This chapter covers the Messages section of the web interface - where you read, compose, and manage every channel’s conversations. Configuring a channel (enabling WhatsApp, connecting SMTP, setting up modems) is covered separately in Settings; this chapter is about using a channel day to day.

SMS (Conversations)

SMS Conversations with a thread open, showing the message history and reply box

SMS Conversations, with a thread open

Messages > SMS > Conversations (/messages/sms/) is the main SMS/MMS inbox: one thread per phone number, newest first.

  • Filter with the All, Unread, Queued, and Errors tabs.

  • Open a thread to read the full history and reply from the box at the bottom.

  • MMS attachments (images, files) appear inline in the thread once a modem has MMS configured - see MMS in Settings.

  • Compose a new message with the + button at the top of the left rail, or the Compose quick action on the Dashboard.

Composing a message

Compose dialog on the Message tab, with the message type, recipient, time, and message fields

The Compose dialog

Compose opens as a panel on the right, with a Message and a Call tab. The Message tab holds:

  • Message type - SMS, Flash SMS, MMS, USSD Code, Signal, WhatsApp, or Email. A channel that is not configured on this device is greyed out, see Settings.

  • Send to - pick recipients from the Phonebook (contacts and groups), enter them with Input manually, or upload a CSV file.

  • Time - send Now, At date and time, After delay, or Between hours.

  • Message - the text, with a live counter of characters and of how many SMS parts they add up to. Use message template fills it from a saved template, and Send as Unicode switches the encoding for non-GSM characters.

  • Advanced options - further per-message settings.

Send queues the message; the thread appears in Conversations straight away.

Folders

Folders page listing default folders and a custom folder

Folders

Messages > SMS > Folders (/messages/sms/folders/) lists the default folders (Inbox, Queued, Sent, Sending Error, Trash) alongside any custom folders you created under My folders. Each folder shows how many messages it holds. Click Create new folder to add your own - useful together with Inbox Rules to automatically sort incoming messages, and Cleanup Folders to prune them automatically.

Group messages

Compose dialog with a Phonebook group selected as the recipient

Composing a message to a Phonebook group

Messages > SMS > Group messages (/messages/sms/groups/) lists conversations you started by sending to a Phonebook group rather than an individual number - one entry per group send, so you can review who a group message went to without digging through individual threads.

Escalation queue

Escalation queue with a queued alert awaiting acknowledgement

Escalation queue

Messages > SMS > Escalation queue (/messages/sms/escalation/) shows every currently running escalation - a message sent to an escalation group that is still working its way down the contact list. Setting up an escalation group itself is covered in Phonebook; this page is where you watch and control one that is already in progress.

Each running escalation is listed with its message, when it started, and its interval. Opening one shows Message details: the message text, start time, interval, target group, and each recipient with a status of Delivered, Sending, Queued, or Sending error.

From this view you can:

  • Change order for further alerts - reorder the people who have not been contacted yet.

  • Stop escalation - cancel the whole escalation immediately; nobody else on the list is contacted.

An escalation also ends on its own when a recipient texts back the group’s stop word, or once the last person on the list has been contacted.

Calls

History

Calls history listing call threads, with one thread open showing three calls

Calls history

Messages > Calls > History (/messages/calls/) lists every call the device has placed, grouped by phone number, newest first.

  • The All, Queued, and Failed tabs narrow the list down.

  • The search box finds calls by number, by contact name, or by the text that was read out.

  • Opening a call shows its details: priority, duration, retries, status code, modem number, and ID. The status code is what to quote when asking support about a failed call.

  • Delete a single call, or select several and delete them together.

Call details dialog showing priority, duration, retries, status code, modem number, status and ID

Call details

Calls are queued like messages: one scheduled for later, or held back by priority, stays in this list as Queued until it is placed. Placing a call (call types, voice models, and the Compose

Call panel) is covered in Calls under Settings.

WhatsApp

WhatsApp conversations list with three threads and the All, Unread, Queued and Errors filters

WhatsApp conversations

Messages > WhatsApp (/messages/whatsapp/) lists WhatsApp conversations, one per number, newest first, once the channel has been linked under Settings.

  • Filter with the All, Unread, Queued, and Errors tabs.

  • Search and sort conversations by date or phone number.

  • Open a conversation and reply directly from the box at the bottom (maximum 1300 characters).

  • Delete a single conversation, or select several and delete them together.

An open WhatsApp conversation with sent and received messages and the reply box below

An open WhatsApp conversation

If WhatsApp has not been configured yet, this page shows a notice with a button that takes you straight to the WhatsApp settings. To send a new WhatsApp message, open Compose, tick WhatsApp as the message type, and write as usual.

Only messages received after the device was linked appear here.

Signal

Signal conversations list with three threads and the All, Queued and Errors filters

Signal conversations

Messages > Signal (/messages/signal/) works the same way as WhatsApp above, once a number has been registered under Settings: one conversation per number, the All / Queued / Errors filters, and reply from the box at the bottom (maximum 1300 characters). Signal has no Unread tab.

An open Signal conversation showing sent, received and failed messages with the reply box below

An open Signal conversation

To send a new Signal message, open Compose, tick Signal as the message type, and write as usual. Only messages received after the service was enabled appear here.

Emails

Emails conversation view with a sample SMTP test message thread open

Emails conversations

Messages > Emails (/messages/email/) lists email conversations, one thread per address, newest first, with All, Queued, and Errors filters - the same conversation-style view as SMS, WhatsApp, and Signal, for mail sent or received through SMS to Email and Email to SMS.

Message templates

Message templates list with an example template

Message templates

Messages > Message templates (/messages/templates/) stores reusable message text for Compose, so frequent messages don’t need retyping every time.

Click Create new, give the template a Template name, and write the Message content. Saved templates can then be picked from Compose instead of typing the message from scratch.