Until now, Conversations only showed you threads that already existed. If a contact had never texted you, there was no way to reach them from this page. Now there is: New message lets you start a conversation with any contact in your account, straight from the Conversations page.
Where to find it
Open Conversations. The New message button sits at the top of your conversation list on the left, and it is always there, whether you have hundreds of conversations or none at all. If your inbox is empty, you will also see it in the middle of the page.
Starting a conversation
Click New message. A contact search opens.
Start typing. You can search by first name, last name, full name, email address, or phone number. Phone numbers match however they are stored, so you can type (909) 555-0142 or 9095550142 and find the same person.
Each result shows the contact's name, their number, and when you last had activity with them. Exact matches come first.
Click the contact you want. Their conversation opens with a message box ready and addressed to them, and their details appear in the panel on the right.
Type your message and send. From that moment it is an ordinary conversation and behaves like every other thread in your inbox.
The contact you pick is pinned to the top of your conversation list and highlighted, so you can always see which thread you are in, even if their last conversation was hundreds of messages down the list, or if they have never been texted at all.
Who you can text, and who you cannot
The picker checks every contact before it offers them to you, so you find out before you write a message rather than after you try to send one.
Contacts who cannot receive a text still appear in the list, greyed out, with the reason shown next to them:
Opted out - they replied STOP to one of your messages. Texting them again is not permitted, so they cannot be selected.
Landline - the number on file cannot receive text messages. If you have a mobile number for them, add it to their contact record and they will become selectable.
Nobody is ever silently hidden, and nobody is ever offered to you who cannot actually be reached.
If you change your mind
Before you send the first message, the conversation is only a draft. Navigate away or pick someone else and it disappears - no empty conversation is left behind in your inbox.
Good to know
This uses the texting already included with your plan. There is nothing extra to turn on or buy.
Your usual sending rules still apply, including quiet hours and consent requirements.
Opening Conversations normally is unchanged: your most recent conversation opens as it always has.
If a contact you expect to find is not appearing in the search, check that they exist in your leads and have a phone number on their record. Still stuck? Start a chat with us from inside your account and we will take a look with you.