Computer texting????

[abunaitoo]

Don't have a smart phone, so don't know anything about texting.
Don't plan on getting a smart phone.
These days it seems everyone uses the smart phone as a computer.
They say "phone or text me".
Can I text them from my computer through email????

[fatelk]

Yes, but I think you have to know the recipient’s phone service provider, so you can send a text via your email. You send the email to their phone number@gateway address. You can find a list of common gateway addresses online. If you don’t know their provider then I’m not sure you can.

[pcolapaddler]

This is correct.

There are probably a couple ways to do this.

Simplest is probably email to
their number@provider gateway.

For example, Verizon would be
1234567890@vtext.com

Sent from my SM-G935U using Tapatalk

[RogerDat]

yes you can. I don't do it so I can't say how well it works but here is some information. More detail on using the message gateway.
https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/how-to-send-free-text-messages-online/

SMS is the text message protocol (standard if you will) MMS is the one for media such as sending a picture to a phone.

A lot of the applications you can get depend on using your phone either as hardware or as the account, but it does look like there are some options. Oh and a non-smart phone can send text too if you have any messages in your phone plan which almost all do. You tap the number key to cycle through the letters for that number. Hit 9 and it is "W", 99 is "X", 999 is "Y" then one of the keys indicated done, now enter next letter. Slow but was how it was done before smart phones. For short messages it isn't too bad. It is the reason for all the 2, 3, and 4 letter short hand for phrases. Like L8TR for See you later. Lot less number tapping.

Text message is essentially transferred in the empty part of the data passing between phone and tower to keep them aware of each other. It was "extra" space that would normally be Null but the phone company figured out how to make money off of it. :-) Who would have thunk they would do that.
Good Luck.

[StolzerandSons]

You can get a Google Voice number, when you sign up it will usually let you choose from a local number or one close to your area. Google voice numbers allow you to send and receive text messages w/attachments, receive voicemail, forward to your normal landline and place calls for free.

Hope that helps.

[Grmps]

I text information to my e-mail all the time as reminders.

the easiest way is to have someone text your e-mail then you have their information to e-mail/text their phone

[LuckyLes]

If you use an Apple computer, they have messages app as part of their suite of software that will send a message to any mobile phone.
LuckyLes

[abunaitoo]

It's a craigs list listing.
I used my yahoo email to send. but I don't think it went through.
I have the phone number, but no answer.

[Kestrel4k]

FYI, when emailing ...@vtext.com (or whatever), make sure your email is significantly less than ~150 characters to make sure it gets through. Some providers will break up the email into multiple messages, but it still isn't guaranteed.

[Rcmaveric]

you can also use an instant messenger like yahoo to send messages from the computer to a cell phone number and they can respond. There maybe some online websites that offer it aswell. Facebook messenger also works that way. You can log into it from a computer and message anyone. Family communication and right wing propaganda is about the only reason i have facebook.

[RogerDat]

It's a craigs list listing.
I used my yahoo email to send. but I don't think it went through.
I have the phone number, but no answer.
You have to have the phone number AND know what carrier that they get service from. Each carrier (Verizon, Sprint, AT&T, etc.) has their own gateway. You have to send the message to the-phone-number@their-carrier-gateway.

That link I posted has a list of carrier gateways but you need to know who they use for phone service to make it work. That is why it works better for them to text your email so you can get the gateway address they used.

Even an old flip phone can do text https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g3aLKEaSKns directly to the other phone number.

[white eagle]

Don't have a smart phone, so don't know anything about texting.
Don't plan on getting a smart phone.
These days it seems everyone uses the smart phone as a computer.
They say "phone or text me".
Can I text them from my computer through email????

might be time to step into the light
smart phones are as common as chevys

[abunaitoo]

Got the number, but have no idea who the carrier is.
My phone is old. Not even a flip phone. Only have it because I take my Mom around, and don't want to be stuck.
Use it very little. Some months, not at all.

[abunaitoo]

All I have is
name@ numbers
I'm trying to learn this so I can reply to more listings.
Seems everyone is using text instead of really talking.

[bangerjim]

TM is a fast and effeient way of communicating. With iPhones, the messages got thru almost immediately and show the message was received and when it was read. Non iPhones, the messages go thru but sometimes a bit slower. Still fast and you do not need to have a silly email program open all the time on your phone. New iOS now displays emails and TMs on the home page without even opening the phone’s system.

I could not live or run a business without TM’s. Faster and better that emails for quick comms.

Living in the 21st century with it’s technology is nice! Time for you to upgrade? I have MANY friends that refused to get a smart phone, but after getting one, they say “why did I wait so long?”.

Banger

[2011redrider]

I didnt have cell service at the house and used a program called text now (www.textnow.com) and it worked great for the last few years. We switched from ATT to Tmobile and they provided a singnal boster that runs off my router for wifi. It gives me 4-5 bars of signal and I dont use the app anymore.
It gives you a local number that your texts come from and totally free.

[Mr_Sheesh]

Odd thing here. A neighbor has an iPhone 5, I have an iPhone 4 - Texts from her to me take between 1 second and 3 hours to get through; No idea why. It's odd to drive to the store with her (she doesn't drive) and as I get to my front door after the trip get a text "Heading to your car" - but that's happened a number of times. Apples aren't always all that fast :)

[bangerjim]

Odd thing here. A neighbor has an iPhone 5, I have an iPhone 4 - Texts from her to me take between 1 second and 3 hours to get through; No idea why. It's odd to drive to the store with her (she doesn't drive) and as I get to my front door after the trip get a text "Heading to your car" - but that's happened a number of times. Apples aren't always all that fast :)

It may be partly your server. I can send a TM from here in the wilds of AZ to friends in ME and they get them immediatley. I can send stuff to my non-verizon iPhone friends....right down the street.....and it takes a few minutes sometimes. Most times they go thru very fast. I swear by the iPhone.....not at it.....like I did with my SEVERAL previous Android phones. ***’s all.

[abunaitoo]

I found out how to do it.
https://www.digitaltrends.com/computing/how-to-send-free-text-messages-online/

[fatelk]

I've had troubles on occasion with slow texts. I'm frequently on call for work, and the fully automated plant will send out texts any hour of the day or night if anything goes wrong. It's pretty important because often I can adjust something quickly to avoid a shutdown that could potentially cost tens of thousands.

Most of the time they go through quickly, but occasionally they're delayed somewhere in cyberland for up to several hours. Yesterday I got an alarm text later in the day that was a very big deal. I dialed in in a panic to see that nothing was actually wrong. It was a delayed text from when I had been working on some equipment earlier in the day.

As to texting in general I can definitely see the value, but at times I absolutely hate it. Some people don't know how to have a real conversation because all they ever do is text. It irritates the heck out of me. My wife will text me at work, and after about two texts I will pick up the phone and call her. It's just so much easier than all this dang texting back and forth. One day we were traveling and she was having a 45 minute back and forth text conversation with a friend. It went on forever and eventually I said you know you could have gotten that all figured out in 45 seconds if you had actually just talked?!

[TXGunNut]

Sometimes I don't feel like talking and won't answer the phone; busy, whatever. I'll almost always return a text, eventually if not sooner. It's a good tool just like many other apps on a smart phone. Someday maybe I'll be smart enough to use more than a few of them.

[abunaitoo]

I really don't see the need for person to person text.
Seems like people just don't want to talk anymore.
Email, to me, is kind of different. It's like a mailed letter.
Don't know how to text, don't want to learn, don't even know if my phone can do it.
But by being able to reply to a text from my computer is helpful.

[Mr_Sheesh]

One good use for texts is to pass info along without disrupting someones train of thought, or when they're busy - Asleep, for example. I text addresses to myself at times, evilbay item numbers to a friend, questions to family members, ask a neighbor when they'll need to go shopping (they don't drive so we go together) etc.; Sometimes a phone call will distract people as they're busy. Phone calls are better for more instant communication, definitely (or if texts get confused or muddled LOL)

[popper]

Phones are for talking to people. Email is for written communication. Cell phones are for emergency and finding the wife at the mall.