Pushbullet does many things, but one of its best features is its ability to send texts from your computer using your Android phone. Step 1: Install the Pushbullet app on your phone.
- Free Apps For Mac Computer
- Textnow
- Best Text App For Kids
- Best Text App For Ipod Touch
- Best Text App For Android
Texting has its ups and downs. On the one hand, it’s a fast and convenient mode of conversation that everyone uses. On the other, it’s still slower and more prone to typos than typing by a traditional keyboard. Wouldn’t it be great to get the best of both worlds?
Well, it’s possible!
The answer is to send SMS texts directly from your computer, which enables you to type your messages in less time with fewer typos, plus it allows you to take advantage of certain advanced tools like text expanders. And best of all, there are several different ways to make this happen.
Here are some of the best and easiest ways to send an SMS text message from your Windows PC for free.
Free Apps For Mac Computer
Textfree
Pinger is the company behind Textfree, a mobile and web app that facilitates the sending of free SMS texts by providing you with a U.S.-based phone number. These messages are regular SMS messages, so you can send them to anyone, even if they don’t use a Textfree app.
Other supported features include group messaging, MMS photo messaging, international messaging, and voicemails.
Pinger offers an awesome standalone app called Pinger DesktopPinger Desktop - The Best Desktop Texting Application [Mac OSX & Windows]Pinger Desktop - The Best Desktop Texting Application [Mac OSX & Windows]Over a year ago, I introduced MakeUseOf readers to Textfree. Since then, a lot has changed. I still use Textfree to this very day, and the entire application has been rebranded as Pinger. If you...Read More, but recently decided to cease acceptance of new Pinger Desktop accounts due to a greater focus on mobile apps instead. Fortunately, it’s similar enough to Textfree Web that you won’t lose out on much with the latter.
Texting is free to the United States, Canada, and these international countries.
Pushbullet
Pushbullet has been a fan favorite app for a couple of years now. It started out as a simple way to forward notifications and transfer files between your mobile device and your desktop computerThe Fastest File Transfer Methods Between PCs and Mobile DevicesThe Fastest File Transfer Methods Between PCs and Mobile DevicesPC-to-mobile files transfers are easy to do. This article covers five fast transfer methods between PCs and mobile devices.Read More, but has recently evolved into something much more.
In late 2014, Pushbullet added the ability to send SMS texts from your computer through your phone. Then, in 2015, they expanded the feature so that messages are synced across all of your devices and you can have full conversations regardless of which device you’re on at the time.
As of now, the feature is guaranteed to work as long as you’re using Pushbullet on Android 4.4+ as well as the Pushbullet Chrome extensions or the Pushbullet desktop app.
MightyText + GText
MightyText is an awesome little app that can synchronize an Android smartphone’s messages with Android tablets and any of the mainstream browsers (Chrome, Firefox, Opera, Safari, and IE). It’s very useful and worth checking out if you haven’t alrady.
But for the purposes of sending an SMS from your desktop, you’ll need to install a secondary Chrome extension called GText. This extension modifies your Gmail inbox with a Compose SMS button (but first you’ll have to authorize the extension to access your inbox).
Learn more by checking out our overview of sending text messages with MightyText and GmailGtext From MightyText: Send SMS From Gmail, Using Your Android Phone NumberGtext From MightyText: Send SMS From Gmail, Using Your Android Phone NumberRead More.
AirDroid
Like Pushbullet and MightyText, AirDroid is another app that makes it easy to check your SMS texts from your computerHow to View and Send SMS Text Messages on Your ComputerHow to View and Send SMS Text Messages on Your ComputerWant to view and send text messages with your computer? These apps and services let you access SMS without your Android or iPhone.Read More. It works by synchronizing your devices together, allowing you to read and write SMS texts right from your computer in real-time.
All you need is the AirDroid app on your Android smartphone. Then, you can synchronize using the Windows client or the AirDroid web client (or the OS X client if you also have a Mac lying around somewhere).
But what’s great about the latest version of AirDroid is that it’s about more than just synchronization. It has a bunch of advanced features that make it easy to manage your entire smartphone remotely, including: mirroring the device’s screen on your computer, answering or rejecting calls, file transfers, contact list management, and more.
Learn more in our overview of AirDroid 3 featuresHow Do I Manage My Android From My PC? Meet AirDroid 3How Do I Manage My Android From My PC? Meet AirDroid 3For a seamless connection between your Android and your PC or Mac, you've got to try AirDroid 3. You can even mirror your device's screen to your computer!Read More. Be aware that some advanced features (like unlimited file transfers or remote access to the mobile camera) are only available in AirDroid Premium, which starts at $1.99 per month.
Google Voice & Google Hangouts
Do you remember Google Voice? It peaked in popularity a few years ago, but it’s still around and still quite useful — not just for setting up call forwardingHow To Set Up Call Forwarding With Google VoiceHow To Set Up Call Forwarding With Google VoiceRead More, but also for a bunch of other neat uses5 Awesome Things You Can Do With Google Voice5 Awesome Things You Can Do With Google VoiceBlog from your phone, call Canada for free or use your computer to make free phone calls. Google Voice isn't the easiest Google service to explain to non-techies, partially because it can be used for...Read More like sending and receiving texts.
That’s right. As soon as you claim a Google Voice number, which only takes a few minutes at most, you can start sending SMS texts from that new number. Seriously, it doesn’t get much easier than this.
You can also send SMS texts through Google Voice using Google Hangouts. Not only is Hangouts one of the best Android messaging appsThe Best All-in-One Messaging & Calling App for Android: Google HangoutsThe Best All-in-One Messaging & Calling App for Android: Google HangoutsWhat if there was one app that could do it all? Meet Google Hangouts for Android.Read More available, the new Hangouts web clientGoogle Finally Made a Hangouts Web App & It's Worth ItGoogle Finally Made a Hangouts Web App & It's Worth ItFor the longest time, Hangouts on desktop was a nightmare. Now, it has got a major update on the web in the form of an all new dedicated web app.Read More is sleek, beautiful, and worthwhile. To get it working, you’ll have to enable Google Voice integration in the Hangouts settings.
Note: Google Voice is only available to residents of the U.S. so international users will need to resort to another service instead.
Microsoft Outlook
Did you know it was possible to send SMS texts using Microsoft Outlook? The process is a little more involved than some of the solutions offered above, but as long as you can get it up and running successfully, it works well enough — especially if Outlook is already part of your regular toolset.
The easiest way is to set up an account with a third-party service that supports the Outlook Mobile Service (OMS) protocol. Fortunately, this can be done through a painless step-by-step wizard within Outlook itself.
In the ribbon, navigate to the Home tab, then click on New Items, then select Text Message (SMS). This will launch the wizard that configures your Outlook account with a nearby third-party service.
Note: This feature is only available in Microsoft Outlook 2010. It was removed in Microsoft Outlook 2013. Also, some services may charge a fee on top of any mobile carrier fees you might incur per text message.
Online Text Message
There are so many “free SMS text” services on the web that it would be impossible to list all of them to satisfaction. However, we’ve covered a few of them in our list of free online SMS servicesThe Best Ways To Send A Free SMS OnlineThe Best Ways To Send A Free SMS OnlineIn an era where smartphone ownership is becoming the majority, it’s hard to imagine someone who can’t (or won’t) send out text messages. When was the last time you knew someone who didn’t have a...Read More so check them out if you prefer an on-demand method with very little hassle (e.g. no account creation).
Online Text Message is one of the better ones but it comes with a few caveats. It’s quick and painless to use, but you must be at least 18 years old to use it legally. It also has a less-than-ideal privacy policy that will scare away most privacy freaks.
Textnow
Long story short: In exchange for using this free service, Online Text Message collects your email address, phone number, and IP address. Messages are also limited to 100 characters. That’s the price to pay for instant convenience.
Sending Text Messages Is Easy
You have so many options and we’re confident that at least one of them will work out well for you. Give them all a try, though, and let us know which one you end up liking the best. As for me? I’m particularly impressed by the ease of use from Google Voice and Google Hangouts.
Best Text App For Kids
If you’re still looking for more ways to make your SMS life easier, consider these alternative SMS apps for Android and these Android SMS scheduling apps, both of which will improve your overall smartphone experience.
Best Text App For Ipod Touch
Looking for additional messaging options? Take a look at these self-destructing apps and sites for secure messaging5 Self-Destructing Apps to Send Secure Messages or Stay Organized5 Self-Destructing Apps to Send Secure Messages or Stay OrganizedIf you want to ensure your data isn't stored anywhere, use these self-destructing apps to send sensitive information.Read More.
Best Text App For Android
Give a try to my new project DesktopSMS (DesktopsSMS Lite for Android, DesktopSMS Client for Windows PC). Native Windows app, no registration needed. Feedback would be appreciated. Thanks.
I used to use MightyText but now they have a 250 messages per month limit with their free service so now I use PushBullet. Thanks for the article!
I use Pushbullet, works like a charm. If I leave my phone in another room and I get a text, it shows up on my pc and I can answer it from my pc.