How to Forward Emails to Your Phone As Text Messages Using Gmail

Never miss an important update again

While I am a proponent of digital minimalism and screen-free time, certain job roles or seasons require that employees respond to crises at the drop of a hat. If you find yourself in this camp (maybe around the holidays if you work in retail) and wish you could be notified by text whenever your boss sends an important email, read on to simplify your life.

1. Determine your phone’s SMS gateway

Your phone’s SMS address is your 10-digit number followed by your carrier’s SMS gateway. SMS gateway formats for various phone carriers can be found on this page. Here are a few of the most common SMS gateways:

• AT&T: [your number]@txt.att.net
• MetroPCS: [your number]@mymetropcs.com
• Nextel: [your number]@messaging.nextel.com
• Sprint: [your number]@messaging.sprintpcs.com OR [your number]@pm.sprint.com
• T-Mobile: [your number]@tmomail.net
• Verizon: [your number]@vtext.com
• Virgin Mobile: [your number]@vmobl.com
• U.S. Cellular: [your number]@email.uscc.net

Note: When I implemented this experiment myself with T-mobile as my carrier, I had to add my country code (+1 for the United States) to the beginning of my ten-digit phone number to get my correct SMS gateway…