Tracfone and SMS Email Gateway
It took a little doing…this is not a normal topic I would post here, but the information seems so useful that I decided to go ahead. I’m not a cell phone user. In fact, I don’t really like them…if i’m at my desk or at home and my phone rings, i’ll answer it. If i’m at a movie, out to dinner or some other family outing, i don’t really want people to be able to call me. I know that i’m not the majority. Regardless, there are different technical notifications such as website service outages, etc that I would benefit greatly from getting a notification to my cell phone. For this reason, I purchased a Tracfone with 2 years of activation in advance so that I don’t pay monthly bills, no “use it or lose it” minutes, no reactivation fees, etc.
Some of you might say “I told you…” ut it turns out, the email gateway was not so straightforward…I simply wanted to send myself text messages using the ##########@messaging.tracefone.com or something similar.
You see, Tracfone outsources it network to other national providers. I don’t know the details and after some research, I found a complicated method to determine which provider and thereby which email gateway to use. After following the steps, i determined that that I was on Metro PCS. This was incorrect information. Evidently the database that was used was out of date or maybe never up to date in the first place. It just didn’t work…
But, by this time I had all the formats for the major providers and it occurred to me that there was an easier way. Ready…? Wait for it…
1) send an email to the following addresses:
3215551234@vmobl.com
3215551234@mmode.com
3215551234@tmomail.net
3215551234@myboostmobile.com
3215551234@messaging.sprintpcs.com
3215551234@messaging.nextel.com
3215551234@mymetropcs.com
3215551234@cingularme.com
3215551234@message.alltel.com
3215551234@questmp.com
Note: of course, the above telephone number is not a valid #
2) wait for a message on your Tracfone and when you receive it, send a reply. When you get the reply at the email address you sent the original message to…you know your provider and your email format!
Yes, I know…it seems obvious to me now, but it wasn’t at all obvious before I did it…I spent maybe 2 hours (15 minutes here, 10 minutes there) trying to figure this out on the assumption that it had to be there.
Hope this helps someone else! If it does, post a comment and let me know…thanks!
UPDATED: I just found a great site for saving money on your next Tracfone — This Tracfone Promo Codes site has every available deal along with other helpful how-to info like how to use bonus codes. Thought it might help some of you save a bit!
DougW
Mobile, AL uses @txt.att.net – Thanks!!
sun
Whitewater wi 53190 uses; @txt.att.net
Robb
DFW (817) uses txt.att.net
Michele
None of those above work for me and I have a tracfone in Palm Bay, Florida. I tried everything…not one text comes thru.
Rach
mine worked on xxx-xxx-xxxx@message.alltel.
mike
My tracfone Motorola uses PHONE#@mmst5.tracfone.com
Beaugrand
Just send an email from the phone to your regular email. The “from” information in the email is your phone’s email address.
Mike C.
mine worked via phone#@tmomail.net
The reply phone email address phone#@mmst5.tracfone.com won’t work.
But I am okay with the phone#@tmomail.net address.
Thanks,
Brian H.
I did something similar to a client whose carrier was unknown to me, but I wanted to send, urgently, a text to. I knew his # so just sent an email to all the “hisnumber@carrier.com” codes that I knew. He did get one of them.
The D4rKNeSs
Works for me in central MI @txt.att.net
Ricard
The fact that Tracfone outsources it network is probably why I always have reception. From what I read, they use the Verizon network heavily, which is, hands down, the best provider here in Michigan and in the midwest in general. I had Sprint for a while and HATED it. I needed cheap and switched to Tracfone since it doesn’t require a contract and the reviews were all really good for the most part.
Larisa
Wonderful! I used the suggested servers and ended up with a reply from @txt.att.net (not one of the ones listed). Now I can text my cell from my pc, but can’t text my pc from my cell (other than by replying). Any ideas?
John
This worked for my phone in Wisconsin. @txt.att.net is all good on my end! Thanks for the tips!
Zach
I tried them all attempting to send an email sms to a safelink phone. As far as i know tracfone does safelink wireless…