Text Messaging With Your Contacts

Here’s How

To switch your text message to a chat:

If a contact becomes available to chat while you are composing a text message to that contact, a notice appears at the bottom of the message tab.

1. To convert the text message to a chat, click the Chat Now link in the notice or the convert to chat button () at the top of the message tab.

   

   The message tab changes to chat mode, with the text of your text message in the message input box.

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2. Start your chat by pressing Enter or clicking the Send button.

To switch your chat to a text message:

If you’re in the middle of a chat and the person becomes unavailable, the conversation area displays an offline notice.

1. If you see the offline notice in the conversation area, and you want to convert this conversation to a text message, click the convert to text button () at the top of the conversation tab.

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   If your contact information includes a mobile phone number for this contact, the chat converts to a text message with the text of your current chat message in the message input box.

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2. Complete your message, then press Enter or click the Send button.

Tip: You can convert a chat to a text message anytime, even if you contact is still online.

To switch a text message to an email message:

Sometimes you may start to send a text message and then decide that you want to say more than the SMS format easily supports. Or you may want to send the message to multiple people. In such cases, you can just convert your text message to an email message and write as much as you want to as many people as you want.

1. To convert a text message to an email message, click the convert to email button () at the top of the conversation tab.

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   The message tab changes to email mode, with your message so far in the text area. If your address book contains an email address for the contact, the address also appears in the To: field. The default subject of the message shows the date and time, but you can change this to anything you want.

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2. Finish composing the email message, be sure there’s at least one recipient, and then click Send.

   Tip: Want to save a text message exchange for future reference? At the end of the conversation, just convert it to email and send the email message to yourself. Otherwise, once you close the tab, the text messages are gone for good.

To switch an email message to a text message:

1. To convert an email message in progress to a text message, click the convert to text button () at the top of the message tab.

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   If your contact information includes a valid mobile phone number for this contact, the email converts to a text message with the text of the email message in the message input box.

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   Note: If the email message that you try to convert is longer than the maximum allowed for a text message, you’ll see an error message like this:
   
   
   
   Click OK to return to the email message or New Text Message (SMS) to start a new (and shorter) text message on a separate tab.

2. Complete your message, then press Enter or click the Send button.

Back:
Sending a Text Message

Take Me to AT&T Mail

What’s Next

AT&T Mail not only offers the satisfaction of instant communication through its text messaging feature, but makes it a pleasure to type messages. You know you never have to lose your text. Just convert it to a chat or an email. Either way, your contact is sure to "get the message".