No matter your reason, if this is something you want to do, follow one of these texting methods that do not require the use of the messaging app on your phone.
1. Google Voice
Google Voice isn’t talked about much, but this handy service gives you a free virtual phone number that you can use to make calls and send texts. Currently, it’s only available in the US and Canada. If you find yourself in these territories, then setting it up is simple. Main Features:
Get a voice number that works on smartphones and the webVoicemail transcriptionCall forwardingFree for personal use / Starts at $10/month for business use
2. Your Email Account
This only works for USA and Canadian phone numbers. An often unknown way for you to text without your phone is for you to use your regular email client. To use your email to send a message: For example, a Verizon number would look like 8887776666@vtext.com. If you are not sure which carrier your recipient has, you can look it up.
Freecarrierlookup.comCarrierLookupEmail to SMS
These sites will check to make sure it is a wireless number and give you the SMS and MMS addresses for that contact.
3. Windows App
If you have a Windows machine, you can use the “Your Phone Companion” app or “Phone Link” to send and receive texts. The drawback to using Your Phone Companion is that you can’t send media. When using Phone Link, you can send media files. To use the Your Phone Companion App to text: You can also access pictures you’ve taken with your phone. You can’t send them with Your Phone Companion, but you can see them. If you’re using Windows 11 and Phone Link, you’ll be able to see and send media files.
4. Chrome Extension
If you are a Gmail user, you can use a Chrome extension called “Send Your Email to SMS (text)” to send text from your email. It’s a nice little app that allows you to send 10 messages for free each month. If you do more than that, you need to upgrade to an unlimited plan for about $50 a month. For a small business, this could be a way to send messages to your customers. The premium version also gives you a dedicated phone number. With this extension, you don’t have to locate and type in the carrier code. It will automatically do it for you. As with most options on this list, it only works with US and Canadian numbers.
5. Free Websites
You have a choice of some free websites that you can use to send messages. Here are a few examples of the many that are available.
GlobFone
GlobFone only has an SMS option – you cannot send pictures. To use it, all you need to do is put in the number you want to text and add a message. The recipient cannot reply, but the site has a status check to make sure the message was delivered correctly. There are a lot of ads though.
AFreeSMS
Send text messages from your PC anywhere in the world with AFreeSMS. Simply choose the country, enter a number, and type your message. You can’t send media files, but you can send up to 160 characters in a single message.
SendSMSNow
To use SendSMSNow, you’ll have to register for a free account. This lets you receive text replies in your inbox. You can send unlimited messages as long as each one is 130 characters or less. Media files aren’t supported. Numerous countries worldwide are supported. If you want to send group texts, it costs $0.01 per person.
OpenTextingOnline
If you want to send free texts online that include images, try OpenTextingOnline. You can send images up to 300 KB. Send unlimited messages. Simply choose the country, enter the number and your message, and send. You can enter your email address in the message if you’d like recipients to respond via email. Otherwise, stay on the page and wait for the reply.
6. Text Sync Apps
Another way of texting from your computer is to install one of several different apps that sync your text messages onto your laptop.
Pushbullet
Pushbullet is one of the most popular desktop apps to connect your Android phone to your computer. It not only pushes SMS messages between the devices, but it includes Notification Mirroring, pushing all your notifications from your Android to your computer. Pushbullet used to be free, but they reduced the number of features on their free platform and added a paid level of $5.00 a month.
AirDroid
AirDroid is nearly the same as Pushbullet. You can also view your camera and dial your phone remotely. All these features are only $2.00 per month.
MightyText
This app for sending SMS messages from your PC is a browser option, not a desktop app like Pushbullet and AirDroid. MightyText lets you synchronize your SMS messages along with your notifications, photos, videos, and all the major desktop browsers. It’s free for up to 500 messages a month, and after that it will set you back $5.00 monthly. If you find that texting on your phone is not the most efficient way for you to create messages, try one of these other ways to send them. And don’t forget to backup your messages in the event that your phone crashes. And, here’s how to recover your Android messages if you accidentally delete them. Image credit: Asterfolio via Unsplash Options like Google Voice do give you your own number with both the free personal and premium business plans. Remember that none of the options are completely anonymous. Some options will require more effort than others to track your IP address, but they’re not anonymous.
