
With critical forms, sometimes email notifications just don't quite cut it. While many people tend to disregard emails due to the daily barrage, text messages are almost always immediately reviewed. When a form submission needs to be promptly evaluated, text messages are often your best option.
The Easy Way (Paid)
The easiest way to send form notifications is to utilize the Twilio add-on for Gravity Forms. Twilio is well-known for being the authority when it comes to sending automated text messages, and works incredibly well.
Twilio's billing allows you to only pay for what you use, so the cost is usually quite low and is worth the small fees that occur per message.
Ready To Use Twilio?
Grab the Gravity Forms Twilio Add-On and set up your text message notifications using Twilio.
The Somewhat Harder (But Free) Way
So you don't want to pay per text message to use Twilio? We get it. Here's another way to send text message notifications that won't cost you a dime.
Email to SMS
Did you know that almost all cell phone providers will relay emails sent to certain addresses directly to the subscriber via text message? Cool, eh?
Sending an email to a specially crafted email address will allow you many of the same results that sending a direct text message would get, and it's still nearly instant. The only downside is that you'll need to know the phone carrier of the person that you're sending the text message notification to.
To use email to SMS, just create a standard email notification on your form using one of the following formats, based on your cell carrier:
- AT&T
<10-digit phone number>@mms.att.net - Bell
<10-digit phone number>@txt.bell.ca - Boost Mobile
<10-digit phone number>@myboostmobile.com - Cricket Wireless
<10-digit phone number>@mms.cricketwireless.net - Google Project Fi
<10-digit phone number>@msg.fi.google.com - Rogers
<10-digit phone number>@pcs.rogers.com - Shaw
<10-digit phone number>@shaw.ca - Sprint
<10-digit phone number>@messaging.sprintpcs.com - T-Mobile
<10-digit phone number>@tmomail.net - Telus
<10-digit phone number>@msg.telus.com - Verizon
<10-digit phone number>@vtext.com - Virgin Mobile
<10-digit phone number>@vmpix.com
Then, just test your configuration by submitting your form. After submission, you should then get a text message containing your newly configured form notification.
See? That wasn't so hard. Go forth and configure all of your critical forms to alert you via text message instead of boring old email to make sure you never miss a vital form submission again!
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Thanks for this! I never knew this was so easy, I'll be using this immediately.
Could you provide the same info for us Canadians?
Rogers
Telus
Bell
Shaw
Thanks in advance
Thanks for the recommendation! I added the providers you mentioned to the list.
Quick question, my text message are coming with an attached .html file that isn't readable. I've tried creating a plain text notification, but nothing changes.
Any thoughts?
Thank you for your help and for this information!
does the email to text work for all countries e.g. Australia for Telstra/optus/Vodafone?
The free method does not work, when I trying to add {Phone:3}@mms.att.net something like this in the send to email... you get a validation error
Be sure to check the phone number generated by the shortcode. You might have symbols in there that are causing the issue.
Thank you! Love the Free tip. I have it working using a combo of values from a numbers and a select box field (ex. {Mobile Number:1:value}{Carrier:2:value})
Any tips on how to get the text notification to show a link? Right now, the body is sent as an attachment and I can't figure out how to get around it.
Thanks for the free tip! I was able to route the texts using a parameter combo of a numbers field and a select box.
Any tips on how to have the message sent without any HTML? I keep getting a Subject line and the body as an HTML attachment.
BTW - Heres a copy/paste to add the Carriers in the bulk section of a dropdown:
AT&T|@mms.att.net
Bell|@txt.bell.ca
Boost Mobile|@myboostmobile.com
Cricket Wireless|@mms.cricketwireless.net
Google Project Fi|@msg.fi.google.com
Rogers|@pcs.rogers.com
Shaw|@shaw.ca
Sprint|@messaging.sprintpcs.com
T-Mobile|@tmomail.net
Telus|@msg.telus.com
Verizon|@vtext.com
Virgin Mobile|@vmpix.com
Hi,
With Twilio add on, is possible to send the SMS only if a value of a dropdown is selected ? Is there SMS sent log and SMS delivery notifications ?
thanks
For that, you'd want to use conditional logic inside the notification to detect the field value.