Sending text messages is one of the most used functions of
smartphones, so it’s something you likely do dozens of times a day — if
not more. However, if you’re somebody that works at a desk for long
periods of time, it’s jarring to constantly switch between your computer
and your phone.
If you use a dedicated messenger like WhatsApp, you could
run it on your desktop using an Android emulator,
but this is a complicated setup and would likely be choppy. If you’re
not up for this, there are some awesome solutions that allow you to
send actual text messages from your phone on your PC
without the hassle of emulation. We’ve covered many of these services
individually in the past, but this time we’re going to test the apps and
decide which is your best option for texting from your computer.
Note that these apps use your existing phone number to send messages; if you’re looking to check out our list of ways to do so.
First up is MightyText, a service that and that you’ve likely heard of. Setting it up couldn’t be simpler; just
grab the app from Google Play,
and when you open it, you’ll need to choose the Google account that’s
tied to your phone. Grant the app the permissions it needs on the next
screen, and the phone portion is done.
Now, you have a choice. You can use
the MightyText web app
in any browser you like right away — all you have to do is sign in with
the same Google account. This is the barebones option, however. You
won’t receive notifications for new texts outside of a bubble on the
page.
If you ,
or you work in an area where you can have your phone ringer turned up
and be notified that way, this will work for you. You’ll see new text
messages and even incoming calls.
If
you want on-screen pop-ups whenever your browser is open, though,
you’ll need to have a compatible extension installed. Aside from showing
new messages, the extension allows you to easily text a link to the
page you’re viewing, ,
or jump right to MightyText. You can also send messages right from the
extension, so all but the most causal users will probably want to have
it installed.
If you’re
or Opera, the webpage is your only option, as those browsers don’t
support notifications right now. Chrome and Firefox users can install
the MightyText extension, but Firefox users will have to install a
separate add-on first as a workaround. Internet Explorer’s fans will
have to monkey with some settings, as well.
Head to
MightyText’s app page for links to all these extensions and instructions.
Aside from the typical browser extensions, you can also install the
tablet app to take advantage of the service from your Android tablet. Finally, MightyText also provides a
Gmail/Facebook Chrome extension, which lets you text right from your inbox or Facebook page.
Frankly, though, this particular extension isn’t that useful;
email is distracting enough, and it’s no secret that , so they’re the last places you want to be when replying to a text message. Stick to your preferred browser’s solution.
Now
that we’re past the setup, let’s examine how MightyText actually
handles. You’ll be pleased to know that it’s a slick solution; the
website allows you to see recently contacted people on the side and a
full view of one conversation in the middle.
If
you’re more of a power user, texting many people at once, you can
switch the layout to Power View using the gray icon at the top. This
lets you see and work with six threads; you’ll feel like an airplane
pilot with all the controls!
MightyText’s
functions are numerous and easy to use. Since it syncs with your Google
account, you don’t have to worry about any cables or being on the same
WiFi network as your PC. Your phone can be in another house and
MightyText will work fine — as long as your phone is on and
connected to a data network.
Aside
from texting, you can also use it to start a call from your phone
(which is kind of weird), view recent attachments from MMS you’ve
received, ,
and check out your apps. None of these are essential for the app to
function or especially helpful, but it’s nice to have an all-in-one web
interface for managing your phone.
There are a few settings you might want to tweak, but many of them are only open to users of
the Pro service. For $5 per month or $40 per year, you’ll get access to the premium features of MightyText, including themes, ,
the ability to store messages indefinitely, and contact lists. It’s a
bit pricey for what you get, so only those who use the service on a
daily basis need apply.
Heading to the Settings tab on the left of
the page will allow you to tweak MightyText. You can choose how long
they’ll store your messages and whether to send group messages as MMS or
not. One noteworthy setting is the ability to pick whether the Enter
key sends the message or not — if you typically send long messages or
mistype, it’s a good idea to force yourself to click “Send.”
The
only other setting you may want to take a look at is the privacy — when
this is enabled, new message pop-ups only show the name of the sender
and not the body text. If you’d like to change how long the pop-up
sticks around, you can do that here too.
The
Android app hasn’t gotten much attention thus far, and that’s because
it’s really just a required part of MightyText’s functionality. If you
open it up, you get a bland screen; it really only serves to give you
some options and the ability to unlink your device if you need to.
MightyText can upload your device’s photos and videos to its web app, but you probably already , so it’s not necessary. MightyText can also
sync your phone notifications to your PC, but that’s branching out further than the scope of this review.
Overall,
MightyText is a solid option for your PC texting needs. It’s easy to
set up and works wherever your phone is, and while it has a lot of
features, it’s clean and never feels bloated. Whether you choose to be
notified with the browser extensions or just use it to text occasionally
when you’re focused on your computer, you really can’t go wrong with
MightyText.
Pushbullet is an awesome service that . We’ve explained all it can do previously, but let’s look at its text-messaging abilities in comparison to the others.
To set up Pushbullet for texting you’ll need to install its Android app, and your choice of its
Chrome extension,
Firefox add-on, or
Windows program.
After you install the Android app, you’ll need to enable its
notification mirroring service. The app will show you this after you
open it and sign in to your Google account, but if you ever need it
again head to
Settings > Security > Notification Access and check the Pushbullet box.
Once
you’ve done this on Android, install your browser extension and sign in
using the same Google account, just like MightyText. The ability to
respond to text messages comes whenever Pushbullet notifies you of a
text from ; you’ll see an option to reply on the bubble.
A rudimentary pop-up box allows you to compose a reply. There’s no support for attaching images, , or GIFs like in MightyText.
This
is the extent of what Pushbullet can do with text messages. Don’t
assume that it’s not worth your time; on the contrary, it’s a powerful
tool that can do much more than just replying to SMS, including sharing
files between devices and dismissing Android notifications.
If you
use multiple devices, it’s an invaluable service, but since it can’t
even compose a new message on PC, it’s not your best choice in this
contest. MightyText is superior in every way to Pushbullet for PC
texting.
AirDroid is another time-honored service that allows you to use your phone on your bigger-screen desktop. ,
so you can find a full rundown of its features there. Like Pushbullet,
we’ll focus only on its texting capabilities for this comparison.
To get started with AirDroid, install
its Android app and open it up. You’ll be asked to create an account,
which is a strongly recommended. AirDroid has no installations on your computer, so just head to
the web portal when you’re ready. The easiest way to pair your Android with the web interface is to
use a QR code, which the app will prompt you to do. If you don’t want to do it this way, just use your account login.
Once you’ve signed in, you’ll get a crisp desktop-looking interface, seen below.
From
here, AirDroid allows you to manage your device’s files, music,
contacts, and even its clipboard. You can also install apps from
AirDroid if you like.
It’s a slick service that lets you do nearly
anything you need with your phone. Of course, we’re interested in its
messaging capabilities for now. When you click the Messages icon, it
opens a window within the browser window.
The
messages window works as expected. You can easily switch between
conversations and attaching files and emoji is supported. A search box
is also available in the upper left that will scan the body of your
messages — a great feature if you need to recall something but don’t
remember its recipient.
Also
appreciated is the option to switch between “Enter” and “Ctrl + Enter”
for sending a message — MighyText requires you to click “Send” with your
mouse if you choose not to make Enter send. When you get a new message,
you’ll receive a pop-up in the corner of the AirDroid window, but
there’s no way to enable notifications anywhere like MightyText has. If
you’re not in the window when you receive a message, you might miss it.
AirDroid
features a premium service for $2 per month or $20 per year, but it
doesn’t offer many upgrades in the texting realm. The only new feature
you’ll enjoy if you use AirDroid exclusively for texting is the ability
to add more devices to your account, so if you have more than one phone
this may come in handy. Otherwise, the free service will suffice.
The
phone side of AirDroid doesn’t offer much use to you. Besides providing
the link to connect to the web interface, it includes a built-in task
manager (which ) and file manager if you don’t already
have another one installed
for some reason. Other than that, the app only offers some
“recommended” junk apps and a few settings that aren’t crucial for its
operation.
Overall,
AirDroid is another solid option, and while it offers more than
MightyText, it still does messaging well. However, I had problems with
it on a university network, so be advised that if you’re in a business
or university environment that has restrictions on Internet usage, you
may need to choose another option.
While AirDroid has message
search, MightyText’s ability to show you notifications of new messages
anywhere — not just as a pop-up in its own tab — and its ability to work
on any network (I have no problems using it at university) makes it
more useful. Therefore, MightyText is still in the lead at this point.
SnapPea is another full-featured client that seeks to be a sort of . You’re used to this process by now: snag
the Android app to get started. You can choose to use SnapPea from the
its web interface or its
Windows program.
If
you choose the Web option, you’ll need to sign into the app with your
Google account, and then do the same online. For Windows, install the
program, launch it, and then link your phone over WiFi with a passcode
or via a USB cable. You’ll need to enable if you want to use a cord — the app will show you how to do this.
Once you’re set up, you’ll be greeted with the main interface of SnapPea.
Like
AirDroid, it’s more of an all-in-one management interface so it handles
more than just texts. You can browse for new apps, watch your phone’s
videos, and even back up your device with SnapPea.
Its messaging capabilities were inferior to all other previous contenders in my testing. I sent several messages to my phone
and was not notified of any of them. Worse yet, even after several
minutes they didn’t show up in the messaging section of SnapPea — as if I
never sent them at all.
Perhaps
there’s some sort of delay, but I was using the USB connection (since I
had connection issues yet again) so there shouldn’t have been any
problems. The only option SnapPea gives you in terms of messaging is to
enable notifications for new SMS or not, so it’s a bit lacking. I wasn’t
able to test the web interface, but it’s similar to the Windows client
that it shouldn’t make a difference.
Overall, SnapPea is
unsatisfactory. It has the unique feature of being able to use a USB
cable if you’re having connection issues, as well as a choice between PC
clients, but what’s the use if it doesn’t work as it should? AirDroid
even has a prettier interface; SnapPea falls short in many ways.
The final challenger is EndlessJabber, a lesser-known client. It has
an Android app and a
web service, along with an extension for
Chrome, so it fits right in with the gang. The developer linked to a Firefox extension in the app’s description, but it’s now defunct.
Once
you open the app, you’ll have to choose the right account and if you
want to sync old messages. The main interface is like all the others —
you won’t find much except a few options and instructions on how to
launch the web app. EndlessJabber also supports texting from tablets
through its website.
The
home screen is clean and similar to MightyText; you’ll find recent
threads on the left, along with the other features of the app such as
viewing your contacts and recent MMS photos. It claims to work best with
EvolveSMS, but any app will do.
Though
I hadn’t heard of EndlessJabber before, it was a pleasant surprise
after SnapPea. Everything you expect is in the app, including attaching
pictures, and it’s snappy. A Statistics screen lets you see who your
most-contacted friends are as well as the number of messages sent per
day. This is a neat feature if you like to .
As
expected, this app features a Pro subscription. For $2 per month,
you’ll be allowed to access all the app’s features, including Jabber
Mode, which sends messages faster than usual.
Other
features include searching messages, scheduling, deeper statistics, and
removing ads. It’s a reasonable price if you’re a power user of the
service.
The
Chrome extension functions like MightyText’s, except that you can’t
compose new texts from it. You can choose what parts of the notification
pop-up to enable, and clicking it will open a windows with
EndlessJabber to respond to it.
EndlessJabber is currently running
a Kickstarter to enrich its app. The goal has already been passed, but you can check it out if you’d like to help them become even better.
And The Winner Is…
After examining each app thoroughly, here is their rank them from best to worst:
- MightyText
- EndlessJabber
- AirDroid
- SnapPea
- Pushbullet
MightyText
wins due to its dead-simple interface and setup, variety of extensions
and apps, and notification system. Its only shortcomings are the lack of
a search feature and an expensive Pro plan.
EndlessJabber is a
close second. It’s almost a twin to MightyText, but falls behind because
its lacks an interactive pop-up for each contact, a Power view, and a
working Firefox extension. It’s still an excellent choice, though, and
should become even better after its Kickstarter ends.
AirDroid is a
great service; it does too much to focus on just messaging, however.
There’s nothing wrong with its messaging functions, and if you need a
full-fledged suite then it’s your best choice. But its limited
notifications and potentially problematic login system keep it from
being the winner.
SnapPea was a disappointment. I’m not sure why
it barely functioned, but an app can have all the great features it
wants — if they don’t work, it’s useless. This was the impression that
SnapPea gave. If you hate AirDroid but want a full client, give it a
try, but for most the former is far superior.
Pushbullet comes in
last this time, but it really isn’t meant to be compared to any of the
above. If you only want to quickly reply to incoming messages, it will
serve you just fine. For others it simply doesn’t offer enough to be
considered, though you still should check out the service.
Need a way to text from your desktop without an existing phone number? , a great way to do so.
Did we miss any other options? Which PC texting service do you use? Leave a comment and let us know!
Source:
http://www.makeuseof.com/tag/send-text-messages-pc-best-services-compared/
