iPod Touch: How to text message (or free texting for your iPhone)
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.
July 29th, 2009
JUst Download the textplus application fromiTunes for the iPhone and iPod Touch.
July 29th, 2009
Download the free Text-Plus program from iTunes. It is compatible with the iPhone and iTouch.
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.
August 29th, 2009
hi, does anyone know if you can text someone in the u.s with an i touch from out of the country? and will it cost money for the person with the regular phone.
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.
October 21st, 2009
so i’m from washington, so how do you text on the itouch?
October 26th, 2009
does this work with any IM or does it have to be beejive????
November 24th, 2009
i think the best way to text is through anyones email account no headachs through this method all you have to know is the service provider of the person whom you are texting
type in the number 1 and the area code then googel the prefix code for their service provider for example lets say my number is 16062189797 and my service is verizon i would send a email to 16062189797@vtext.com and they can reply and recive your text messages … yahoo is best
November 30th, 2009
So if i send it to an actual phone would it charge me? or does it only let me send it to people who have AIM?
December 3rd, 2009
u guys i dont have a i touch but if there is a windows live messenger app then add it you can add peoples numbers and txt them i know bc i do this from my computer i mean the best thing you can do is try
December 8th, 2009
AHHH i need to know if it will cost the person with a normal phone to reply and receive the text messages??? plz help?
December 13th, 2009
Normal phones cant do texts. Cell phones can.
December 24th, 2009
When ever i send a text through aim the person RECEIVING my message in the message it would say (you can not reply to this message) how do i get it to say (you can reply to this message)???
December 28th, 2009
I want to get an itouch cause I’m moving out of the country soon and I wanna keep in touch with my friends with this “free texting” app.
But I need to know if they will get charged international messaging charges or standard messaging charges? Some one please help.
December 28th, 2009
wait so this teleflip thing your talking about up there, does it work for Trinidad as well?
January 2nd, 2010
If your iPod is jailbroken you can get insomnia for sbsettings to keep your wifi active when locked.
January 5th, 2010
Is it free for the cellphone you are texting???
January 11th, 2010
January 12th, 2010
I want to text mY boyfriend and my friend
January 17th, 2010
can you make so you dont have to have wifi conection
January 23rd, 2010
Hazy it’s me bella what’s up
February 2nd, 2010
There is a new app called itext it is free to send text to any cellphone all you need is a wifi connection. Although im not sure if it charges the person to text back she hasnt got her phone bill yet.
February 2nd, 2010
This is so cool lol :3 u r sooo cool!!!!
February 3rd, 2010
is it possible to get the texting application without Wi-Fy
February 14th, 2010
I want to get an itouch because of texting but is it worth it??? I don’t care if I have to pay for the better app. But do I have to have Wi- Fi??? What if I am in the car or a place where it doesn’t have wifi. Will it work??? And wats with this javah stuff with texting and calling??? Please reply…
March 8th, 2010
okay i need help, PLEASE. i have a cell phone and an itouch. i would rather text off my itouch becasue i dont have unlimited on my cellphone. so when im at my house and i have FREE WIFI, and i text off my itouch, does that mean its charging my phone too? i only get 1000 a month, so will it go over becasue im texting off my itouch, or does it have no connection with my phone bill
PLEASE HELP , ASAP <3
March 25th, 2010
lol the best way to do is buy a cheap cell phone and use it for texting and calling
April 1st, 2010
People, texting off of your itouch WILL NOT charge you. There is no service provider on an itouch, so who is going to bill you? The only people getting charged are the people your sending the texts to, and thats only if they dont have unlimited or some sort of plan.
Also, it only works if there is wifi. Unless your car has wifi, it will not work. Just think about it. How are you suppose to recieve messages if you don’t have internet access.
April 6th, 2010
dude i love free texting there is an another free app it is called freetext it has a free one that you can download but it will only let you text 15 times a day. if you get the full version you get unlimited free txts !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! it is FREE it DOESN”T charge you but it will charge you friend the normal cost per text that they send or recieve. i love this app
June 5th, 2010
Lol at the retards who don’t understand this is for itouch only. And the retards who think it will charge you.
June 21st, 2010
YES!! it will charge the person receiving the texts! i thought i wouldn’t get charged.. but if it goes to the person’s cell phone you are texting.. they will get a HUGE bill.. like me -____-
June 21st, 2010
YES!! it will charge the person receiving the texts! i thought i wouldn’t get charged.. but if it goes to the person’s cell phone you are texting.. they will get a HUGE bill.. like me -____-
July 7th, 2010
GUYS ok sooo if im in a diff country nd im txting form i itouch from n app called text free ….all my friends r in us so if i txt them form i htouch is it gonna cost them …….they hve unlimited…………….SOMEONE PLSS ANSWERRRRRRRR THISSSS
July 20th, 2010
um yes my friend has a ipod touch she text me with 5 numbers in her phone numbers but i cant text back….what am i doin wrong
July 27th, 2010
i nead to now if i will get charged for txting on my ipod touch
November 20th, 2010
i think the simplest way is to use gmail to txt, (u have to have wi-fi) open safari, type gmail.com, make an account or log on to a previous account, click the little green bleeker, and enable the sms in chat gadget, and the text messaging sms in chat. it will be like a chat, but it is sending to their phone and replying to ur itouch. the person with the itouch doesn’t get charged, but the person receiving the message does, (their standard messaging fee applies)
December 28th, 2010
Text+ from I tunes
http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/textplus-classic-free-text/id314487667?mt=8#
January 1st, 2011
you are all idiots if you think you will get charged why waste time with a txt app when you can use your email from your touch????
January 1st, 2011
helliooooooo
January 4th, 2011
loser
January 7th, 2011
i have been using the text now app on my ipod touch, and i forgot my number
i dont think i wrote it down so what do i click to find it
April 1st, 2011
I have a the first series iPhone & it’s jailbroke, I have a friend that’s textn me from her iPod touch. I’m recieving the text’s, but she’s not recieving mine! Pluss when she texts me a email address shows up in her text MSG. I need 2 contact her so how do I?
April 15th, 2011
Just go to the app store and buy a FREE texting app, not that hard.. This is all nonsense
May 1st, 2011
why would you use Beejive or Meebo when you can download the AIM app right to the ipod touch. I send TXT messages through AIM all the time and I always get the responses. No need for a third party IM website or app when AIM can be used directly on the ipod touch. thats probably why its not working for you guys.
June 4th, 2011
how do i download this??
June 12th, 2011
hey is jordan wat u doin
June 12th, 2011
hey yall
June 13th, 2011
errrrrrr….does this work in australia?
live in australia in perth
October 31st, 2011
Can u text on an ipod touch???
October 31st, 2011
i really need to know so anyone who know and can answer me feel free to i would love an answer asap!!!!! thanks lindsey