Is it possible to receive SMS text messages on the computer?

2

I do not have a mobile phone. However, I would like to send and receive SMS text messages to friends' mobile phones using my computer (Windows) and the Internet.

  • Skype allows me to send SMS messages, but it does not -- as far as I can tell -- allow people to send me SMS messages (e.g., by responding to my SMS texts from Skype).

Is there some feature in Skype that I don't know about? Or does Google Talk, Google Voice, or some other Windows-compatible software allow this?

Unfortunately, I do not have a mobile phone, so I cannot use services that reroute messages received on my (hypothetical) mobile phone to my computer.

Andrew

Posted 2012-07-19T18:20:33.447

Reputation: 616

Answers

2

Have you looked into Google voice It uses the contact list in your Google Contacts. It also integrates into cell phones (iOS, Android) if you were to get one later.

Google voice allows you to send/receive on a computer. The normal interface is a web interface, but I have standalone software for the Menubar on my mac, I assume there must be a Windows systray equivalent. You can even make calls from your computer, if you install the plugin and have a headset. Even if you don't use the headset, you can even "receive" calls with no phone - they'd leave you voicemail, and then you could listen to the VM from your computer (web interface or standalone app).

If you have Comcast and if you have their VOIP, you can SMS from their web interface as well. But I'd still go with the universality of GV.

Rich Homolka

Posted 2012-07-19T18:20:33.447

Reputation: 27 121

Last I checked you have to have a mobile phone in order to sign up for Google Voice, so I'm not sure why this has been accepted as an answer. – Layne Bernardo – 2018-10-29T22:45:37.310

@LayneBernardo last I signed up you need a phone not necessarily a cell phone. If this has changed then yes GV won’t work – Rich Homolka – 2018-11-04T15:50:31.250

Ah, I hadn't thought of landlines actually. That's a good point. – Layne Bernardo – 2018-11-06T23:22:01.823

A web interface would be just as perfect; I was unclear about this in my original post. – Andrew – 2012-07-19T18:27:33.643

On second thought, a web interface would be perfect assuming that it would receive messages even when I am not online/logged in. – Andrew – 2012-07-19T18:29:12.050

1@andrew Yes, they'd queue these up. You wouldn't miss them. – Rich Homolka – 2012-07-19T18:31:10.873

Looking at the Google Voice website, I'm very confused. It seems like obtaining a Google phone number is free? How can this be? – Andrew – 2012-07-19T18:37:06.053

1@andrew yes it is free. Google bought Grandcentral a while ago. Google is worried about the world going mobile/cellphone and the desktop/web will be deemphasized. Android for free is one consequence of this. Google Voice the other. – Rich Homolka – 2012-07-19T18:39:35.603

1

@andrew RE: why is GVoice free? Just saw this - mobile vs search

– Rich Homolka – 2012-07-19T22:51:52.100

Asked: 2012-07-19T18:20:33.447

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Active: 2018-11-05T20:36:07.257