Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Computing/2019 September 18

= September 18 =

Receiving text messages on my PC without having a cellphone
Is this possible? Clarityfiend (talk) 07:36, 18 September 2019 (UTC)
 * Not that I can see. All I could find was that you either need a phone or a GSM modem to do it. - X201 (talk) 07:45, 18 September 2019 (UTC)
 * As long as the device has a SIM card. e.g. Mobile broadband modem plugged into your PC. 41.165.67.114 (talk) 07:52, 18 September 2019 (UTC)


 * Some VoIP systems support texting: and some can be used on PC. Hopefully there's overlap there. SinisterLefty (talk) 12:59, 18 September 2019 (UTC)


 * And, of course, a person with a smart phone can send emails to your PC, and you can have notifications turned on to let you know when they come in, just like a text. Going the other way, you can send emails to their phone, and they can have notifications for that turned on. This method should not involve any additional cost at the PC end, beyond the cost of the Internet connection. SinisterLefty (talk) 13:10, 18 September 2019 (UTC)
 * Google Voice permits the use of Hangouts or Voice to send and receive SMS messages, as well as phone calls, through their app on any web browser or Android device. They will issue you a real, local number, a number which is portable, so that if you later obtain bona fide cellular service, you can keep the number and associate it with your SIM card and phone. Elizium23 (talk) 01:37, 19 September 2019 (UTC)


 * You can get a phone number from vitelity.com or twilio.com or wherever, and set it up to forward SMS to you by email. Cost is $1 to $1.50/month for the phone number plus a penny or so per message, or you can get unlimited messages by paying $8/month or so.  Google Voice is another possibility though I try to stay away from anything Google because privacy. 67.164.113.165 (talk) 01:59, 19 September 2019 (UTC)
 * Google Voice is only for the US apparently, and vitelity has terrible reviews. Twilio may be a viable option though. Thanks. Clarityfiend (talk) 07:40, 19 September 2019 (UTC)
 * I use Vitelity and Twilio and Vitelity is ok. Twilio has more features but also more of a creepy tech-startup vibe.  Vitelity's web UI is awful but you get used to it.  They make you pay extra to use their API while Twilio's is free.  Charging for it seemed lame til I realized that doing so probably helps keep away spammers (a lot of phone spam at least in the US comes through Twilio).  Prices are similar.  If you're not in the US you might find better deals from companies where you are.  But, I can confirm that SMS to email (and voice mail to email) work ok with Vitelity. 67.164.113.165 (talk) 07:07, 20 September 2019 (UTC)