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How do I send an urgent message?

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Veronica D. Joseph
Customer Support

For administrators with urgent messaging, a premium feature available with Remind Hub. To learn more, please get in touch with your Customer Success Manager or Remind Support. 

You can send an urgent message to your community members to alert them of emergency situations via your Remind dashboard online or via your Remind app. You can send urgent messages districtwide, schoolwide, or to your own classes. Participants can reply to your urgent message if you have two-way messaging enabled.

When you send an urgent message, everyone with an account linked to your organization will receive the message on all devices connected to their Remind account (text message, smartphone app notification, email, and landline), whether they've opted to receive messages or not.

We'll send a text-to-voice call to landline users and individuals we can't reach by SMS. If you've rostered via CSV 1.0 or 2.0, OneRoster, ClassLink, or Clever, SIS rostering enforcement is enabled by default to ensure that all SIS-linked students, parents, and teachers don't opt out of messages and are notified in urgent situations.

SMS iOS app Android app Email
mceclip2.png iOS_urgent_messaging.png Android_urgent_messaging.png mceclip1.png

You can personalize your urgent message by attaching a voice clip via your iOS or Android app. Urgent voice clips can be up to two minutes long. Community members with an email or phone number associated with their account or the Remind app will receive a message with a link they can click to hear the voice clip. For individuals with a landline, when you attach a voice clip to your urgent message, we'll play the voice clip. We'll send a text-to-voice audio to landline users when you send an urgent message without a voice clip.

You should only send urgent messages to communicate emergencies, ranging from lockdowns, weather-related delays, and closings to unexplained extended absences.

This article contains the following sections:

  • To send an urgent message
    • Web
  • To send an urgent personalized message
    • Prerequisite 
    • iOS
    • Android
    • What personalized urgent messages look like for recipients

Prerequisite

checkmark.png To send an urgent voice clip, your Remind iOS or Android app must be updated to version 12.17.1 or later. Follow these instructions to make sure you always have the latest version of our app:

  • iOS: Go to Settings → tap the App store → turn on App updates.
  • Android: Go to Google Play Store → tap your Google profile icon on the upper right → Settings → General → Network preferences → Auto-update apps → select one of the following: Over any network (data charges may apply) or Over Wi-Fi only.

checkmark.png Add all Remind's domains to your organization's Allowlist (the list of approved senders) to ensure your community members can receive urgent messages. Review this article to see the list of email servers, internet firewalls and content filters, and IPs you must add to your school's or district's Allowlist. 


Notes

  • Urgent messages are marked “URGENT" to allow recipients to see that the message is important quickly.
  • An urgent message can have up to 600 characters. 
  • You cannot send a voice clip via the web.
  • Remind translates urgent text-to-voice messages into Chinese, Catalan, Danish, German, Spanish, Finnish, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, and Swedish. If a recipient’s preferred language is outside those 15 languages, they’ll hear the original message. 
  • District administrators can enable or disable urgent messaging for school administrators. If you're a school administrator and do not see the option to send urgent messages, please reach out to your district administrator.

To send an urgent message:

Web

web_urgent_message.gif

The GIF above shows an example of an urgent message. It is not a real message.

  1. Click New message on the left navigation menu, and select Urgent message.left_navigation_urgent_messaging_web.png
  2. Confirm that you want to send an urgent message, and select Continue.urgent_messaging_popup_web.png
  3. Select recipients and click Continue.select_recipients_web_urgent_messaging.png
  4. Compose your message and click Continue. mceclip2.png
  5. Confirm that you want to send your urgent message by clicking Send.confirmation_popup_urgent_messaging_web.png 

To send an urgent personalized message:

iOS

Notes:

The video above shows an example of a personalized urgent message. It is not a real message.

  • Your iOS app must be updated to version 12.17.1 or later.
  • You can only attach one voice clip per urgent message.
  • Landline users will hear an audio of the voice clip attached to the urgent message. If you do not attach a voice clip, landline users will receive a text-to-voice of your message.
  1. Open the Remind app.
  2. Tap New message on the left navigation menu.
    • new_message.png
  3. Select Urgent message and tap Continue.
    • urgent_messaging.png
  4. Select your message recipients from the district, school, or classes list. The default is Everyone, but you can click the dropdown arrow to select recipients by role.
    • everyone.png
  5. Compose your message. Skip to Step 8 if you do not want to attach a voice clip to your urgent message. 
  6. Tap the paperclip icon, and then tap the Voice Clip microphone icon.
    • paperclip.png → mceclip0.png
  7. Press the red record button to start recording, and press it again to stop.
    • play_button_urgent_messaging_app.png → stop_button_urgent_messaging_app.png
    • You can record up to two minutes of audio.
    • To listen to your recording before sending it, tap the play button.
      • play_urgent_messaging_button.png
    • You can tap the x button to delete the voice clip, and repeat Steps 5-6 to rerecord.
      • delete_button_urgent_messaging_app.png
  8. Tap Continue when you're happy with your message.
  9. Tap Send to confirm you want to send your message. 

Android

Notes:

  • The video above shows an example of a personalized urgent message. It is not a real message.
  • Your Android app must be updated to version 12.17.1 or later.
  • You can only attach one voice clip per urgent message.
  • Landline users will hear an audio of the voice clip attached to the urgent message. If you do not attach a voice clip, landline users will receive a text-to-voice of your message.
  1. Open the Remind app.
  2. Tap New message on the left navigation menu.
    • new_message.png
  3. Select Urgent message and tap Continue.
    • urgent_messaging.png
  4. Select your message recipients from the district, school, or classes list.
    • The default is Everyone, but you can click the dropdown arrow to select recipients by role.
    • everyone.png
  5. Tap the composer to type your message. Skip to Step 8 if you do not want to attach a voice clip to your urgent message. 
  6. Tap the paperclip icon, and then tap the Voice Clip microphone icon.
    • paperclip.png → mceclip0.png
  7. Press the red record button to start recording, and press it again to stop. You can record up to two minutes of audio. 
    • play_button_urgent_messaging_app.png → stop_button_urgent_messaging_app.png
    • To listen to your recording before sending it, tap the play button.
      • play_urgent_messaging_button.png
    • You can tap the x button to delete the voice clip, and repeat Steps 5-6 to rerecord.
      • delete_button_urgent_messaging_app.png
  8. Tap Continue when you're happy with your message.
  9. Tap Send to confirm you want to send your message. 

What personalized urgent messages look like for recipients 

All recipients will receive the urgent message with the attached voice clip on the device that is connected to their Remind account.

SMS Android app iOS app
sms_um_voice_clip.png android_um_voice_clip.png iOS_um_voice_clip.png
Web Email

web_urgent_messaging_voice_clip.png

email_um_voice_clip.png

Related articles

  • How do I send translated messages as a teacher, parent, or student?
  • How can I create and send auto messages?
  • How do I message a custom list of students or parents?
  • How do I make a voice call?
  • How do I send translated messages as an administrator?

Can’t find what you’re looking for? Get in touch!

  1. Help Center
  2. Administering Remind Hub
  3. Communication

How do I send an urgent message?

Avatar
Veronica D. Joseph
Customer Support

For administrators with urgent messaging, a premium feature available with Remind Hub. To learn more, please get in touch with your Customer Success Manager or Remind Support. 

You can send an urgent message to your community members to alert them of emergency situations via your Remind dashboard online or via your Remind app. You can send urgent messages districtwide, schoolwide, or to your own classes. Participants can reply to your urgent message if you have two-way messaging enabled.

When you send an urgent message, everyone with an account linked to your organization will receive the message on all devices connected to their Remind account (text message, smartphone app notification, email, and landline), whether they've opted to receive messages or not.

We'll send a text-to-voice call to landline users and individuals we can't reach by SMS. If you've rostered via CSV 1.0 or 2.0, OneRoster, ClassLink, or Clever, SIS rostering enforcement is enabled by default to ensure that all SIS-linked students, parents, and teachers don't opt out of messages and are notified in urgent situations.

SMS iOS app Android app Email
mceclip2.png iOS_urgent_messaging.png Android_urgent_messaging.png mceclip1.png

You can personalize your urgent message by attaching a voice clip via your iOS or Android app. Urgent voice clips can be up to two minutes long. Community members with an email or phone number associated with their account or the Remind app will receive a message with a link they can click to hear the voice clip. For individuals with a landline, when you attach a voice clip to your urgent message, we'll play the voice clip. We'll send a text-to-voice audio to landline users when you send an urgent message without a voice clip.

You should only send urgent messages to communicate emergencies, ranging from lockdowns, weather-related delays, and closings to unexplained extended absences.

This article contains the following sections:

  • To send an urgent message
    • Web
  • To send an urgent personalized message
    • Prerequisite 
    • iOS
    • Android
    • What personalized urgent messages look like for recipients

Prerequisite

checkmark.png To send an urgent voice clip, your Remind iOS or Android app must be updated to version 12.17.1 or later. Follow these instructions to make sure you always have the latest version of our app:

  • iOS: Go to Settings → tap the App store → turn on App updates.
  • Android: Go to Google Play Store → tap your Google profile icon on the upper right → Settings → General → Network preferences → Auto-update apps → select one of the following: Over any network (data charges may apply) or Over Wi-Fi only.

checkmark.png Add all Remind's domains to your organization's Allowlist (the list of approved senders) to ensure your community members can receive urgent messages. Review this article to see the list of email servers, internet firewalls and content filters, and IPs you must add to your school's or district's Allowlist. 


Notes

  • Urgent messages are marked “URGENT" to allow recipients to see that the message is important quickly.
  • An urgent message can have up to 600 characters. 
  • You cannot send a voice clip via the web.
  • Remind translates urgent text-to-voice messages into Chinese, Catalan, Danish, German, Spanish, Finnish, French, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, and Swedish. If a recipient’s preferred language is outside those 15 languages, they’ll hear the original message. 
  • District administrators can enable or disable urgent messaging for school administrators. If you're a school administrator and do not see the option to send urgent messages, please reach out to your district administrator.

To send an urgent message:

Web

web_urgent_message.gif

The GIF above shows an example of an urgent message. It is not a real message.

  1. Click New message on the left navigation menu, and select Urgent message.left_navigation_urgent_messaging_web.png
  2. Confirm that you want to send an urgent message, and select Continue.urgent_messaging_popup_web.png
  3. Select recipients and click Continue.select_recipients_web_urgent_messaging.png
  4. Compose your message and click Continue. mceclip2.png
  5. Confirm that you want to send your urgent message by clicking Send.confirmation_popup_urgent_messaging_web.png 

To send an urgent personalized message:

iOS

Notes:

The video above shows an example of a personalized urgent message. It is not a real message.

  • Your iOS app must be updated to version 12.17.1 or later.
  • You can only attach one voice clip per urgent message.
  • Landline users will hear an audio of the voice clip attached to the urgent message. If you do not attach a voice clip, landline users will receive a text-to-voice of your message.
  1. Open the Remind app.
  2. Tap New message on the left navigation menu.
    • new_message.png
  3. Select Urgent message and tap Continue.
    • urgent_messaging.png
  4. Select your message recipients from the district, school, or classes list. The default is Everyone, but you can click the dropdown arrow to select recipients by role.
    • everyone.png
  5. Compose your message. Skip to Step 8 if you do not want to attach a voice clip to your urgent message. 
  6. Tap the paperclip icon, and then tap the Voice Clip microphone icon.
    • paperclip.png → mceclip0.png
  7. Press the red record button to start recording, and press it again to stop.
    • play_button_urgent_messaging_app.png → stop_button_urgent_messaging_app.png
    • You can record up to two minutes of audio.
    • To listen to your recording before sending it, tap the play button.
      • play_urgent_messaging_button.png
    • You can tap the x button to delete the voice clip, and repeat Steps 5-6 to rerecord.
      • delete_button_urgent_messaging_app.png
  8. Tap Continue when you're happy with your message.
  9. Tap Send to confirm you want to send your message. 

Android

Notes:

  • The video above shows an example of a personalized urgent message. It is not a real message.
  • Your Android app must be updated to version 12.17.1 or later.
  • You can only attach one voice clip per urgent message.
  • Landline users will hear an audio of the voice clip attached to the urgent message. If you do not attach a voice clip, landline users will receive a text-to-voice of your message.
  1. Open the Remind app.
  2. Tap New message on the left navigation menu.
    • new_message.png
  3. Select Urgent message and tap Continue.
    • urgent_messaging.png
  4. Select your message recipients from the district, school, or classes list.
    • The default is Everyone, but you can click the dropdown arrow to select recipients by role.
    • everyone.png
  5. Tap the composer to type your message. Skip to Step 8 if you do not want to attach a voice clip to your urgent message. 
  6. Tap the paperclip icon, and then tap the Voice Clip microphone icon.
    • paperclip.png → mceclip0.png
  7. Press the red record button to start recording, and press it again to stop. You can record up to two minutes of audio. 
    • play_button_urgent_messaging_app.png → stop_button_urgent_messaging_app.png
    • To listen to your recording before sending it, tap the play button.
      • play_urgent_messaging_button.png
    • You can tap the x button to delete the voice clip, and repeat Steps 5-6 to rerecord.
      • delete_button_urgent_messaging_app.png
  8. Tap Continue when you're happy with your message.
  9. Tap Send to confirm you want to send your message. 

What personalized urgent messages look like for recipients 

All recipients will receive the urgent message with the attached voice clip on the device that is connected to their Remind account.

SMS Android app iOS app
sms_um_voice_clip.png android_um_voice_clip.png iOS_um_voice_clip.png
Web Email

web_urgent_messaging_voice_clip.png

email_um_voice_clip.png
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Related articles

  • How do I send translated messages as a teacher, parent, or student?
  • How can I create and send auto messages?
  • How do I message a custom list of students or parents?
  • How do I make a voice call?
  • How do I send translated messages as an administrator?

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