Directions for SMS Text Messages

SMS, or short message service, allows cell phone users to send and receive small text messages containing 160 characters or less. According to the Wireless Association, 1.5 trillion text messages were sent in 2009, up from just over a trillion in 2008. Cell phone carriers allow a variety of methods to send text messages, including directly from the cell phone, by logging into the mobile company's website and through email.

• 1

  Open the text messaging center on your cell phone. Choose a recipient from your contact list or enter the 10-digit phone number. Enter the text message into the "Text Message" field. Press send.

• 2

  Log into your wireless account on your cell phone company's website. Click on the text messaging center. Select "Send a text message." Complete the "Send to" and "From" fields and type your message in the "Message" box. Click the "Send" button.

• 3

  Log into your email account. Click on "Compose a new message." Enter the recipient's special cell email address in the "To" field. The format is the recipient's phone number followed by the "@" symbol and then the cell carrier's special URL, which can found online. To send to a Verizon customer, for example, you would write "1234567890@vtext.com." Type a subject into the "Subject" field of the email. Type the message into the body and click "Send."