Send SMS Text Messages From AIM for Free
Contributed by David Kirk 
Tagged: Instant messaging AIM is an easy and free way to send SMS text messages.
Instant messages and SMS messages are very similar. One day the two will be completely interchangable and probably more popular than email. Recently this integration has begun.
With all modern versions of AIM, users can send SMS messages to most mobile SMS-capable devices.
1. Click IM
2. In the “To” field enter the phone number in the following format:
+12223334444
The leading “+1″ is required before the 10 digit phone number.
This will work with any IM client that uses the AIM protocol too. Here is me demonstrating it using the adium client:
Some phone services will let you reply to AIM as well; however, this is not yet standard. Here is my iPhone receiving and replying back to the text message:
AIM now has a related new feature as well. You can “add mobile” numbers to your buddy list just as easy as adding other AIM accounts.
1. Click Setup
2. Click Add Mobile
3. Insert number as directed.
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Matt said on October 10, 2008
Is it consider a text message to the person receiving it on the phone?
Alex said on October 12, 2008
This just stopped working for me recently. It doesn’t reply notifying that my message has been sent to the phone number and I know that those people I send too have text messaging.
son said on October 20, 2008
can we use this method to send message in yahoo using phone number as the address?
Tanzeel Ahmad Shiekh said on November 6, 2008
Only speaking from experience, Cingular charges for an AIM-generated SMS messages just like any other SMS message that is received.
Of course, there is no way to bill the person creating the SMS message using AIM
gotnate said on December 18, 2008
it would appear that the AIM sms gateway is down right now, i can’t send a message to my own phone or my friends phone. it says that mine is offline and my friend never got his O_o
Edit: suddenly my phone is in my buddy list and i can send messages to it.
reginald davis said on February 20, 2009
thank you for our time…..for the last two days i have not been able to sign in to my yahoo site….as if someone has changed my password and id! i have had this free site for over 5 years now and i would hate to loose everything i have saved over the years……please if you can find the time in your busy schule…………..i need access to my site! thank you for any help………..reddogdudu at yahoo.com
Jackie said on March 4, 2009
when you send an sms it asks the person if they want to accept sms through aim by texting back the letter “a” if a person denies it is there any way to accept it again if they change their mind.
everytime i try to send it again it says the user does not accept sms through aim
Anonymous said on April 17, 2009
hey text back is me veronica
Dan said on April 20, 2009
ok, why does the ‘characters remaining’ not work all the time? It is very inconsistent. Is there a patch, or an AIM version that actually fixes this? Oh I’m talking about texting to a phone of course. Otherwise it doesn’t matter the amount of characters.
socalrj said on April 20, 2009
How do you get rid of “So and so sent you a message from AIM” and “You can reply to this message”? it’s very annoying.
rodney said on April 26, 2009
did you ever find an answer i am having the same problem
duck said on May 15, 2009
so does that mean its counted as an actual text message? like charged as one and everything?
robert said on May 22, 2009
good
Tamika said on May 26, 2009
Yes i am having the same problem with it as well! doesn’ anyone know how to change it?
Haley said on June 15, 2009
someones been iming/texting my phone from aim. how do i block them?
Isaac said on June 19, 2009
I am trying to text to my mobile with Aim but it shows that Im offline.
I use to be able to do it up last week,
Pls advice how can I fix this problem.
Thanks
Sharon said on June 22, 2009
A user I added to my buddylist last week is showing online, but I can’t confirm that he’s receiving messages. Any new cell numbers are showing offline and respond with “user is not accepting offline messages” type error. Is this service offline?
kelsey said on June 26, 2009
the same thing is happenign to me.!
Anonymous said on August 23, 2009
Help please!
I sent a text to a friend on my iPod Touch using the free AIM. He deleted the text without accepting it, how am I supposed to re-send it for him?
Anonymous said on August 23, 2009
Did u find the answer to the problem??
Anonymous said on August 31, 2009
how do i change someone’s name from their mobile number to their name or nickname when in the conversation box while texting them?
Name said on September 2, 2009
how do you block aim user from texting your cell phone?
David Nichols said on September 13, 2009
You can also change your IM to Mobile settings using text messages right from your phone. Text any of the following commands to 265019:
‘a’ Accept all text message IMs from the specified sender
‘d’ Decline all text message IMs from the specified sender
*** ‘on’ Allow all text message IMs from any sender *** try this one
‘off’ Block all text message IMs from any sender
‘ask’ Ask Me to accept or decline each new sender
‘block screenname’ Block all text messages from a specific sender
‘unblock screenname’ Unblock a previously blocked sender
‘help’ List of commonly used IM to Mobile setting commands
LAURA GUERRERO said on October 4, 2009
i was able to text from aim to just about everyone, now it says offline, even when i text myself, and I know I am not offline??? Any idea’s
L
http://www.toplineautomotive.biz
LAURA GUERRERO said on October 4, 2009
did you find out why, I used to aim text all the time to all phones, now I am getting the message you are
Sarah said on October 5, 2009
The same thing is happening to me!
coby said on October 5, 2009
lmao same here…. all my phones are offline now
Anonymous said on October 5, 2009
how do you fix it?
Name said on October 5, 2009
Im having this same problem except i can still get texts from the offline phones… any ideas?
Anonymous said on October 5, 2009
it’s not working for me?? all the phones on my buddy list appear offline and whenever i send a message to a phone the phone doesn’t get it and it says this person currently appears offline
Anonymous said on October 28, 2009
This is just a test
Anonymous said on October 31, 2009
will someone please explain how i send a message as a text i just got this e-mail address and i havent figured out how this works i went to my e-mail account and see no options to send a mobile message…..PLEEEEEEEEEASE HELP ME!
birkin said on November 11, 2009
Your post is really great and I appreciate your straight approach.
Anonymous said on November 14, 2009
Can you im someones phone and have them text your screen name back even if your offline. Will you recieve it as an offline message?
Anonymous said on December 6, 2009
when i completed all the steps and type in wut i wanna say it doesnt send? any answers
Anonymous said on December 6, 2009
Yoo This keeps happing to me 2 !!! you find an answer yet?
Anonymous said on December 6, 2009
Anybody have the problem that the ‘characters remaining’ not work all the time? Any answers???
naomi said on January 6, 2010
It says : +1xxxxxxxx is not avaible .
what do i have to dooo
Anonymous said on January 18, 2010
how do i make it so that people cant send me ims to my cell phone number
Matt said on January 21, 2010
You may want to try http://www.textyourbuddy.com It seems to work pretty well.
Anonymous said on February 15, 2010
Thats weird it was working for my sidekick lx then all of a sudden it stopped does anyone have an idea of what i could have done wrong by any chance
Anonymous said on February 15, 2010
what you did was incorrect you do not use the xxxxxxxxx as the number you want to call you have you replace the X’s with an actual phone number for example +1909 458 6565
Anonymous said on March 2, 2010
tht kool..but how do u aim txt
Anonymous said on March 3, 2010
I have a buddy with just a mobile number and it says he is offline? But it is a mobile number? What do i do?
Pawl said on March 4, 2010
Try signing in to aim on a pc…this reset all my buddies’ mobile status
Richard said on March 4, 2010
I have the exact same issue suddenly. What happened?
Guest said on April 17, 2010
can you block someone from sending you text messages on a blackberry?
Anonymous said on April 25, 2010
does it work in uk
mclovincldubz said on July 28, 2010
Thank You!! This is the only way i’ve found to block messages to my phone from AIM that wouldn’t cost money…you’re a life-saver
lizzy b said on August 3, 2010
Nope! my ex is in the army, in afghanistan with a cell fone from there. and we txt all the time using aim :)
missi said on August 10, 2010
salut
Suyapa_mejia said on August 18, 2010
amor conectate al msj
Yessfnait_ said on August 19, 2010
salam tahna
cash-bee said on August 27, 2010
it’s not working . How do i do it if i have a T-mobile Sidekick09 ?
Melisgard said on September 5, 2010
i have same problem i called him and he said no he hasnt been reciving my aim messages, wats happening???
Skiz said on September 10, 2010
Thank you! Just started getting AIM spam on my phone, and I’ve never even had AIM. Frustrating that AOL allows and supports this type of blatent abuse.
Seems like your fix works though. Should be off by default, you should have to opt in, and even then, only from people you trust and accept.
bunny said on October 11, 2010
Does this work with cricket??????
Cb_doc said on October 16, 2010
My husband is in Afghanistan. I’ve been trying to text his number by every means possible but he cannot get them. I have been texting him via Skype and he gets them but cannot send back. How were you guys doing it?
sfisher8592 said on November 14, 2010
how do you add the number into the mobile settings if they live out of country? im talking to someone out in the UK and he can’t get his mobile number to register so we can’t AIM text and i don’t have the money to add international texting/calling… any ideas?
Thanks
~Sarah
Hinnie said on November 21, 2010
How do you send picture messages through aim to a friend that’s mobile? 0-o
AtaahuaPhiche said on November 21, 2010
So I am trying to text a cell phone from AIM. It says that the phone is capable of being txtd by AIM but for some reason my txt messagees won’t get through. I’m very confused.
Pathofskulls said on December 2, 2010
Is it possible to text a 14digit number from AIM?
michelle said on February 10, 2011
how do you unblock message aim user from your phone when i try to aim text it says Free:msg Receiver 265019 unable to receieve message – message blocking is active
Shahmeer1998 said on March 27, 2011
Does this work in other countries besides US. I live in Pakistan and want to send a message to a Pakistani mobile
JAMES CEEYU said on July 14, 2011
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Emma said on September 6, 2011
does it cost money?
Unmanyday said on December 29, 2011
Summerinaskinalk
Nancy said on January 13, 2012
I use this method all the time on a Mac with iChat. It has built in AIM features. Then you create “Buddies” and in the AIM field on the Info card you put the +15555555555 number. Used it on Jan 12, 2012 so it’s definitely still working in some capacity.