How-to

People + email

Send a text or chat

In Windows Phone, Threads let you switch between texting and chatting in the same conversation. So whether your friends and family are on their cell phones or at their computers, you can keep in touch with them by texting, or by chatting over Facebook or Messenger.

To send a message

  1. In the App list, tap Messaging Messaging tile, and then tap New New icon.

  2. Do one of the following:

    • Begin typing a person's name in the To box, and then tap a matching contact name in the list. The contact info you choose or enter determines if the message is sent as a text message or an instant message over Facebook or Messenger. Repeat to add more recipients, and their names will be added automatically in the To box.
    • Enter the person's mobile phone number or their email address in the To box. To enter additional recipients, tap Enter Enter icon after each one.
    • Tap Add Add icon, flick to a contact, tap it, and then tap the contact's phone number, Messenger, or Facebook to determine how you want to send the message. Repeat to add more recipients when chatting. To add more than one contact at a time to a text message, tap Add Add icon > Select Select icon, select each contact you want to add, and then tap Done Done icon. Their names will be automatically added in the To box.

  3. Tap the message box, type your message, and then tap Send Send icon.

Notes

  • To chat over Facebook, you'll need to set up a Facebook account on your phone and then turn on Facebook Chat. For more info, see Set up a Facebook account.
  • To chat on Messenger, you'll need to sign in to your phone with a Microsoft account. For more info, see Sign in with a Microsoft account.
  • If you type a message but don't send it, a draft will be saved automatically. You can then edit it later and send it, or delete it. To get to your drafts, in Messaging, tap More More icon > Drafts.
  • To select and add more than one contact at a time to a text message, or for drafts of messages to be saved automatically, your phone must be running the latest version of the Windows Phone software (OS version 8.0.10211.204). See How do I update my phone software? for more information about how to update your phone.
  • Your mobile operator might charge you extra for text messaging, and this service must be available with your current phone plan.
  • Group text (in Messaging settings) helps keep replies in one thread while you're texting with a group of people. When it's turned on, replies are sent as MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) messages instead of SMS (Short Message Service) text messages. To find this setting, in Messaging, tap More More icon > Settings. This setting can vary by mobile operator and might not appear. Your mobile operator might charge extra for MMS messaging, and this service must be available with your current phone plan.
  • If you can't send or receive MMS messages on your phone, you might need to manually enter a new MMS APN (access point name) in Messaging settings, based on your location and mobile operator. To learn how to do this, see the "Add MMS APN" section in Cellular settings.
  • You can share a picture, a short recorded video, new voice note, or a ringtone in a message, too. For more info, see Share photos, videos, and more in a text message.
  • Your mobile operator might charge you extra to send media files in a text message, and this service must be available with your current phone plan.

To set your chat status

  1. In the App list, tap Messaging Messaging tile, and then tap Status Status icon.

  2. On the Set chat status screen, tap a status.

Notes

  • You can also set your chat status from the Me card. For more info, see Use the Me card to stay in touch.
  • After you set your chat status and sign in, you can see who's online and start chatting. To start chatting with someone, in Messaging, flick to Online, and then tap a contact.

To reply to a message

  1. In the App list, tap Messaging Messaging tile, and then tap the thread that has the message you received.

  2. Tap the message box, type your response, and then tap Send Send icon.

  3. To switch between text and chat, tap Switch Switch icon, and then tap the way you want to send the message. Your conversation will stay in one thread.

    Text message conversation

Note

You won't be able to switch between text and chat during a conversation with multiple people.

To delete a message or thread

  1. In the App list, tap Messaging Messaging tile.

  2. Under Threads, do one of the following:

    • Tap to the left of one or more messages or threads to select each one, and then tap Delete Messaging tile.
    • Tap and hold the message or thread you want to delete, and then tap Delete.

  3. Tap Delete to confirm.

Notes

  • Text messages (SMS messages) can be up to 160 characters long. If your text message is longer than 160 characters, it will be sent in one or more additional messages.
  • Sometimes mobile operators will send a text message that you can't reply to or forward, and the message box says Read-only message.

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