How Teachers Create & Manage Group Messages on the Mobile App?

Group messages help you communicate with multiple users in one organized conversation. Whether you’re coordinating with teachers, or guardians, everything can happen in a single chat room. This article walks you through the steps to create and manage group messages in the AOne Mobile App. 

Use the table of contents below to quickly navigate to the specific topic or action you need:

1. Creating a New Group Message
2. Completing Group Details
3. Familiarize Yourself with Group Chat Room
4. Edit Group Message Details
5. Clearing Chat in Group Chat Room

Creating a New Group Message

Not everyone can create a group. Only teachers with the correct permissions can create Group Messages. If you have access, creating a group is straightforward. 

1. Log in to the mobile app
2. Select your role and school
3. Tap the Message icon on the homepage
4. Tap Create New Message
5. Select Group Message

Completing Group Details

After selecting members, the Create Group Message button will become active. Once you tap, it will proceed to the Group Details section, where you can configure the group settings. 

Group Name (Required)

Before entering the group name, please ensure it meets the following requirements:

• Maximum 120 characters
• Cannot be empty or contain only spaces

Group Profile Picture (Optional)
Before uploading an image, please note the following requirements: 

• Supported formats: JPG, JPEG, PNG
• Maximum size: 5 MB
• Images larger than 5 MB will be compressed automatically
• You can choose to upload from the camera or upload from the gallery
• If you choose not to upload a picture, a default group icon will be displayed.

Group Description (Optional)
You may add a description to provide additional context about the group. 

If you choose to do so, please note the following requirements:

• Maximum 500 characters
• Cannot contain only spaces
• This field is optional. If it’s left empty, the system will display “~” in group details.

Familiarize Yourself With Group Chat Room

Before you dive into group chat, here’s a quick overview of available features below:

• Inside the chat room, messages are organized by date (e.g., Today or full date)
• Incoming messages are left-aligned, and display the sender’s name and timestamp
• Your messages are right-aligned, and display a timestamp
• You can type message with no character limit
• Empty messages cannot be sent
• Your messages display a delivery status:
  Single check: Sent
  Double check: Delivered 

Edit Group Message Details:

If you are a Group Admin, you can update the group information. Keeping the group details up to date helps members better understand the purpose of the conversation. Before editing the group details, please note the following:

What You Can Edit:
Group Profile Picture, Group Name, and Group Description.

Who Can Edit a Group Message:
The Edit option is only available to Group Admin with the “Update” permission. If a teacher does not have the “Update” permission, the system will prevent them from accessing this option, even if they are a Group Admin. 

How to Edit a Group Message:

1. Log in to the AOne Schools Mobile App
2. Select your role and school
3. Tap the Message icon on the homepage
4. Open the group message you want to edit
5. Tap the Action button in the chat room
6. Select View Details, and Tap Edit
7. Click Save to apply the changes, or, click Cancel to discard the changes

When the changes are saved:

• A success notification will be displayed
• You will redirected to the Group Details page
• An information banner will appear in the chat room to notify all members that the group details have been updated.

Clearing Chat in Group Chat Room

Sometimes a group conversation gets too long or cluttered, and you just want a fresh start. 

That’s exactly what the Clear Chat feature is for. 

• Clear Chat is only available for Group Messages. It will not appear in one-on-one personal chats.
• Clearing the chat only affects your view. Everyone else in the group will still see the full conversation on their end
• Any unread messages notification for that group are cleared
• Any files or images you had already downloaded to your device before clearing the chat will still be there on your device. [Only Applicable for In-App Messaging with Premium Feature]

You may follow the step-by-step instructions below:

From the Messaging Page:

1. Tap the Message icon at the top of the screen
2. Find the group conversation you’d like to clear
3. Tap the Action button next to that group conversation
4. Select Clear Chat from the menu
5. A confirmation message will appear asking if you are sure. 
6. Click Yes to confirm, or Cancel if you changed your mind

From Inside the Chat Room:

1. Tap the Message icon at the top of the screen
2. Tap on the group conversation you want to clear
3. Tap the Action button at the top of the chat
4. Select Clear Chat from the menu
5. A confirmation message will appear asking if you are sure. 
6. Click Yes to confirm, or Cancel if you changed your mind

Additional Notes Regarding Clearing Chat on Group:

• It syncs across your devices.
  Clearing the chat on your computer will also clear it on your mobile, and vice versa
  
  
• Replies to old messages will show a placeholder
  If someone replies to a message that's now hidden on your end, you'll see a small notice saying the original message is not available. Tapping or clicking on it will not navigate anywhere.
  
  
• Old message notifications may not open correctly
  If you tap a notification that links to a message sent before the chat was cleared, you'll see an error — that's expected behaviour.