If you send two or more photos or videos at once, Arattai puts them together in a single group, not as separate messages. Each photo or video inside the group still keeps its own timestamp, read status, caption, and reactions.
You can only group photos, videos, and GIFs. Other files, like documents, audio, and contacts, will always be sent as separate messages, even if you select them along with your media.
Pick two or more photos or videos at once, and Arattai will group them for you. You can add up to 50 items in a group, and they’ll be sent in the order you chose.
To send multiple items:
- Open the attachments panel in your chat window.
- Choose two or more photos or videos. As you tap each one, it gets a number showing the order they’ll be sent.
- Tap Next to continue.
- On the preview screen, you can edit your media or add captions if you want.
- Tap Send to share your selected items.
Here are a few things to know before you send:
- Captions: You can add a caption to any item. If you do, that item is sent as its own message next to the group, not inside the grid. To keep all items together, don’t add captions.
- Upload progress: While uploading, the group shows one combined progress bar, like "3/6".
- Pausing an item: If you pause an item while uploading, it will be sent last when you resume, no matter where it was in your selection.
- Messages during upload: If you send or get a message while the group is uploading, the group will split into two separate groups at that moment.
- Failed items: If some items don’t send, only those are flagged. The rest go through as usual. Tap Retry to resend just the failed ones.
- Lost connection: Anything uploaded before you lost connection is delivered right away. The rest are sent as a new group when you’re back online.
Only items you pick and send together in one go are grouped. Media you sent earlier won’t join a new group, even if you sent it just moments before.
Receive and view a group
- When a group arrives, it appears as a single bubble. The items inside are blurred and hidden behind one download button, which also displays the group’s total size until you choose to download.
- Tap the group to open it. You’ll see each item in a scrollable list, where you can download, react to, or open any item in full screen. Each item shows its own timestamp and read status, but the group itself doesn’t have a shared one.
- If the sender deletes an item after sending, the group will still stay complete on your end. The item count goes down by one, and you’ll see a placeholder where the deleted item was.
What applies to an item and what applies to the group
Most actions work on one item at a time. A few work on the whole group.
Action | Applies to | What to expect |
React, Reply, Star, Read receipts | Single item | Open an item to use these. There is no combined version for the group. |
Pin a message | Single item | A whole group cannot be pinned as one unit. |
Mention (in a caption) | Single item | The person is notified and can jump to the chat, but not to that specific item. |
Forward | Whole group | The group is forwarded as one group, in the same order. You can't rearrange or split it. Items selected from inside a group are forwarded as a new, separate group. |
Delete | Whole group | If you sent it, you can delete it for everyone or just for yourself. If you received it, you can only remove your own copy. |
Troubleshooting
- If you see a retry icon on some items after sending a group, only those items failed to upload. Everything else was sent successfully. Tap Retry to resend just the failed items.
- If your group arrived as two separate grids, it means a message was sent or received during the upload, which splits the group at that point. This is normal. To send everything as one group, avoid sending or receiving other messages while your group uploads.
- If you add a caption, it will be sent as its own message. Items with captions always appear as separate messages next to the group. To keep everything in one group, leave captions off.
- You can't add a document or other file types along with your photos. Grouping only works for photos, videos, and GIFs. Send other file types as separate messages.
- If you pause an item, it will be sent last once you resume it, no matter where it was in your selection. This is normal behaviour.
- If the item count in a group you received has changed, it means the sender deleted an item from the group. The group remains intact for you, but the count drops and a placeholder shows where the item was removed.
- You can't react to, reply to, or see a single read status for the whole group. These actions only work on individual items. Open an item to react, reply, or check its read status.
- You can only pin individual items, not the whole group. There's no option to pin an entire group. Photos you sent earlier won't join your new group. Only items selected and sent together in one action are grouped. Media sent before can't be added to a new group.p.
- If your connection drops while sending a group, anything uploaded before the drop is delivered immediately. The rest will be sent as a separate group once your connection returns.
- If someone received your photos as separate messages, their app version probably doesn't support grouping yet. They still get every item, just not combined. Ask them to update Arattai.