Sending iScorecast Link to Contacts in Group (answered)

[John Pelafigue]

I'm going to send iScoreCast link to a growing number of people this weekend. I would like to use the Little League Contact Group in IOS. The + Symbol allows me to navigate to my Group. Problem is when I checkmark my Group and "Done" I'm taken back to the Contact screen. Is Group set up for use?

[OhioTex]

<Updated>

I am open to being corrected , but think this is more a "how to create and use iOS email distribution lists", Than an iscore developer "enabling 'groups' issue"

I think what you want to do is have a single group contact (aka distribution list) that you enter once in the TO field in mail and it then sends to a longer list (ala group ) without having to type or select all the names each time

My understanding, Your description of ios mail group button is how iOS button is designed to work. It returns you to list of all the contacts in the selected group. leaving you to have to pick contacts 1x1. Ie iOS mail groups is more a contact list filter than a 'distribution list'. Which is not what want to do. ( I have no idea why apple designed it this way, seems counterintuitive and in fact not very helpful, only use case i could envision is separating private/ home contacts from say work contacts - again just odd to me, distribution list seems much more useful than this "group Filter")

Do you use email distribution lists in iOS already? If so How?

I have wanted to do similar, set up a simple team email distribution list for '1 click addressing from iScore 'email link' ... But in process found out not as easy in iOS mail and contacts as my desktop mail program.

In writing this response .. I found this web post on how to use notes to create a comma deliminated distribution list and put in contacts.

http://smallbusiness.chron.com/create-c ... 52522.html

It worked. Basically .. in contacts create a poor mans distribution list and tell mail 'ok to send'. Create a contact, eg DIstroList, in the email field, string together a list of emails separated by comma ( w no space) . Then in mail you just address to the list name (DistroList), .. And say yes, When mail prompts you , not a normal adress - continue? = yes.

Your mail is sent to all the strung together emails

[John Pelafigue]

Tex, upon closer scrutiny, Groups indeed is a contact list filter. You still have to click on individual contacts. Mac Contacts provides for Control Click on the group to bring up "Send email to Group". I'd not known that before, had no reason till now to send to more than a couple addys. I just wanted to reply and thank you now before trying the Notes method. I read thru it last night and it looks like it could work. I'll report back. Thanks for the research.

[OhioTex]

I got it to work with a simple long comma seperated list of emails with No spaces
Example .. Email1@domain.com,email2@dom.com,emailx@domain.com ..

( by the way, using <email in brackets> did not work for me ( i gave in quickly as the comma way worked))

There are reportedly third party apps that improve groups and distribution lists on IOS but as few lists i use, the simple comma separated list method is as easy to learn and remember , easier than learning a new app.

This has annoyed me for a good long time, Learned something new today . Thanks!!

[photojon]

I too have struggled with this and a user on this board recommended an app called "Mail Shot". It essentially allows you to create "mail groups" from individuals in your Contact List. What's nice is that when new players join your team, its simple to add a new name to the contact, and when a player leaves the team you can easily remove them from the group. For those of us with bad memories, its also a nice way to keep track of parent names associated with a team

[OhioTex]

(for those reading along this thread and this post specifically, is now mostly about iOS devices and challenges to create a simple Email group distribution list using apple mail program.. not specific to iscore.. Read if interested or skip)

@photojohn,. thanks for the MAIL SHOT app reference..

my thoughts.
As i mentioned in prior post, this "limitation in iPhone" is truly annoying. I am sure there are multiple apps out there that try to work around and I do not generally weigh in on other specific apps, but as you mentioned Mail Shot by name for the community benefit (not as a salesmen), and they have a free limited use version (<5 groups w < 5 names) and a pro version ~$4. I thought i would take a look .

I tried the free version of Mail Shot . it looks very promising. Seems very stable, many satisfied, multi year, happy users. Very intuitive to create a mail group and edit it (as you indicated). the developers seem very customer friendly too. (big points in my book). Lots of positive signs.

however, for me, it comes up short in one area that i think is critical, (and i think the reason is due to apple not the app developers). What i want is to be able to create an email and then just type in (or look up and insert) a single contact name from my phone address book in the TO field and then the email is sent to all on the list. (Ie what we use to do with standard Email programs on desktops back in the day). It seems APPLE is to blame for making this harder than it needs to be on iOS - i assume for security and spam purposes.

When trying out the Mail Shot app, there is a note explaining that Pre iOS 9 "you can do this, add a group to an e mail using blue Plus sign" but post iOS9.. you can't - other steps needed. (these other steps to me work, but not as intuitive example (start email in Mail Stop app, or copy group list from mail stop to clipboard and then paste into TO field, . these methods worked, but not as simple as i would like .. type in List name in mail app TO field and send.

So the Manual solution i posted below, create a new contact and make the email just a Long string of comma separated emails, still works, despite the warning message when you send the email . . the manual work around is harder to set up and maintain, but easier use Email to Email. So i guess that is the tradeoff.

I really liked the look and feel of the Mail Shot App and "if only" it would do what it seems to have been able to do pre iOS9, i would use it more.

I have reached out to Mail Shot developers toto see if they can explain more or solve. ... Will updated here if i learn more.

[OhioTex]

update. RE: Positive Feedback on Mail Shot App

A Shout out to Mail Shot App customer suppport/service. Outstanding responsiveness and knowledge!

If looking for a iOS group distribution list program. Please Give them a try . They deserve it.

the developers of Mail Shot confirmed my hypothesis in prior post that apple made a change and mail shot is looking at ways to reduce steps with new method.

Mail Shot can really help one create, use and manage distribution lists in iOS devices and it integrates with iCloud so it can update contacts on your Mac too.

[photojon]

Thanks OhioTex...yes I used it before Apple made the change and it supported the "desired" use model you mentioned above. I find it very convenient to open mail shot, click the group I want and then use the "copy to clipboard" button. They added this after Apple locked them out for working directly with mail. The model I use is I do this once for the first game and then "tap" and paste in the "to" line. Then subsequent game, the copy buffer is still populated so I can just "tap" and "paste" when the second and subsequent games start.