plus, Clerk Chat will give you access to a range of tools you can use to make the most of your messaging strategy, from an AI assistant, to in-depth analytics, and templates for campaigns.
If you want to take advantage of the benefits of mass messaging, whether you’re communicating with customers or internal employees, Clerk Chat is the best solution.
Contact us today to learn more about our intuitive mass messaging features, or test the functionality for yourself with a free demo.
