How to Send an SMS from Your Email (USA)

Ever run into a situation where you can’t text someone through a messaging app? Maybe you don’t have the contact on your usual platform or the app itself isn’t an option. Or maybe you just don’t want to use your own phone to text a number. This might seem like a communication dead end, but it doesn’t have to be.

This is where SMS texts come in. Surely they aren’t as eye catching as modern direct messaging apps, but they are quite an effective communication alternative. Almost all SMS recipients will open and read their incoming messages. A staggering 97% to be more exact! Compare that to a 30% open rate for email and you can see why SMS are still important.

The best part? SMS texts are not limited by phones any more. You can use other platforms as well, like email. In this article, we are going to talk about exactly that and give you a guide on how to send an SMS text from email.

How to Send a Text from Email

You don’t really need any special tools or software to send a text from email, Your regular mail app will be more than enough. You could use a browser extension to speed up this process, but it’s not necessary. We will talk more about this further down in the article. For now, here is the guide for sending text messages from your email provider.

Step 1

Compose your email on your mail app. Doesn’t matter if you do it through smartphone or computer nor does it matter the provider you have chosen for your email.

Step 2

Now, instead of entering the email address of your recipient, insert their phone number.

Step 3

At the end of the phone number, type @gateway and send your text from email.

That was it. The simplest of procedures, if you ask us. If you are capable of sending an email, then you are more than capable of sending an SMS through that aforementioned email.

Text from Email for US & Canadian Carriers

While the process might seem similar, sending texts via email depends on the recipient’s carrier (e.g., Verizon vs. T-Mobile).

Keep in mind that messages over 160 characters long may convert to MMS instead of splitting into multiple SMS texts. This might incur fees for the recipient. Also, some carriers dedicated MMS gateways for guaranteed delivery. MMS are also a good solution for low-res images.

We’ve listed common carriers and their email gateways below.

Boost, Cricket Wireless, Republic Wireless, Straight Talk, Ting and Tracfone are all virtual network operators. This means they operate using another provider’s network. Thus, you may need to use the gateway address belonging to Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon or AT&T rather than their dedicated ones. The same applies for Canadian carriers such as Fido, Koodo, Public Mobile and Virgin Mobile. Their respective parent networks are Rogers, Telus and Bell Mobility.

Conclusion

Sending SMS texts from your email is a surprisingly simple yet effective way of reaching someone. SMS are more direct, personal and offer a severely larger read rate. With just a few steps and the knowledge of the recipient’s carrier gateway address, you can leverage the power of SMS directly from your existing email platform.

For frequent texters or businesses looking for more advanced features, browser extensions and third-party services offer functionalities like carrier-agnostic sending, rich text messages, custom sender IDs, and even SMS marketing campaigns – all seamlessly integrated with your email workflow. So, the next time you need to reach someone quickly and effectively, consider utilizing the often-overlooked power of SMS via email.