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Must know
  • A person opts out by replying STOP (or UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL, END or QUIT) or by switching off SMS Notifications in family portal settings. Replying START, YES or UNSTOP opts them back in.
  • The opt-out belongs to the person’s account and applies at every club, and you cannot override it.
  • Switch the conversation to Web Only or Web & Email to keep messaging. The history stays.
What you see. On a Web & SMS conversation with an opted-out person, an Opted Out badge appears next to their name at the top of the thread. The message box is replaced with a note: This recipient has opted out of SMS messages. You can’t text them until they opt back in. Two ways to opt out. The person replies with one of the words above as the whole message, in any capitals. Or the person clears the SMS Notifications box in their family portal settings, so you may see the badge for a family who never texted. Switching the box back on there, or replying START, lifts the opt-out. Every club. A STOP reply updates every account that uses that phone number, so Web & SMS chat is blocked at every club the person belongs to. Keep the conversation going. Use the channel label next to the family’s name to switch the thread:
  • Web Only posts in their portal, with no alert.
  • Web & Email sends an email with your club’s branding, and their reply comes back into the same thread. It needs an email on file, or you see “User does not have an email address”.
The message box returns right away and past messages stay. The switch adds no message to the thread. Nothing warns you ahead of time. The family picker does not grey out opted-out people. You can start or switch back to a Web & SMS chat, but the message box stays blocked until they opt back in. If a Web & SMS message is still sent, it is refused with “Recipient has opted out of SMS messages”. On phones. The channel label shows only its icon, without the words. The Opted Out badge is hidden when the thread is also Closed or Archived, but the note in place of the message box still shows. If Web & Email fails. If your club switched off the Chat message notification email, Web & Email messages fail with “Chat email notifications to families are switched off in Notifications settings.” An admin can turn it back on under Settings > Communication > Notifications > System Rules. Related: How do I switch a chat to a different channel? · What do the Web Only, Web & SMS, and Web & Email channels mean? · How do I turn text message notifications on or off? · What is SMS consent and how do opt-outs work?