How to Send Text Messages From Your Android Phone via a Web Browser

This tutorial will show you how to send text (SMS, or shortened to “txt”) messages from your Android phone, using a web browser on your laptop or desktop to compose and send them.

If you’re at all like me and don’t love using small smartphone ‘keypads’, being able to compose and send messages on your phone, using your laptop or desktop, is extremely helpful.

Note: this service will only work if your laptop/desktop is connected to the same WiFi network as your phone (though it doesn’t matter if your laptop/desktop is connected to the network via Ethernet). So make sure you’ve turned on Wifi on your phone, and connect it to the same network as your laptop or desktop.

1. To get started, head over to the Google Play store and install the AirDroid App – which is completely free.
2. Launch AirDroid on your Android phone.



3. On the main AirDroid screen there are a number of things to look for. First, confirm that you’re connected to the right WiFi network – the name will be displayed next to the WiFi: label. As indicated in the screenshot below, my Android phone is connected to a network named “I’m Rick James“.

   Now make note of the two web addresses located in the Step 1 section of AirDroid.

   Finally, there should be a Passcode displayed in the section labeled Step 2.



4. In your web browser on your laptop or desktop, enter in either of the web addresses that were displayed on the AirDroid screen. I’ve found that using the numerical (internal) address (the one that ends in :8888) – to be fastest.



5. Depending on which web browser you’re using, you may be prompted with a message telling you that your browser isn’t ‘ideal’, and suggest you use Google Chrome, Firefox or Safari. From my testing, AirDroid works best with Google Chrome, but I’ve also used it with Internet Explorer and it worked perfectly fine (though a bit slower). If you want to continue using your current browser anyway, click the link Login to AirDroid with current browser.


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6. Now enter the passcode that was provided by AirDroid.



7. Once you’ve ‘signed in’ you’ll be presented with the AirDroid web interface. While there are lots of features, we’ll skip straight to sending text messages.


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8. Click the Messages icon.



9. A window will appear and display the list of text messages you’ve received. To send a new one, click the New Message button.


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10. In the To: field, enter the phone number or name (if the name is in your Contact list) of the person you want to text. If you enter a name, it make take a few moments to ‘auto-populate’ the information (phone number associated with that name). Alternately, you can click the Contacts button and select the recipient manually.

    Enter the message you want to send in the space provided, then click the Send button.


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11. The TXT will be sent via your phone, through your browser. If your contact responds, it will be displayed as a ‘conversation’ – just as it is on your phone.


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12. That’s it! There are lots of other features in AirDroid – explore!

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