Just the other day, I was reading an ebook on my tablet when I heard a chime from my phone — I’d received a text message. But I was on my couch, my phone was on my desk, and I was feeling lazy.
So I began to wonder: wouldn’t it be great if I could sync the text messages on my phone to my tablet so I’d never find myself in this position again? And as it turns out, yes, it is possible.
Part 2: View Android Text Messages on PC with Android App. SMS Backup+ is a partially free Android App that can back up all of your SMS collection to Gmail from where you can download them in your computer. This app is a little tricky and complex to use, so pay close attention to the following steps to know how to use this app.
Syncing Text Messages Between Tablet and Phone
All you need is a free app called MySMS (on your phone) and MySMS Tablet (on your tablet). With it, you can read and write text messages on your phone using your tablet from anywhere.
How To Receive Text Messages On Your Computer
- The Skype Preview app for Android has been updated with a new 'SMS Connect' feature that will let you send and receive SMS messages from the Skype app on your PC or Mac (via Windows Blog Italia).
- SMS for iMessage is an Android app that securely routes your text messages from your Mac’s iMessage client to your Android phone. During setup, the app will walk you through the process of.
Setting Up Your Phone
Upon launching the app for the first time, you’ll be met with a welcome screen and a Sign in with Google button. Tap it and select the account you want to use. If you don’t see the account you want, tap Add account and go through the steps as presented.
Once you’ve signed in, you’ll see the home screen that says Ready to use. The instructions tell you to visit a URL with a web browser on your computer (yes, MySMS also lets you sync texts with a PC), but ignore that for now and move onto your tablet.
Setting Up Your Tablet
As with the phone, your first time launching the app will be met with a welcome screen and a Sign in with Google button. Select the same account that you used on your phone (add it if you don’t see it), then wait for it to connect and load all of your synced messages. It’s that simple.
Sending Text Messages From Your Tablet
MySMS has an extremely clean and intuitive interface — one of the best I’ve seen for a text messaging app. All of your conversations are on the left, and you just select between them. The only “problem” is that there’s a noticeable delay (up to 10 seconds at times) between hitting Send on the tablet and the message actually getting sent on your phone.
Your contacts are also synced from phone to tablet, meaning you can easily strike up new conversations with anyone. MySMS also supports MMS messages, which include group texts and image attachments10 Fun Phone Games to Play Over Text With Your Friends10 Fun Phone Games to Play Over Text With Your FriendsHere are some of the best games to play over text right now without needing to download or install anything on your phone.Read More.
But Wait, Is MySMS Truly Free?
Yes and no.
It’s free in the sense that you can send and receive an unlimited number of text messages every month. This is a huge feature when compared to other apps of its kind, which limit you to 100 or 200 or however many text messages per month. MySMS doesn’t restrict you in this way.
However, there are two potential hang-ups:
- Free users cannot view messages older than 31 days.
- Free users may have a “via MySMS” signature tacked on every 50 or so sent messages, similar to “Sent from my iPhone.”
Other than that, MySMS is available to use on phones, tablets, and computers indefinitely with basic messaging features: send, receive, search, attachments, and group texts. For most, that’s more than enough. For power users, you’ll want a Premium account.
Advanced Features for Premium Users
A MySMS Premium account costs $10 per year. You can initiate a free 14-day trial within the app after you set it up. Here are all the nifty additional features that make the Premium account worthwhile.
Save and restore messages. MySMS keeps your messages synced to their servers so that if you ever need to reset your device or reinstall the app, you can immediately restore the state of your inbox.
Archive messages to cloud storage. Save your text messages forever by storing them on a cloud storage host like Dropbox or Google Drive. MySMS can also forward messages to an email account.
Export messages. MySMS can export all of your messages as a single text file. This is a good way to keep local backups if you don’t trust third-party storage. The file can also be read like any normal text file.
Schedule messages for later. If you know you’re going to send a text later but don’t want to forget, schedule it for a future date and time. You can also get this feature with one of these text message scheduling apps.
Sync messages with another phone. If you have two phones and want to keep all your texts synced on both of them, MySMS can do that. You’ll need to install the special MySMS Mirror app.
Manage call logs. Access, browse, and edit your phone’s call logs from your tablet. It’s a great way to check recent calls without needing to get up and find your phone.
Remote calling. You’ll receive notifications of incoming calls, and you can start, dismiss, or mute from your tablet. You can also initiate outgoing calls on your phone from your tablet. The call itself is still on the phone.
Other Alternatives to MySMS
MySMS isn’t the only way to send and receive text messages on an Android tablet. I just think it’s the best option currently available. If you don’t like it for whatever reason, there are a handful of alternatives you can try instead.
- Yappy — Syncs messages and notifications between phones, tablets, and PCs. Like MySMS, free users can send and receive unlimited messages, but it’s ad-supported and messages are only retained for 14 days. To remove ads and unlock more features, Yappy Pro costs $5 per month.
- Join — Much more powerful than just syncing messages. You can remotely access notifications, clipboards, web pages, screens, files, and more. The app only costs a one-time $5 payment. No free version, but there is a free 30-day trial.
- MightyText — Similar to Pushbullet with many of the features it offers, but it’s ad-supported and limited to 200 messages per month for free users. Premium costs $60 per year.
- Pushbullet — It can do everything MySMS does plus more (e.g., encryption, file transfer between devices, mirror notifications) but is limited to 100 messages per month for free users. Premium costs $40 per year.
Regardless of which app you choose, you no longer have to carry both your tablet and phone everywhere you go. While these apps don’t let you make remote calls, rest assured that there are ways to make phone calls with an Android tabletHow to Call Phones from Your Android TabletHow to Call Phones from Your Android TabletIf you want to make calls from your Android tablet, these apps can help you out.Read More.
Don’t have a tablet? Check out the best cheap tabletsThe 6 Best Cheap Tablets for Budget GiftsThe 6 Best Cheap Tablets for Budget GiftsLooking for the best cheap tablet? You're in luck! We've rounded up the best tablets for the money that you should buy.Read More, particularity the best inexpensive gaming tabletsThe 5 Best Gaming Tablets Under $200, $100, and MoreThe 5 Best Gaming Tablets Under $200, $100, and MoreWant the best from mobile gaming, but not sure which tablets are most suitable? Here are the best gaming tablets for any budget.Read More.
Android Text Messages On Computer
Know of any other Android apps that let you text from a tablet? Got any other Android tablet tips? Share with us in the comments below!
Explore more about: Android, Android Tablet, SMS.
T-mobile Digits will allow you to send / receive texts and voice calls across Android / iOS phones and tablets, and Macs and PCs...*technically* free if you subscribe to T-mo's One Plus service.
Is there an option for sending/receiving text from an iPhone and an Android tablet?
I've used Google Voice for years on android tablets, phones and PC. It's actually gotten pretty good over the years, for what I need. Of course it will be a different number than the one used for your carrier.
If you are in the US then Google Voice is the best universal phone and text service and it's free.
I use Pulse across Huawei Mate9, Lenovo Android tablet, home PC and HP laptop