Text messaging conversation user interface functionality

1. A method for execution by a wireless user device for processing wireless text messages, the method comprising:

for each wireless text message of a plurality of wireless text messages sent or received by the wireless user device, grouping the wireless text message into one of a plurality of threads based on:

an address of a sender of the wireless text message for each wireless text message received by the wireless user device; and

an address of a receiver of the wireless text message for each wireless text message sent by the wireless user device,

each thread containing one or more messages between a respective pair of two addresses and at least one of the threads containing more than one message;

for each thread, displaying a respective UI (User Interface) display element representing the thread, the respective UI display element of each thread containing more than one message being displayed in place of a separate display of each of the messages contained in the thread;

receiving a selection of a UI display element representing a particular thread; and

performing an individual function upon each of the individual wireless text messages of the particular thread.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein grouping comprises:

starting a new thread upon receipt of a message from an address for which no thread has been started or upon transmission of a message to an address for which no thread has been started; and

adding each subsequent sent or received message to an appropriate thread for the message.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein grouping comprises:

in response to a user input, starting a new thread between two addresses in respect of which a thread had previously been started.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein each thread has a start time and an end time, and each message between the respective pair of addresses that has a time stamp between the start time and the end time is assigned to that thread.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the method further comprises:

receiving a user selection of the individual function to be performed.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

saving individual messages in response to user input;

grouping saved individual wireless text messages that no longer belong to a thread; and

in response to a user input, displaying the saved individual wireless text messages to/from a selected address in a display list.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein individual functions available comprise at least one of:

a thread delete function, and performing the individual function respectively upon each of the individual wireless text messages comprises deleting each individual wireless text message of the thread; and

a thread save function, and performing the individual function respectively upon each of the individual wireless text messages comprises displaying in a conversation history display listing each of the individual wireless text messages of the thread.

8. The method of claim 7 wherein the conversation history display comprises an indication of a current radio signal strength and an indication of a number of unread messages.

9. The method of claim 7 wherein the conversation history display comprises a status for each text message displayed.

10. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

in response to a user input displaying a display element in association with a particular text message in the conversation history display, the display element providing an indication of an elapsed time since a status of the particular text message last changed.

11. The method of claim 7 further comprising:

displaying a message editor as part of the conversation history display.

12. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

displaying a display element indicating a number of allowed characters remaining for a wireless text message being edited.

13. The method of claim 11 further comprising:

automatically splitting a message being composed into multiple messages if the message being composed is too long for a single message; and

while the message is being composed, displaying a number of single messages that will be sent.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein each thread is an SMS message thread.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein the threads are message threads of multiple different text messaging services.

16. The method of claim 1 wherein for each thread the respective UI element is a particular wireless text message that represents the thread.

17. A wireless user device configured to implement the method of claim 1 .

18. A computer readable medium having program code means stored thereon for execution by a wireless user device so as to implement the method of claim 1 .

19. A wireless communication system comprising at least one wireless user device according to claim 17 .