Free SMS Worldwide if you have an iPhone

[nodric]

OK, so I may be late to the game on this one, but it just had to be shared

Fed up of paying for those dollar/pound/euro per message costs to India, the States, South Africa, or just don’t get enough/any bundled SMS (is there such a thing for sending texts between countries?)

On the App store there is an app, and yes it’s free, called Pinger TextFree. It’s ad driven, but they don’t bug me, and you can pay 6 USD a year to remove em.

Basically it’s an app that allows you to send free SMS to any USA mobile phone, and for that mobile phone user to reply to you, and you receive the reply back on your iPhone. This is accomplished by allocating you a US cell phone number. Anyone can text you at that number!

The interface is excellent, and it’s as good and simple as using the standard SMS interface. It is skinned so you can muck around with it, and it has loads of extra, and very loud, alert tones, and fully supports push notifications. It works over 2g/3g and WiFi. i.e. it covers all the bases.

Here’s the cute bit. Anybody can download the App (may need to create a US iTunes account, but that’s not hard). Each of you get a US cell phone number allocated for the App. You then use this to text each other, either in your home country, or across the World!!!

Suddenly, and so welcome, I now have free Worldwide text messaging, assuming everyone I know has an iPhone And for my contacts in the USA, I now can text away to my hearts content, and they can reply using their normal cell phones, and it costs me nowt!

Yes I could use Skype/AIM/Yahoo, but just not as intuitive as texting for many people, and they eat the battery.

I’m sure the makers didn’t intend it to be used in this way, but it works, and is saving me a fortune.

For the phone calls, check out Rebtel. Works from any phone btw. Cheaper than Skype, and it’s direct dial straight from your mobile. i.e. I call the US or UK direct from my mobile in Belgium for 1 US cent a minute, and no mobile costs as I burn my bundled minutes. i.e. The numbers Rebtel allocates for your contacts are all local landline numbers in your local country. I've used this service for 2 years now, and save 100s of Euros every month. Great to be wandering Brussels on the phone to the Uk for less than it costs me to call a someone standing next to me!

And before you ask, I'm not affiliated However, perhaps I should write their ads

[chef]

there's an app for that

[Spacecadet]

you'll still need a data connection for it to work which is going to cost you if you're abroad and can't get free wifi.

Suddenly, and so welcome, I now have free Worldwide text messaging, assuming everyone I know has an iPhone

If they have an iphone and you've got a data connection and they'll need a data connection to recieve the sms then why not just email them?

If you do need to send a lot of text messages to an international number(s) then there are bulk SMS providors who can do that at about 5p per message and can be sent from emails and replies can be received by their system and forwarded back to your email (smsgeezer does this)

Correct me if I'm missing something!

[nodric]

you'll still need a data connection for it to work which is going to cost you if you're abroad and can't get free wifi.



If they have an iphone and you've got a data connection and they'll need a data connection to receive the sms then why not just email them?

If you do need to send a lot of text messages to an international number(s) then there are bulk SMS providers who can do that at about 5p per message and can be sent from emails and replies can be received by their system and forwarded back to your email (smsgeezer does this)

Correct me if I'm missing something!

I agree there are lots of ways, but if you want to text someone in the USA, and get replies from their normal cell phone, this was is free…

Email is free granted, but people text, they just do!

I send a lot of messages within Belgium, which cost about 12 cents a pop. Bundles are available, but the lowest costs is 10 cents per message. On the contrary my data plan is cheap, and I never go anywhere near the limit, so this way I can send and receive texts in that well practiced and habit formed way, rather than switch to IM.

Let’s just say that it’s an alternative way to text to anyone anywhere, at no cost (data plan dependant). People text, no matter how hard you try and get them to use Skype, they prefer to text. This lets them text, with an almost identical interface, but without cost.

On the ‘bulk’ providers, it’s very hard to get a bundle that covers several International locations, I send to the US, South Africa, and Australia. And why pay when you don’t have to, even if it is 5p a message. The other problem is, that Europe is not so well served as the UK for such services.

[gadgetman]

I use whatsapp. Very intuitive, looks just like the SMS app.

No US itunes or other crap required. Also works on Blackberry, very handy.

For when I have to send SMS I use biteSMS which costs about 5p per text worldwide.

[nodric]

I use whatsapp. Very intuitive, looks just like the SMS app.

No US itunes or other crap required. Also works on Blackberry, very handy.

For when I have to send SMS I use biteSMS which costs about 5p per text worldwide.

Jailbreak required though for biteSMS. I have a unlocked and sim free iPhone (Belgium), and as such, have tried to avoid Cydia et al.

Seems the same company does, or at least promotes on their website, an approved iPhone app (munchSMS), but not as feature rich. Some complaints about lost credits on the reviews, but that's probably just haters... 99cents or equivalent to buy including 10 credits, then in app purchases using your iTunes account for credits.

8 Euro Cents a message for me, which for Worldwide is very cheap! Average cost from Proximus is 75 cents for no EU, and 20 Cents for EU.

Good call!

Thx

What's not clear though, is how the receiver replies to you. i.e. To your normal mobile number = high cost for them, or to a local number that gets routed back to you = low cost.

[Spacecadet]

What's not clear though, is how the receiver replies to you. i.e. To your normal mobile number = high cost for them, or to a local number that gets routed back to you = low cost.

This is where 2 way email to sms comes in
You email the sms provider, they send the sms, the receiver then replies to the local number they received the message from which routes the reply back to your email

[nodric]

This is where 2 way email to sms comes in
You email the sms provider, they send the sms, the receiver then replies to the local number they received the message from which routes the reply back to your email

Email reply (vert fast response BTW) from the developer of munchSMS

Simple answer, munchSMS is for sending text messages only.

The recipient sees it from your number and can't tell it's come from munchSMS. When they reply it goes back to you in the normal Messaging app.


Martin
stompSMS team....

Problem is you get a cheap sms sending cost, your friend/family pay full international costs.

Sending in one app, and receiving in another app also destroys the thread continuity you get with the standard SMS app. Often the folks at the other end (Parents and relatives), are not so tech savvy, and simply can’t be arsed to learn all these workarounds.

All this sending from one app, receiving into another app, or jumping back and forth to and from emails, is the exact reason I loved the Pinger app, and not forgetting that all messages sent on it are free

Granted it's only any good if you have an iPhone, or text a lot of folks in the USA, but at least it's all in one app, that for all intense and purpose behaves and looks like the standard SMS app.