SMS / MMS Email-to-Text Gateways
Email-to-SMS and email-to-MMS gateway addresses for major US, Canadian, UK, and AU carriers. Send texts to phones by email for free.
Most US / CA carriers accept email delivered to a phone-number-based address at their SMS or MMS gateway. To send, address an email to [email protected] using the gateway for the recipient's carrier (10-digit number, no dashes). MMS gateways accept subject, body, and one media attachment; SMS gateways are plain text only and truncate at 160 characters.
United States carriers
| Carrier | SMS gateway | MMS gateway |
|---|---|---|
| AT&T | [email protected] |
[email protected] |
| Verizon | [email protected] |
[email protected] |
| T-Mobile | [email protected] |
[email protected] |
| Sprint (now T-Mobile) | [email protected] |
[email protected] |
| US Cellular | [email protected] |
[email protected] |
| Boost Mobile | [email protected] |
[email protected] |
| Cricket Wireless | [email protected] |
[email protected] |
| Virgin Mobile USA | [email protected] |
[email protected] |
| MetroPCS (Metro by T-Mo) | [email protected] |
[email protected] |
| Google Fi | [email protected] |
[email protected] |
| Consumer Cellular | [email protected] |
(uses AT&T/T-Mo MMS) |
| Straight Talk | [email protected] (Verizon MVNO) |
— |
| TracFone | Varies — uses underlying carrier | — |
| Page Plus | [email protected] |
[email protected] |
| Republic Wireless | [email protected] |
— |
| Ting | [email protected] |
— |
| Xfinity Mobile | [email protected] (Verizon) |
[email protected] |
Canadian carriers
| Carrier | SMS gateway | MMS gateway |
|---|---|---|
| Bell Canada | [email protected] |
[email protected] |
| Rogers Wireless | [email protected] |
[email protected] |
| Fido | [email protected] |
[email protected] |
| Telus | [email protected] |
[email protected] |
| Koodo | [email protected] |
[email protected] |
| Virgin Mobile Canada | [email protected] |
(uses Bell) |
| Freedom Mobile | [email protected] |
[email protected] |
| Sasktel | [email protected] |
[email protected] |
| MTS | [email protected] |
— |
United Kingdom & Australia (select)
| Carrier | SMS gateway |
|---|---|
| UK — O2 | [email protected] (reply by email only, account required) |
| UK — Vodafone UK | (no public email-to-SMS gateway since ~2010) |
| UK — EE / T-Mobile UK | (no public gateway — use third-party SMS API) |
| AU — Telstra | (no email-to-SMS; use paid API) |
| AU — Optus | (no email-to-SMS; use paid API) |
How to use a gateway
- Replace
numberwith the full 10-digit phone number (US/CA) or country-code + number. Do not include+, dashes, spaces, or parentheses. - Subject and body are concatenated in most SMS gateways. Keep total under 160 chars to avoid truncation / split.
- MMS gateways accept one attachment (JPG, PNG, GIF, or 3GP); total message must usually be under 300–600 KB depending on carrier.
- If the recipient replies, the reply lands in the sender's email inbox (From:
number@gateway). The return-path can be reused for a conversation. - Delivery is best-effort — carriers can filter aggressively, especially with image attachments or from bulk / new senders. Use a verified SMTP sender and keep volume low.
- For reliable automated messaging at scale, use a transactional SMS API (Twilio, MessageBird, Vonage, Plivo) — these give delivery receipts and carrier-independent routing.
Sample email to send a text
To: [email protected] From: [email protected] Subject: (leave blank) Hello from email-to-SMS! Keep it under 160 characters.
For MMS with a photo, attach a JPG / PNG under ~600 KB and use the MMS gateway address.
Legal / etiquette
- US: the TCPA prohibits unsolicited automated messages to cell phones without prior express consent. Personal 1-to-1 messaging is fine; bulk / marketing needs opt-in and usable opt-out.
- US: if using gateways for mass messaging, register a 10DLC brand + campaign (A2P 10DLC rules in effect since 2023).
- Always honor STOP / UNSUB replies immediately and do not reuse the number.
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