FAQ


1. What do I need to use SMS Communications Manager?

You will need a Google Apps™ account and an Android phone.  Please refer to the details here.


2. How do I register for SMS Communications Manager service?

You can register for SMS Communications Manager from Google Apps Marketplace™. See here for details.


3. Which mobile phones are supported?

All Android™ phones with OS 1.5 or above are supported.  We recommend OS 2.1 or above for stability.


4. How do I install the Android App?

The Android App can be downloaded from Android Market.  Search for “Nano Equipment” and select “SMS Communications Manager” from the list.  It will be downloaded and installed on your phone automatically.
 


5. Ho do I get started?

Once you have installed the SMS Communications Manager to your Google Apps™ account and the Android app to your phone, you can proceed to test it following the steps here.


6. Can I use the phone when it is connected to SMS Communications Manager?

Yes, you can continue to use the phone for calls, messaging, or browsing as they would not interfere with SMS Communications Manager.


7. Can I use Wi-Fi to connect my Android phone to the service?

Yes.  However, do note that the default ‘Wi-Fi sleep policy’ setting for Android phones is ‘When screen turns off’.  If you want Wi-Fi to continue after the phone screen has turned off, please change the setting to ‘Never’ or ‘Never when plugged in’. See the screenshots here.


8. How many SMS can I send and how fast?

You can send as many messages as you like as long as your mobile subscription allows. However, you can only send up to 100 messages within a 1 hour duration. If you attempt to send more than 100 messages within 1 hour, the phone will prompt you for manual permission to send the 101th message and each message after that, until the situation is cleared. This situation can also be cleared by power off/on the phone.
 
This restriction is implemented by Android OS to safeguard against unauthorized sending of bulk SMS through Android phones.
 
For Automated Tasks, SMS Communications Manager has a flow control mechanism to prevent hitting the limit. Hence, if you are sending more than 100 messages in a task it will take more than 1 hour to send all the messages.
 
For Web SMS, the number of SMS sent through the selected device in the past 1 hour is shown on screen to help you manage.
 
SMS Communications Manager is not suitable for bulk SMS. However, if you do need to send a large number of SMS within a short period you can connect more than one phone to the service and create multiple automated tasks to use the phones.


9. How do I upload my existing contacts list?

You can upload your existing contacts in a CSV file. The first row of the CSV file should contain the following header field names (case sensitive): Name, Mobile Phone, Birthday, First Name, Last Name
 
A sample CSV file that works with SMS Communications Manager can be downloaded here.
 
If you are working on MS Excel, save your file as CSV (Comma Delimited)(*.csv).
 

 
Please see this example.
 


10. My phone just wouldn’t connect

Please check these:

  • Make sure that there is no capital letter in the username you use to connect the phone. This is a known issue.
  • Make sure that you have a strong password (as indicated by Google when you set up the password) – even if you can log in from the Web with it.
  • Make sure that you remember to add the phone as a Device under the Device tab. See here.

 


11. I have registered for the service and my Google Apps dashboard shows that SMS Communications Manager is licensed. However, I could not log in to the service.

  • Please check your Google Apps settings for SMS Communications Manager. The settings can be accessed through your Google Apps dashboard and they should be as shown in the figure below. Note that data access must be granted.


 


12. During the registration, Google Apps showed a message about my Open ID being disabled. How can I enable Open ID for my Google Apps account?

  • Go to the Dashboard of your Google Apps account and select the Advanced Tools tab. On the new page under Authentication, click the link “Federated Login using OpenID” (see first image below). On the new page, check the box for “Allow users to sign in to third party websites using OpenID” and remember to save changes (see second image below).
  • If you do not see the options as indicated above on your control panel, you may want to change your control panel to the “next generation” version. Please follow the instructions here.