Turning on text messaging

Text messaging is off for every troop until an admin turns it on. Go to Admin > Settings > Text Messages (SMS) and flip the switch.

While it is off, the Send SMS button on every event page stays disabled, and nothing your troop does can send a text.

What turning it on does not do

Enabling SMS does not opt anybody in. It only makes the feature available to your leaders. A member is texted only if they have added a phone number and checked the SMS consent box on their own profile — a number you typed in or imported is never enough on its own. See Communication tools overview for the full set of conditions.

Why it costs money

Unlike email, every text your troop sends costs a small amount. That is the main reason this is a deliberate switch rather than something that is simply on:

• If your troop does not use texting, leave it off and you will never be charged for it.
• If you do turn it on, your troop still has daily and monthly send limits, so a mistake cannot run up a large bill.

You can turn it back off at any time. Doing so immediately disables the Send SMS button everywhere and blocks any further texts, including from connected AI assistants. Members who text the number while it is off are told the number isn't recognised, so turn it back on before telling anyone to reply by text.

Message labels

Every troop on MyTroop texts from the same phone number, so outgoing messages carry a label identifying the troop and the sender:

[Geneva 36] Clark M: Departure moved to 7am.

Admin > Settings > Message Labels controls both halves:

• Troop label — defaults to your troop's name. Because every character is billed on a text, a shorter label leaves more room for the message.
• Sender name — first name plus last initial, first name only, full name, or nothing at all. Texts and emails are set separately, since email has no per-character cost.

The same troop label is used for mailing-list email subjects.

See Sending and receiving texts for who each kind of message reaches.