But before we start I would like to tell you that your boss might be reading this article too. So keep that in mind when chatting with your significant other in office hours. I don’t want you to get fired for squandering the office time on chatting up pals. I have never done this (lie) because I’m a highly honest person (somewhat a lie too). Note: I used a Samsung Galaxy Note III, an HP i3 Laptop and a TP-LINK wireless router for this tutorial. This tutorial will need a stable wireless connection to work. You don’t even need an internet connection; just a simple wireless connection will do fine.
Preparation:
To receive SMS directly on PC or Mac you will need:
Windows based computer or a Mac PC An Android phone or tablet with SIM slot. A stable browser on your PC, I recommend Firefox. A stable wireless connection.
This is it, now you are ready to receive SMS directly on PC.
Step 1 – Install the App
In order to get SMS on PC directly you will need the help of an amazing app called AirDroid. I have listed this app on the best WiFi apps for Android list and Yasir mentioned it on his tutorial about how to connect Android phone to PC as well. This is a simple to use app which will allow you to get SMS on your PC very easily and without the need of a wired connection. Install it from the Google Play Store:
Step 2 – An Important Point
Now before you launch the app make sure both the PC and the Android device are connected to the same network. You can check the name of the network on your PC and your Android device with ease. You just need to make sure they are of the same name. As you can see in the screenshots below, I have connected both devices to “Gunz Home” network. I also recommend that if you can, only connect to a secure network. So kindly refrain from using public networks found in Starbucks or KFCs etc.
Step 3 – Launch on Phone
Now that the app is installed on your phone, simply locate it in the app drawer and launch it. You will see the following screen:
As you can notice there are two methods of connecting to the PC. The first one involves scanning a QR code from a dedicated website. The second one is a lot easier and only requires you to type in a few numbers. I will follow the second method because it is convenient and doesn’t waste my time on launching camera and taking a picture.
Step 4 – Move to PC
On your PC launch your favourite browser and type in the address given to you by the app. That’s what you need to type in the address window on your PC’s browser:
Now once you have typed the numbers in the address bar correctly, make sure they match exactly.
Step 5 – Confirmation
The PC will send a confirmation message back to your smartphone/tablet; just accept the connection when it is prompted.
Step 6 – On the Browser
Back on your PC screen you will see that the browser is displaying a nice looking interface. There are a lot of exciting options there for you to use and experiment with. But as this tutorial is how to receive SMS directly on PC, I will stick to that for now.
Click on the messages icon and a new window will open within that one page. This is not a separate browser window but the app makes it look like one. You can even interact with the window as you please and resize it if you want. The new window might take a little while to open, but once it does you will notice that it is displaying all your messages.
Step 7 – Fire Away
Now you can send SMS to your friends with ease. That is right; simply type a person’s name and the app will automatically display the contact. Or reply to existing SMS on the left side of the panel.
I tested the app once more just for this tutorial and was able to send and receive SMS directly on PC with ease.
You will even receive a notification on PC when you receive a SMS. This way your phone can be tucked away safely and you can still access most of the functions.
Conclusion:
There are a few other good apps which can send SMS directly to PC but I loved AirDriod way before I discovered them. AirDroid is not just for sending SMS to PC; it can also be used to do a lot of other stuff as well. One time I used it to send screenshots to my PC for a review. If you have any questions regarding this tutorial or need help in any of the steps, type your problem in the comments below. Dani will make sure I reply to your comments even if I’m sleeping or on vacation.
