December 11, 2008

Gmail SMS

After more than a month since Gmail first added an option to send SMS from Gmail Chat and quickly removed it to fix some bugs, it's now available again. You'll find it in the crowded Gmail Labs, where it's called "Text Messaging (SMS) in Chat".

After enabling the feature, mouse over a contact from Gmail chat box, click on "Video & more" and select "Send SMS". For now, this feature only works for US phone numbers. "If your contact replies, the text message response will appear as a reply in Chat. These conversations are stored in your Chat history just like regular chats." The explanation is that Google assigns each Gmail user a virtual phone number so that your contacts can send replies.

"On the receiving end, when you get a text message from Gmail on your phone, it will come from a number in the 406 area code. (The l33t folks in the crowd will note that this spells G0O.) You can reply to this text on your phone just like you'd reply to any other text. The reply gets routed back to our Gmail servers and shows up in your friend's Gmail chat window. Each of your friends' messages will come from a different 406 number so you can reply to any message and it will get back to the right person. Messages from the same person will always come from the same number, so you can even bookmark it in your phone. If you get a message from somebody you don't want to chat with from your phone, just reply with the word BLOCK. If you don't want to get texts from anybody using Gmail, reply with the word STOP and we'll leave you alone," informs Gmail's blog.


At some point, the virtual phone number could be the same as the GrandCentral number and Gmail could become a centralized communication system, where you can send email messages, SMS, make phone calls, use video chat, share files and archive your entire communication flow.

{ Thanks, Niranjan. }

50 comments:

  1. If only folks in Europe could use this... :(

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  2. What's really odd about this to me is that I live in the 406 area code (Montana) and I can't get Grand Central in my area code!

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  3. if you go on Grandcentral site you can read :we're happy to announce you that Google has acquired Grandcentral..
    hurry up! I want it in France right now.

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  4. Why do Americans always get the change to toy around with the new stuff! Me wantz this too!

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  5. I have been testing GrandCentral and there is no new feature for years. Hope the project is not abandoned.

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  6. have you seen the new interface for google translate?

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  7. I love it, but I just found out that there are certain carriers it doesn't support at this moment. Not sure exactly who the carrier is (at this moment)...but I'll try to post it once I find out. And YES the number I tried sending to is in fact a US number.

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  8. Thank you Sergey and Larry ! I can never get a hold of my nephew b/c he's always on SMS. I can get his attention now.

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  9. IM clients that use GTalk servers (like Meebo) can use it as an sms gateway. Add a buddy like +1772260XXXX@sms.talk.google.com

    You end up with a less clunky chat interface.

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  10. I guess, I have hit the Google anti SMS spam relay. Over my excitment, i have been testing the feature, and now get this message.

    Your message could not be delivered because you have sent messages to too many mobile contacts who have not responded.

    Anybody else getting this? Or have any ideas?

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  11. Waiting for Europe to have access!

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  12. Email, chat, sms, documents, calendar all in one..... Dang!

    The sms from chat in the email browser window is too cool.

    So far it works on Alltel and AT&T.

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    Replies
    1. what do i do if i cant send any more sms messages is there any way i could delete any messages so i can send more space

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  13. waiting for India to have access!

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  14. Anyone know how much this costs the person you send a message to? I live in China, and would like to send SMS messages to some friends in the states, but I don't want to run up their cell phone bill in the process.

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  15. wouldn't work well here in ireland, we are crazy txters and talkers! ;-)

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  16. Wow Cool!... Oh wait... It's not available in Australia.
    *sighs*

    Wake me when something non-US focused arrives. :(

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  17. Gmail sms not working for me. I use free SMS url , where present mainly mobile operators

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  18. Can someone please send me an invite for GrandCentral (jcmac007@gmail.com), I would appreciate it.

    Thx

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  19. I'm waiting it to be available at Scandian country.

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  20. DOES THIS COST MONEY FOR THE PEOPLE YOU ARE SENDING IT TO?

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  21. Hey, my friend doesn't have a cell yet and uses this with me all the time. Thanks so much!!
    1 Question: Cost any $$?

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  22. maggie

    Yes, normal sms charges apply to the receiving person.

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  23. Super cool!
    Waiting for it to work in the UAE, middle east.
    Can't I atleast send an sms to friends in the US from UAE?

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  24. I have a Missoula, MT GrandCentral/Google Voice number. Google just never added more as they ran out of the first blocks they bought. They essentially abandoned GrandCentral for a LONG time...

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  25. I like the ability to send SMS from Gmail chat. However, I'm running into a problem right now. The person I text message with the most didn't respond to the first 3 text messages I sent him from Gmail. As a result, I can't send any more text messages to him until he responds. However, those initial three text messages were sent weeks ago and he has since deleted them. How can I send another text message to him in order to get him to respond to make the SMS functionality live again?

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  26. Is there a way to prevent Gmail from sending 2 SMS everything you SMS someone? This costs them double for every message.

    Thanks!

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    Replies
    1. Have you found an answer to this? This is a problem.

      Delete
  27. i want them to give us a txt # so ppl can start sending txt messages to us

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  28. Can you receive messages when you aren't logged in?

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  29. Good question - do you receive messages when you aren't logged in?

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  30. We have been sending text overseas to 50+ countries with www.redoxygen.com . You get a free trial, but its not free after the trial

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  31. Did this feature get removed again?

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  32. did they take it out again? dammit!

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  33. Ahg, this needs to come back!

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  34. This is a very useful tool, and I am glad it is back on. Thank you Gmail Team!

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  35. Can anyone send SMS from Jabber clients? It used to work in +13126667777@sms.talk.google.com format.

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  36. Given the popularity of SMS and the scarcity of reputable suppliers in the rest of the world, Google would do well to get gmail sms out to the rest of us pretty smartish!

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  37. is there a way to find out what Grand Central 406 number we were assigned? I need mine so that a person can reply back to me in order to permit future chat-to-sms (this person didn't hit reply on my first 3 messages and now i'm stuck).

    n e ideas?

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  38. for Palestinian Authority , why we are allowed to send sms only to US, Palestinian Authority , Israel and Ghana???
    What's the use of ghana for my network ..????????????????????/

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  39. There is an application offered by www.netbrowse.co.za You open a free e-mail account and then you can text from the mail box to any cellphone in the world not just United states. People will reply to your e-mail address or your phone number if you choose to have your phone number shown

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  40. thanks gmail...its very useful..we already have here in the philippines

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  41. You could also try this one: https://alert-please.com

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  42. hii i want to rollback from send sms to chat hw it is possible?

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