Who this page is for

This page is for clients who are currently using Connect SMS Service. Blackboard divested the Connect SMS Service to Finalsite in 2021 and our agreed service continuation contract with Finalsite is ending.

We have implemented a microservice and partnered with an SMS provider to provide those clients with continuity. This will allow us to continue supporting clients who currently use SMS notifications in Learn today. 

There is no plan to extend this service to clients not currently using Connect SMS Service.  

Explanation of changes

SMS notifications are now provided through the new microservice. 

  • Self-hosted instances are not supported on the new microservice. 
  • Managed-hosted instances are not supported on the new microservice. 
  • Text-to-voice is not supported in the new microservice. 

Learn more in the Behind the Blackboard articles No. 000077570 and 000077569. 

Existing user SMS notification settings will remain in place for students and instructors. Text-to-voice options will be removed for Original navigation environments. We have updated the SMS notification setting screen wording to reflect where the messages originate.  

Example of end-user SMS notification settings

Set up SMS notifications

We have simplified the administrator settings to reflect the new microservice.

  1. Select Admin button in Base Navigation
  2. Select Notifications in Tools and Utilities
  3. Select General Notification Settings
  4. Under Anthology SMS Notifications Options:
  5. Select Yes for SMS delivery enabled. 
  6. Under Anthology SMS Notifications Delivery Timeframe, select Send SMS notifications any time or Only send SMS notifications during these hours. 
  7. If you selected Only send SMS notifications during these hours, specify between what times of day you want SMS notifications sent. 
Example of the administrator settings for SMS notifications