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Sending
texts from your computer is extremely useful in dozens of different
situations. Perhaps you lost your phone and need to send a message to
someone; maybe you’re over your monthly text limit and still need to get
in touch with your friends; or
what if you just hate typing on a tiny
keyboard or lack cellular service? I know my living room might as well
be a black hole when it comes to coverage. Whatever the case may be,
we’ve put together this super simple guide on how to send free text
messages online.How to send texts via your email client
If you simply want to send an SMS to any mobile phone, there’s no need to use third-party services. You can do it right from your email client. Instead of using a service you don’t know or trust, you can deliver a short email in the form of a text message by using an email to SMS gateway. So long as you know the person’s phone number and the name of their service provider, you can easily find the appropriate gateway address that will forward your message.Don’t know what mobile carrier your friend uses? Find out here.
For quick reference, we’ve put together a list of some of the most common U.S. service providers and their corresponding gateway addresses below. Annoyingly, there are different addresses for regular messages (SMS) and those that include photos and other media (MMS).
In either case, sending a message is easy. Just compose an email like you normally would, but rather than entering the person’s email address in the recipient box, simply insert their 10-digit phone number with the appropriate @gateway address behind it. Then, hit send.
U.S. Carrier | SMS Gateway | MMS Gateway |
Altel | @sms.alltelwireless.com | @mms.alltelwireless.com |
AT&T | @txt.att.net | @mms.att.net |
Boost Mobile | @sms.myboostmobile.com | @myboostmobile.com |
Sprint | @messaging.sprintpcs.com | @pm.sprint.com |
T-Mobile | @tmomail.net | @tmomail.net |
U.S. Cellular | @email.uscc.net | @mms.uscc.net |
Verizon | @vtext.com | @vzwpix.com |
Virgin Mobile | @vmobl.com | @vmpix.com |
To ensure that this process works, you should limit your messages to less than 160 characters. If you go over this 160 character limit, the message will be sent as an MMS rather than a SMS, which sometimes requires a different gateway address. Furthermore, although this method is entirely free for you the sender, standard messaging rates may still apply to the person receiving these messages. No third-party service will have access to your telephone number, or the person you’re messaging, and replies will go directly to your email inbox. This process also makes it easy to send the same text to multiple people, since you can add as many addresses as you like to the recipients box.
How to send texts via Apple’s iMessage (iOS and OS X)
The ability to share your location and embed audio clips aren’t the only features Apple decided to bake into the latest incarnation of its mobile operating system. Though the innate messaging app in Mac OS X formerly only handled iMessages, iOS 8 and 9 includes an option designed for forwarding SMS messages directly to your Mac or other iOS device. Once properly set up, you’ll be able to quickly send messages from your computer to any known number using the Messages app on your machine — and receive them in a similar fashion without ever glancing at your phone.To set up iMessage and SMS forwarding on your iOS device, navigate to the main Settings menu and tap Messages. Afterward, toggle on iMessage and ensure you’re logged into the same iCloud account as all other devices using Messages. Also, make sure all of your devices are connected to the same Wi-Fi network.
However, you can send messages to other iOS and OS X users for free, as long as they use Messages themselves. You can tell the difference between text messages and iMessage, as the former will appear in green, and the later in blue.
How to send texts via MightyText (Android)
The developers behind MightyText found a way to integrate text messaging with desktop machines well before Apple introduced the long-sought feature with iOS 8. Once you’ve installed the freemium app on your Android device and paired your phone number with your Google account, MightyText will allow you to send and receive SMS texts directly within your Web browser. The software even supports group texting and MMS, with options for setting up call notifications and battery alerts at the ready.To use MightyText, first download the app from the Google Play store and allow your phone to link with your Google account. Afterward, download and install the accompanying extension for your browser of choice, if offered. Otherwise just head to MightyText website to get started.
How to send texts via a free SMS website
Thankfully, there’s a bevy of free websites designed for sending text messages from your computer to the phone number of your own choosing. Unfortunately, many of these sites require you to register for an account in order to use their features, or, at the very least, provide a valid email in order to receive responses. They’re also lined with spam and may potentially sell your information if you consent to their terms of agreement, which you likely have to in order to use their service. Sites such as Text ‘Em, Send SMS Now, Txt2day, A Free SMS all essentially do the same thing, but should really only be used as a last resort. Proceed at your own risk.How to send text via Cortana (Windows Phone)
If you use a Windows Phone and Windows 10 on your computer, you can easily send a text using Cortana. Just start typing the word “text” in Windows 10 search followed by the person you’d like to contact. Assuming your computer and your phone are both signed into the same Microsoft account, Cortana will figure out who you want to text and ask you what you’d like to say.How to send texts via PushBullet (Android)
Pushbullet does many things, but one of its best features is its ability to send texts on your computer using your Android phone. Simply install the Pushbullet app on your phone, then install the accompanying Windows app or the browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, Opera, and Safari.Send text via Google Voice or Hangouts (US Only)
Google Voice isn’t a service everyone is familiar with, and, sadly, it can be convoluted. Many of the features were integrated with Hangouts a couple of years ago, and we wouldn’t be surprised if Google soon killed off the service entirely. Nonetheless, if you want to send texts from any computer, it’s currently one of the better solutions out there.Assuming you have a Google account, head to the Google Voice homepage and walk through the necessary steps to set up a Google Voice account. Once everything is in place, you can send SMS messages from within the Google Voice interface.
This article was originally published on July 8, 2013, and most recently updated on May 9, 2016.
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