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Many a times we face the situation of having to send text messages from our PC. Whether your phone ran out of battery or your monthly text limit has expired, there are many reasons you may have to send a text message from your phone. It is always handy to know how to send text messages from your laptop or desktop.

So how can you receive text sms messages online for free on your PC? Well, there are many ways to do this. Before we dive in, note that sending text messages via PC works differently for iOS, Android and Windows.

Yes, Android smartphones can Send or Receive SMS text as well as images via Wi-Fi. I know About an Application Firechat available for free on the Google Play store. This Application allows chatting through wifi. So, You don’t need the internet for.

1. Luckily, there is a workaround to send and receive SMS Text Messages on iPad using the Continuity Feature in Apple devices. Pre-requisites For Sending SMS Text Messages From iPad. In order to send SMS Text Messages from an iPad you will need the following. IPhone with a Cellular Plan. Both iPhone and iPad need to be connected to the.
2. It's easy to send and receive text messages on your Mac - you can even get texts from friends who don't have iPhones. Here's how to set up text messaging on your Mac - handy for when your phone is.
3. You can receive SMS text messages in Skype if you have a Skype Number, and have caller identification set up. Currently, only US Skype Numbers can receive SMS messages. Two-way SMS text messaging is not supported in Skype on Android 4.0.4 - 5.1. To start receiving SMS messages in Skype.
4. All you have to do is deregister iMessage online. If you recently updated to 8.0 Oreo. If your text messages stopped working after you updated your Android device to 8.0 Oreo, it may be because you're using a third-party messaging app. Android 8.0 Oreo automatically puts third-party apps to sleep in order to conserve battery.

Later in this post, we will discuss the three. Other than those, there many other options that exist that work. So to learn more about receiving text messages via PC, keep reading.

Using online websites to send and receive SMS online for free

Apart from these listed here, there are now many other websites available online that allow you to send and receive SMS online for free. The following is a list of the most common ones:

GenVoice

This is an online website where you can send and receive SMS online for free. Another functionality of this website is that you can avoid the hassle of using a carrier number or code with email. With GenVoice, you just enter your email address and the phone number of the person you are sending the message too, and the rest will be taken care of.

Receive Text Message From Other Number

Have the country code and number on hand and GenVoice can source the carrier code for you. Once the recipient replies, you can find the message in your email and start a conversation.

PingMe

PingMe is another web browser option that lets you send and receive SMS online. PingMe synchronizes your text messages, photos, videos, notifications from other major desktop browsers. You have the option to send and receive text messages online for free, and have all your photos and videos stored in your laptop or desktop.

How to receive text messages via iMessage for iOS and MACOS

The convenience of iOS relies on its ability to integrate with many devices. For example, you can see the messages you receive in your iPhone on your Mac. This quick set up guide will teach you how to send and receive messages on your PC without having to look at your phone.

First, you need to make sure that you log into the same iCloud account on all your devices. Make sure that you are using the same Wi-Fi network for all devices. Then, go to the settings menu on your iPhone and tap messages. Select “text message forwarding” and you will automatically go to a page where you can view the other iOS devices you are or can connect with. From there you can select the devices you want to sync up with.

You will receive a 6-digit confirmation code that you will have to enter, which ensures that you want to send and receive text messages from your iPhone to your Mac.

After completing the setup, you can send and receive text messages in a similar fashion as you would in your iPhone. Click the pencil icon that is above the contact list and start sending and receiving text messages to anyone in your contacts list. In this way, you can send and receive messages to and from other iOS and Mac users for free!

Receive text messages on Android

Android messages have better functionality and availability than iOS. To receive the messages from your Android phone in your desktop or laptop, any will work. It does not have to be a specific device such as Windows. The only requirement is that you have to set Android messages as the default app on your phone.

For a quick set up, first, go to the Android Messages homepage on your phone and select Android Messages Application. Next, tap on the 3-dot menu icon and choose “messages for web”. The last step is to connect your device with your browser by scanning a QR code after which all your contacts will automatically synchronize and appear on your PC. Finally, you can now use your PC to receive text messages from your phone.

How to receive text messages using Cortana

If you use a Windows 10 PC, you can receive text messages easily using Cortana. This by far is the most convenient method. All you have to do is search for “text” followed by the person you want to send a message to in the search bar, which is located in the bottom left corner just beside the Windows icon. For example, you want to text Daniel. Just type “text Daniel”.

Alternatively, you can use the audio recognition technology, where you can say “text Daniel” and Cortana will do the rest. Make sure that both your phone and PC are signed into the same Microsoft account.

A quick set up involves launching the People app and listing the contacts you want to text. These contacts are available in the Microsoft Account Database. Ensure that the “apps notification sync” is on and then choose your desired app that you want to synchronize.

After this configuration, all you have to do is just type or say “message” in Cortana in the taskbar. Cortana will then provide you with further options such as choosing recipient, typing your message and receiving text messages. While receiving text messages, you will get notifications in the notification bar of your Windows 10 screen, which is located at the right side. Furthermore, you can directly reply to text messages from the notification bar in the provided field.

Receiving SMS online using Google Voice

Since its start, Google has only made our lives better with its transcending technology, and it further continues to do so. Google Voice can now send and receive SMS online for free. Beware, this is applicable only in the case of U.S. and Canadian numbers. For other places, Google Voice service will use your Wi-Fi or mobile data plan in order to send and receive SMS online.

In order to send and receive SMS online, you need to have the Google Voice app installed or use the website. Send multimedia messages as well as text messages with Google Voice. Create group chats and send messages to 30 people at once. Keep in mind that if your text is longer than 160 characters to a non-Google Voice number, it will be counted as a multimedia message.

To send and receive SMS online using Google Voice, just follow these steps. First, you need to go to the Google Voice website, which is voice.google.com. Open the tab for messages and select “send a message”. Write down your message and enter a contact’s name or phone number, or create a group of up to thirty people. Insert files and images and turn it into a multimedia message. After that, just click send message and your work is done.

With Google Voice, you can receive SMS online from anywhere in the world. Received messages are stored in the same place but written in bold. To hide messages you do not want to see, you could move them to the spam folder. Usually when replying to messages, your default Google Voice number will be used.

You could also use Google Voice to send and receive SMS online in both Android and iOS devices. It works exactly the same way as in your computer but you have to do everything in the Google Voice application.

Other options to send and receive SMS online

Using your email account

Did you know you could actually use your email account to send and receive SMS online? Take note that this works freely only for Canadian and US numbers. With this, you can use your regular email account to send and receive text messages.

In order to enable this, first, click to compose an email like you normally would. Then, instead of inserting the contact from your email’s contact list, insert the receiver’s phone number first. Insert “@” sign and enter the recipient’s carrier code. After, compose your email as you usually would and click send; it will send as an SMS or MMS.

Likewise, you can also receive messages and find them directly in your inbox. Larger mails would usually be broken down to smaller text messages.

Things work a bit differently and in a simplified way for Gmail. If you are a Gmail user, you can use their chrome extension. A chrome extension called “send your email to SMS (text)” that allows you to send and receive text messages using your email. It is an app that lets you send ten text messages for free each month. If you want to use more than that, you have to upgrade to a paid version.

Using the Windows App

Windows users, you can use their specialized app to send and receive free text messages. It is called “Your Phone Companion”. Although it is a convenient app to send text messages, you cannot send any images or videos using this app.

To use this, first you need to press the Windows button on your keyboard and press on “your phone” on the app list. Any problem you face connecting your phone will be handled by the app. After establishing a successful connection, you can send and receive text messages using this app.

Using such techniques, apps and websites that will let you use your PC to receive and send messages for free will always prove beneficial. One way or the other, at one point these will come handy.

For example, you may land in a situation where your phone is temporarily unavailable but you have important business to carry out. Another instance is you have to send many text messages at once to different people and the thought of a small keypad scares you.

Other than that, these also come handy while running small businesses. If you run a small-scale business, then you can use one of these free methods to reduce costs. These are also beneficial for contacting people in the US and Canada. Many apps are especially designed to provide free services in these countries.

FAQ

Which is the best one to use from the ones mentioned above?

This vastly depends upon the type of PC you are using and the operator; whether it is Mac, Windows or Android. Apart from that, it also depends upon your level of usage. Some may suffice with their limited amount of messages where as in other cases you may have to upgrade.

Are these services reliable?

Currently, yes, all these services are reliable and have vast numbers of users. Nevertheless, there is no guarantee for how long they will be reliable for.

Will these services remain free forever?

We can’t say. Services like Google ought to be free but sometimes apps remove their free features and introduce a paid version, like what Pushbullet did.

Receive Text Messages

Try these steps first

1. Restart your device:
2. Check your network connection. To send a message as iMessage or MMS, you need a cellular data or Wi-Fi connection. To send an SMS message, you need cellular network connection. If you turn on Wi-Fi Calling, you can send SMS messages over Wi-Fi.
3. Check with your carrier to see if the type of message you’re trying to send, like MMS or SMS, is supported.
4. If you’re trying to send group MMS messages on an iPhone, go to Settings > Messages and turn on MMS Messaging. If you don't see an option to turn on MMS Messaging or Group Messaging on your iPhone, then your carrier might not support this feature.
5. Make sure that your device has enough space to receive images and videos.
6. Make sure that you entered the correct phone number or email address for the contact.

If you see a Waiting for Activation alert, learn what to do.

If you still need help, find your issue below to learn what to do next.

If you see a red exclamation point

If you try to send a message and you see with an alert that says Not Delivered, follow these steps:

1. Check your network connection.
2. Tap , then tap Try Again.
   
3. If you still can’t send the message, tap , then tap Send as Text Message. Messaging rates may apply. Contact your carrier for more information.

If you see a green message bubble

If you see a green message bubble instead of a blue one, then that message was sent using MMS/SMS instead of iMessage. There are several reasons for this:

• The person that you sent the message to doesn't have an Apple device.
• iMessage is turned off on your device or on your recipient’s device. To check if iMessage is turned on for your device, go to Settings > Messages > iMessage.
• iMessage is temporarily unavailable on your device or on your recipient’s device.

Learn the difference between iMessage and MMS/SMS messages.

If you receive messages on one device but not the other

If you have an iPhone and another iOS device, like an iPad, your iMessage settings might be set to receive and start messages from your Apple ID instead of your phone number. To check if your phone number is set to send and receive messages, go to Settings > Messages, and tap Send & Receive.

If you don't see your phone number, you can link your iPhone number to your Apple ID so you can send and receive iMessages from your phone number. You can also set up Text Message Forwarding so you can send and receive MMS and SMS messages on all of your Apple devices.

If you have issues with a group message

If you’re in a group message and stop receiving messages, check if you left the conversation. Open Messages and tap the group message. If you see a message that says you left the conversation, then either you left the conversation or you were removed from the group message. You can rejoin a group message only if someone in the group adds you.

To start a new group message:

1. Open Messages and tap the Compose button to start a new message.
2. Enter the phone numbers or email addresses of your contacts.
3. Type your message, then tap the Send button .

If you have other issues with a group message, you might need to delete the conversation and start a new one. To delete a group message:

1. Open Messages and find the conversation that you want to delete.
2. Swipe left over the conversation.
3. Tap Delete.

When you delete a message, you can't recover it. If you want to save parts of a message, take a screenshot. To save an attachment in a message, touch and hold the attachment, tap More, then tap Save.

Learn more

• If you still can't send or receive messages, contact Apple Support.
• If you don't receive SMS messages, contact your carrier.
• If you switched to a non-Apple phone, learn how to deactivate iMessage.
• Learn how to report unwanted iMessages.