Messaging the group
Message Group is the megaphone: one message, every guest, delivered as a push notification and kept in every inbox. No group text to assemble, no numbers to collect, and receipts that tell you exactly who to go find.
Sending a message
- From the guide home screen, tap Message Group.
- Type a short title — that is the line guests see first, and on a locked phone it may be the only line they see. The details field below it is optional; a one-liner like "Bus leaves at 2:00" is the normal case.
- Tap Send to the whole group.
Tap-to-fill starters
Above the fields are starters for the messages every guide sends daily: "Bus leaves at ___", "Meet in the lobby at ___", "Dinner is at ___", and "We are running late". Tap one and the text lands in the fields ready to edit — replace the ___ with the real time or place, then send.
The blank is guarded. A broadcast cannot be unsent, so while a ___ is still in the title or the message, the send button stays off and the app tells you why: "The title still has ___ in it. Put the real time or place in, then you can send." Fix the blank and the button comes back on.
Normal or urgent
Every message goes out as Normal unless you switch it to Urgent. Urgent messages are shown in red on every guest's phone, with an URGENT label, and stay prominent even after being read. The app's own advice is right: use it sparingly — an urgent tone that cries wolf stops working the day you need it.
Sending with no signal
Write the message anyway. If your phone is offline when you press send, the message is queued and shown at the top of your sent list marked "WAITING FOR INTERNET — WILL SEND BY ITSELF." The moment your phone is back online, it goes out — you do not have to resend or even reopen the screen.
Who has seen it
Every sent message shows its count in the list — "Seen by 9 of 12," or "Everyone has seen it." Tap a message to open Who has seen it: the exception list, names first, sorted by what you should do about them:
- "Phone offline — tell them in person" — their phone has not received the message at all. These names are the ones to act on.
- "On their phone — not opened yet" — delivered, just not read. Usually resolves itself.
- Seen — counted and done.
The receipts screen shows when it last checked, and pulling down refreshes it. The point is not analytics — it is knowing exactly which two people to go and speak to before the coach leaves.
Good practice from the road
- Lead with the fact: "Bus leaves at 2:00," not "Update regarding departure."
- Send changes as soon as you know them — guests' phones need a moment of signal to receive.
- Check the receipts before you leave a stop. Two minutes of reading beats twenty of searching.