This article was last updated on June 2, 2025.

The Messages feature can be used to keep everyone on the same page without managing tons of emails, phone calls, or texts. Free accounts have access to private messaging. Premium and Business accounts can use both private and group messaging.

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Please note: If you are an employee and do not have access to the Messages tab or do not have access to start a conversation, this may be due to your company's settings for the Sling app. Contact a manager or admin on your company's account if you have questions about your access to messages.

To create a new conversation, click the Messages tab, then choose whether you'd like to start a group or private conversation.

If you have some conversations going already, you can also click the Start conversation button or one of the + icons next to a conversation type.

For a group conversation, name the conversation, then choose members. You can choose to add Everyone, Everyone scheduled to work today, Everyone scheduled to work tomorrow, entire Locations, entire Positions, specific Groups, or individual users. Note that if you leave the conversation name blank, Sling will create one using participant names by default (Ex: Sam, Frodo, Merry, and Pippin; or Sam and Everyone). These details can be edited later, so don't worry if you make a mistake or forget someone. 

Admins and managers on Business accounts can also use group messages to send individual messages to multiple employees. The same message that you create in this instance will be sent as a private message to each of the people who are added to the conversation so that each person can reply privately.

Simply toggle the option on (so it appears in blue) to send the same message to all recipients in a private thread.

Managers and admins on Business accounts will also see an additional option to restrict posting rights for the conversation. 

When you're ready to create the conversation and send messages, click the Create button.

You'll be taken to the screen where you can start typing your message.

For a private conversation, once you select to begin a new message, just choose the other person you'd like to chat with from the list. You can also start typing their name in the search box instead of scrolling through the entire list.

As soon as you choose a name, you'll be taken to the new conversation so you can send a message.

You can use a search function within the Messages feature. When a user enters any characters into the conversation search bar, the list of conversations will dynamically filter to display only the conversations that include the matching details entered. For example, if you enter "draft" into the search bar, all conversations that include any mention of "draft," as well as any conversations that have "draft" in the title, will come up in the search results.

Click on any result to be redirected to that conversation.

You can also search from within a single conversation if you need to locate specific details that were from a prior date.

Archived conversations will not be included in the results at this time.

Once you post a message within a conversation, you can edit or delete what you have contributed. It is only possible to delete a comment you have posted to a conversation up to 12 hours after it is sent.

Go to the Messages tab using the bottom menu options, and tap the + icon at the top right corner of the main conversations screen.

On the next screen, you can select the person or people you want to communicate with. Under the "Users" tab, you can select one or more individuals, and under the "Groups" tab, you can select by category.

After you've selected all the recipients for your message, tap Save at the top right of the screen.

Next, you'll have the option to name the conversation, review how many members of your staff have been added, toggle to send the same message as individual messages to all recipients, or apply any restrictions to the conversation's settings.

Make sure to review your details before tapping Save again. Once you save your details, you'll be taken to the next screen where you can begin composing.

Tapping the paperclip icon near the bottom left corner will allow you to attach photos or files up to 20 MB.

Finally, just type your message and send!

To add emoji reactions to messages, tap and hold the message you are responding to, and the emoji menu will appear. Press the gray smiley with the + symbol to expand the menu for the full range of reactions you can use.

You can also use this menu to edit, reply to a specific comment in a group message, mark a message as unread to retain the notification bubble, copy the message, or delete a message you may have mistakenly added. It's important to note that a message may only be edited or deleted for 12 hours after it is sent.

You can also search conversations just like on the web using the Sling mobile app. Search all conversations from the main screen of your Messages list, or search within a specific thread for keywords and phrases.

Tap the result that contains the details you were looking for to redirect to that conversation.

Searching within a specific conversation will also display the date when certain keywords were mentioned on the right side if there are entries from multiple dates in the results.

Concerned about employees using Messages inappropriately? Check out how you can adjust your Messages settings here.

Looking for a different way to communicate among staff? Check out the Newsfeed!

Need to add a comment to a shift directly? Look here.

Want to keep track of employee details under an employee's profile information? Try out Sling's Documents feature.

Need to alert your staff to something important? You might want to create an Announcement.

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