You text all the time, but did you know you can send SMS directly to someone’s email inbox? It’s a simple trick that comes in handy when you don’t have email access or need to reach someone quickly.
With just a few changes to your standard texting process, you can write a message that’s sent via SMS but delivered as an email.
Here’s how to do it.
Can I text an email?
Yes, you can text emails.
Most mobile carriers offer a digital SMS gateway that translates SMS to email (and vice versa) so you can communicate across channels. You don’t need any additional hardware or a specific phone plan to use an SMS gateway—you just need to send your text to the right place.
Texted emails come from your number at your carrier’s SMS gateway address, so the “From” address on your email will look something like: 1234567890@vtext.com. Texted emails also don’t include a subject, making them more likely to fall into your recipient’s spam inbox.
When your recipient replies, each email they send will reach you as a normal SMS message that you can answer to continue the conversation. However, each text you send creates a new email thread, so it’s a bit harder for email recipients to keep track of conversations.
Why would I text an email?
Texting an email may sound unconventional, but it’s a great backup plan for cases where texting or emailing someone isn’t convenient or even possible.
Here are a few reasons why you might send an SMS to an email address.
Your text inbox is more accessible
When you want to send a quick reminder or check in with someone, it’s faster to fire off a text than switching to your email app and re-entering their information each time. Plus, you’ll have access to all their messages in your SMS inbox.
You don’t have email access
You might not have access to a work phone or email when you’re home. But as long as you know your boss’s or coworker’s email address, you can deliver an email to their inbox from any cell phone.
Your recipient is traveling internationally
If you’re texting someone traveling or located somewhere that will trigger international SMS fees, you can send them an email instead. Email relies on the internet instead of cell service, making it easy to avoid international fees by using Wi-Fi or mobile data.
Your recipient needs a computer to access a message’s contents
Some files and attachments won’t work or open on a phone, so you must access them via a computer. By adding these attachments to your texts and sending them to your recipient’s email, they can access them from their computer’s email without needing to transfer them between devices.
How to send an email as a text
As long as you have your recipient’s email and your phone handy, you’re ready to send an email via SMS.
Here’s how.
- Choose your SMS app and draft a new message.Head to your phone’s native SMS solution and choose to start a new conversation or draft a new message.
- Enter your recipient’s email address in the “To” field.You don’t need to add anything else—just type their email in like you would when sending an email.
- Compose your SMS email.Write your message and include any pictures, files, or other attachments you want to share.
- Press send.Once you’ve finished your message, send it like any other text. Your carrier’s SMS gateway will handle the rest.
Making a text email-friendly
Writing email-friendly texts is pretty easy. While SMS uses plain text format, email is rich text, so anything you write via SMS is readable as an email. Plus, most carriers support MMS, which allows you to include emojis, formatting, and other elements that your phone supports.
Both your message and any files are delivered as attachments, so there’s no 160-character limit for SMS-to-email messaging. However, remember that many carriers limit how much data you can send over their network at once, so stick to smaller files when sending MMS.
Send emails via SMS to save time and communicate reliably
Texting an email lets you quickly communicate with anyone whose email address you know. Now that you know how to do it, you can use it for after-hours work messaging, connecting with a friend abroad, and more.
Looking to email a phone number? Check out our guide.
