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A snippet is a text message you save once and reuse, so you stop retyping the same message to different customers. Other tools call these SMS templates, saved replies or canned messages. In Allo, every snippet has a name to find it and a message to send. Available on: Business plan, the same plan as sending texts.

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How to create a snippet

You can create a snippet from scratch, from a message in a conversation, or from the text you are typing.

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Create a snippet from scratch

1

Open the snippet list

In any conversation, select the snippet button (the / icon) in the text box. On the desktop app, you can also type / in the text box.
2

Select Create snippet

Select + Create snippet. The Create a snippet window opens.
3

Name the snippet and write the message

Fill in Name, then write the text under Message. The name is what you search for later, so pick something short like “Missed call” or “Quote follow-up”. A snippet can hold up to 1,000 characters, and the counter under the message shows how many you have used.
4

Save

Select Save. The snippet is ready to use in every conversation, on all your lines.

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Save a message as a snippet

Turn a message from a conversation into a snippet. It works on the messages you sent and on the ones you received.
  • On the web and desktop apps: hover over the message and select Save as snippet (the / icon), or right-click the message and choose Save as snippet.
  • On the mobile app: press and hold the message, then choose Save as snippet.
The Create a snippet window opens with the message already filled in. Give the snippet a name and select Save.

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Save what you are typing as a snippet

When you have written a message you want to keep, open the snippet list from the text box and select Save draft as snippet. The Create a snippet window opens with your draft filled in.

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How to insert a snippet into a text

1

Open the snippet list

Select the snippet button (the / icon) in the text box. On the desktop app, you can also type /.
2

Find the snippet

Scroll the list or type in Search snippets. Each row shows the snippet name and the start of the message.
3

Select it, then edit if you need to

Allo puts the snippet text where your cursor is and keeps anything you already typed.
A snippet is not a locked template. Inserting it gives you plain text in the text box, and you can edit any word before you send. If the snippet contains variables, such as the contact’s first name, Allo fills them in when you insert it, and you can still edit the result. The snippets you used most recently sit at the top of the list. The order follows you across your devices, so a snippet you used on your phone also comes first on your computer.

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How to share a snippet with your team

A snippet you create is yours, and you can use it on every line you have access to. You can also share it with other people on your team. When you create or edit a snippet, tick who to share it with under Share with your team, then select Save. Leave every box empty to keep the snippet for yourself.

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How to edit or delete a snippet

Manage snippets from the snippet list, opened from the text box.
  • Edit: select the pencil icon on the snippet, change the name, the message or who it is shared with, then select Save.
  • Delete: select the trash icon on the snippet. Allo deletes it right away, without asking you to confirm. If you deleted the wrong one, undo the deletion right after.
On the web and desktop apps, the pencil and trash icons appear when you hover over a snippet.

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Where to go next

SMS & messaging

What works in each country, automatic replies and sending limits

SMS rates

What a text costs, and how a long message is counted