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<p>All:</p>
<p>Please see the alert from IAR regarding some text to email
message issues with ATT. If you are not receiving messages and
alerts, please try the steps outlined below and if it persists,
please let us know.</p>
<p>Thanks:</p>
<p>Chief Hall<br>
</p>
<p><span style="color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.87); font-family: Lato,
sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal;
font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal;
font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2;
text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none;
widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px;
white-space: normal; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);
text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style:
initial; text-decoration-color: initial; display: inline
!important; float: none;">6.30.2023: We are aware of an issue
outside of our network affecting the delivery of IamResponding
text messages to some AT&T text addresses. We suggest that
you NOT rely on AT&T text messaging as your primary method
of receiving IamResponding notices and alerts. Instead, we
highly suggest using push notifications to the IaR app, and
email alerts as your primary messaging pathways for receiving
IamResponding notices and alerts, as those are not affected by
this AT&T issue. This is why we provide these redundant
messaging pathways for all users. Why is this AT&T issue
happening? AT&T has made some changes recently to how they
process and deliver (or block) email-to-text Text Messages to
your device. This is when your text message originates from an
email address. This is how IamResponding sends text messages to
all our users, through their cellular carrier’s email-to-text
Text Message Address. We received the following information from
AT&T relevant to this issue (If you have not done so
already, please consider downloading the AT&T ActiveArmor
app described in their notice below, and ALLOW Email-to-Text
messages as outlined in their notice): Due to the increasing
spam text messages our customers receive, AT&T has enabled
Email-to-Text Blocking. This gives AT&T mobile device users
the ability to block all SMS and MMS messages coming from email
addresses, which is a major source of spam. This feature can be
enabled on the AT&T ActiveArmor mobile security app. It
works on an “all or nothing” basis. If a customer turns this
feature “on,” they may inadvertently block emergency or urgent
text messages sent by govt. agencies if the agency used email to
send text messages. (Note that FirstNet users will not have the
option to turn this feature on.) Why does this matter? AT&T
wants public safety and government entities to be aware of
Email-to-Text Blocking’s availability. Any group or organization
that legitimately uses email origination of SMS/MMS as part of
its communication toolkit should make sure that its user
community understands the tool’s potential for unintended
disruption of those valid messages. We give a clear notice when
a customer activates the switch that all texts from emails will
be blocked, which may include wanted messages. Customers who
enable Email-to-Text blocking can also choose to cancel it using
the same on/off toggle on the ActiveArmor app. The email-to-text
switch will not block Wireless Emergency Alerts. Most phones
give the ability to turn off emergency alerts, as well. Should
users of Email-to-Text Blocking have questions or issues, they
should contact AT&T Customer Care by dialing 611 from their
AT&T mobile device.</span></p>
<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
Russ Hall
Fire Chief/EMD
Holden Fire Dept.
1370 Main Street
Holden, MA 01520
508-210-5650</pre>
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