iPod Touch: How to text message (or free texting for your iPhone)
By Danny Mendez
Even with the lack of phone hardware, the iPod Touch is a miraculous mini computer which can save you tons of money should you use it wisely. Here’s a money saver: use your iPod Touch to send free text messages.
There’s a few methods of doing this, but the easiest and most convenient requires an AOL instant messaging account. We know lots of you already have one, and, if you don’t, perhaps this willll finally be the reason to dive in.
On your iPod Touch and through Beejive or Meebo, two great instant messaging web apps, log into your AIM account (by the way, thanks to Evalocity7 for the idea). Add a buddy to your account and under buddy, enter “+1″ followed by the person’s cellphone area code and number. Under nickname, enter something like “Dan’s Cell”.
So if Dan’s cell is (555) 444-3333, you’d enter “+15554443333″ for “Buddy”, and “Dan’s Cell” for “Nick Name”.
The recipient will receive a message similar to the following:
“j0hnDOE: (Using AOL IM)
My iPod Touch can do everything!
(You can Reply to this message)”
If the recipient happens to respond, their response will be sent to your AIM account, which should still be open on your iPod Touch.
Evalocity7 fails to point out four things. First, it is much easier to set this up using a regular computer. You don’t necessarily have to do it through your iPod Touch or iPhone. Second, it’s probably easier to to use a native instant messaging app such as Apollo IM, but that requires you to hack your unit. Third, the iPod Touch’s wifi antenna shuts off when it goes to sleep, so make sure to delay auto-sleep through settings. Finally, this is makes more sense for the iPhone than the iPod Touch.
The iPhone can keep an always on EDGE data connection as opposed to the iPod Touch, which needs a wifi connection to connect to the Internet. As a result, you can keep your AIM account always on through Apollo IM and use it to send/receive text messages instead of getting owned by AT&T with expensive texting fees.
That’s not to say this couldn’t fit the needs of any iPod Touch users out there, but some people need a consistent and always-on method of sending and receiving texts. For those of us that aren’t text monsters, this could definitely fit the bill.
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December 28th, 2007
[...] Original post by IPHONETOUCH.BLORGE.com [...]
December 28th, 2007
That is an interesting work-around for those folks that are addicted to texting. I agree that the dependence on a wifi connection severely handicaps this method, however.
December 30th, 2007
what do you do if you put in someones cell and there offline and yes ive typed it in right and yes there phone is on
January 8th, 2008
im from new zealand. will this work with my countries mobile fones? how how i do my number? my country code is +64 and my number in my country with out the country code is 0212509365 so would i write is +1+64212509365 or +164212509365? or what??
plz help
January 15th, 2008
DO NOT DO THIS IT charges you for every message sent and recieved i got fucked!!!!
January 17th, 2008
how can it charge you? were you using an iphone? if so, no shit it charged you, it’s still sending data and you’re probably using your EVDO, not wifi. it’s meant for ipod touch over wifi, theres no possible way you can get charged using an iT over wifi.
January 30th, 2008
this didn’t work; I could send the message but I couldn’t receive. There was even a little message that said (your IM has been sent to my cell phone and though I can read your message, i cannot reply) using JiveTalk and Meebo
anyone get anything different?
February 5th, 2008
same as DL, was able to send the message but phone did not get it(i used beejive)
March 30th, 2008
does the recipient of the txt get charged
August 3rd, 2008
if i got a ipod touch would i get charged for txts?
August 10th, 2008
Go to the app store on your iPod touch & download AIM. :l
Simple as that.
August 25th, 2008
The problem for me is that no matter what I do, each buddy shows up as a number only. I type their name into the nickname field yet it doesn’t display. Very tough to figure out who is who this way.
Any ideas?
August 25th, 2008
or you can just go into mail and create a new message, and in the “to” field, type [10 digit phone number]@teleflip.com. so if your number is 555-555-1234 then you type “555-555-1234@teleflip.com”. it works in all countries, and its free.
September 6th, 2008
Im not sure it works in every countries, for example in france it doesnt seem to work
October 14th, 2008
this does not work at all it is so bad if you think you might try don’t I tryed it and gladly deleted it.
October 26th, 2008
ok first get a friends cell phone and text anything to your email address . Then go onto to the mail app and look at the message. Then all you have to do is reply. CON: You need a wifi spot.
November 12th, 2008
Ok…. so this DOES work…. BUUUUUT…. only a couple of the people i add are “online” and i can’t figure out what is different between the on/offline people… there actually is none… phones are all on… but last night and a couple months ago as well the people who are “online” receive and send back msgs to me no prob… in fact i leave my laptop logged in and my ipod… i get msgs on both…. offline tho… no dice…. anyone know how to “force” online (yeah right huh)
November 23rd, 2008
does your ipod touch have to be jailbroken to use the telefilp feature, because i tried it and it doesnt work.
November 28th, 2008
does anyone know how to pt internet on a ipod touch ya know so you dont have to have wifi
November 28th, 2008
dude that sux u cant jus regullay txt on it like from fone to fone
December 26th, 2008
Thank you so much this is awesome
December 27th, 2008
Do you have to use beejive or meebo? I already have aim on my iPod touch. I didn’t want to try in case of the consequnces.
January 2nd, 2009
do the people i text off of my itouch have to have an aim account?
January 3rd, 2009
Thanks a lot this is so cool! And anyone who would like to play an awesome online game check this out
http://s2.bite-fight.us/c.php?uid=99469
January 3rd, 2009
Thanks a lot this is so awesome! And anyone who would like to play an awesome online game check this out
http://s2.bite-fight.us/c.php?uid=99469
February 1st, 2009
Do I us +1 as i’m from England or do I use I differnt number?
February 6th, 2009
can u save the texts on instant mesanger?
February 7th, 2009
this sucks!
February 12th, 2009
This is sooooo kool!!! I luv it!!!!!
February 22nd, 2009
Only works for 218 numbers
February 23rd, 2009
Hey
February 28th, 2009
DiS DOES NOt WORK PlZ DONt USE it if U HAVE COMMON SENSE . it CHARqES YOU fOR EVERY MESSEqE YOU SEND && RECiEVE . if YOU WANt tO SAVE APPROXAMitlY $1,000 DOllARS PER MONtH , DO NOt USE tEXt tHRU iPHONE , MP3 , EtC . . .
February 28th, 2009
DiS DOES NOt WORK PlZ DONt USE it if U HAVE COMMON SENSE . it iSNt WORtH it . if YOU WANt tO SAVE APPROXAMitlY $1,000 DOllARS PER MONtH , DO NOt USE tEXt tHRU iPHONE , MP3 , EtC . . .
February 28th, 2009
ME
March 12th, 2009
How do they charge you? You would have to give a credit card number at some point, right?
March 14th, 2009
It don’t work it says denide by client or offline pls help
March 16th, 2009
hey guys, it only can charge you if your on a phone! if you on an i touch, it cant charge you, but if the person your txting is on a normal phone they will get raped.
April 10th, 2009
IT WORKS ON MY ITOUCH LOL
April 17th, 2009
Ok, when i put in my friends info and stuff (cellphone) it works.it says my friend is online with mobile. but i try to do it with one of my other friends, says hes offline and his phone is on. my theory is that you need a beejive, or a similar IM system to talk with others that also have beejive, etc. an AIM account may give the option for a phone number, so people could send you sms, or an email threw the internet to a phone.
May 3rd, 2009
I reply hope this works
May 7th, 2009
why are you people bitching just because the requirement of wifi limits the use of this app? i mean think about it, you are using an mp3 player to send text messages to a cellular phone, whether its two feet away, or two thousand miles away. to me, just being able to do that is pretty fucking cool. so think about it and don’t be so selfish.
May 10th, 2009
u r a bitch
May 24th, 2009
i tried to put free text on my ipod and it did not work what should i do know
June 2nd, 2009
can the person you text reply to your text??
June 12th, 2009
can the person you text reply to your text??
July 12th, 2009
First off. This works for most numbers, not all. I can text back and forth with some people. They can NOT charge you if you are using WIFI. The people you text will ONLY be charged if they get charged for incoming texts.
August 3rd, 2009
I want this txt shit bad
August 3rd, 2009
ok if the person you r txting has unlimted txting does it cost extra 4 them txting you back an forth
August 12th, 2009
How come when I try sending it it says the person is offline but they’re phone is on? I know this has been asked before but I don’t see any answers.
September 3rd, 2009
Not working for me. I tried texting two of my friends; every time I text one of them, I get “Unable to send message: Not logged in” and every time I try the other one I get “This phone number can not be reached”. What gives?
September 6th, 2009
OKay, does anyone know?
If I live in the USA, and I am using a regular phone, and the person I am texting in Italy is using an iPod Touch.
1. Does it charge just me or both of us?
2. DOes it cost more for international texts?
September 7th, 2009
OMG Everyone asks questions but nobody answers…You must be on Wifi to text. It will charge you if you are on Iphone not Itouch. It might work for some not all. Heck, I don’t know why…anyways…Remember* the phone number must have a +1 in front of the number…for you people outside of the US, I do not know what you have to put in front. It must be a valid*, registered* phone number.
~ Peace.