Google Send to Phone

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What browsers does this extension work with?
2. What is Firefox and where can I get it?
3. Why isn't this extension working with my Firefox?
4. Does it cost anything to send or receive a message?
5. Why do I have to choose a carrier? I don't know my friend's carrier.
6. To what numbers can I send messages?
7. I don't see my carrier in your list!
8. Why don't you allow international numbers?
9. Why aren't my messages going through?
10. My button disappeared. How do I get it back?
11. Can I move my Send to Phone button around?
12. How do I get rid of this extension and the Send to Phone button on my toolbar?
13. Does this feature use cookies?
14. What information does Google receive when I use Send to Phone?
15. How can I prevent Google text messages from being delivered to my phone?

This extension works only with Firefox version 1.0 and later. It doesn't work in the Mozilla Suite, Internet Explorer or Opera.

Mozilla Firefox is an open-source browser that you can get from www.getfirefox.com.

For the extension to work, you must be using version 1.0 or later of Mozilla Firefox. You can check which version you're using by clicking the "Help" menu, then selecting "About Firefox."

Google Send to Phone must also appear in your browser's list of extensions. To see this list, click the "Tools" menu and then select "Extensions." If Google Send to Phone appears, make sure it's enabled (not grayed out). If it's grayed out, you can enable it by right-clicking the extension name, selecting "Enable" and restarting your browser.

Sending a message via Google is free. Your cell phone carrier, however, may charge a fee to receive messages, either on a per-message basis or for a monthly fee. Please contact your wireless provider to find out if you are subject to such a charge.

For technical reasons, in order to be able to properly route text messages to any given phone, we need to know which company provides service to that phone. Since you presumably know your own carrier, you can always send messages to yourself. To send messages to a friend, though, you'll have to know which carrier he or she uses.

You can send messages to US mobile phone numbers handled by these major carriers.

At the moment, we're only able to support the largest US phone service carriers. If you think we should include your carrier, please email us at extensions-sms@google.com.

Right now, we're just testing this feature for users in the US. If people really like it, we'll roll it out worldwide.

If your SMS messages aren't going through, you'll first want to verify that the phone number you entered is correct, and that you've selected the right service provider for that number. If that doesn't help, it could be a problem with the recipient's carrier, or a technical problem on our end. Either way, please write to us at extensions-sms@google.com so we can investigate the problem.

Click the "View" menu, highlight "Toolbars" in the dropdown, then select "Customize." The little cell phone Send to Phone icon should be in the palette of buttons. Drag it onto the place you want it to lie in your browser's toolbar.

Yes, you can. Click the "View" menu, highlight "Toolbars" in the dropdown, then select "Customize." You can now drag your Send to Phone button around.

You can uninstall the extension by clicking the "Tools" menu and selecting "Extensions." In the window that appears, highlight "Google Send to Phone" and click the "Uninstall" button (or, on Macs, the little "x" button). You can also right-click the extension in the list and select "Uninstall" from the menu that appears. The extension will be uninstalled when you quit the browser.

Yes, it does. The phone numbers and carriers to which you've sent messages in the past are cached in a cookie [?].

When you send a message using Google Send to Phone, Google will receive and log the IP address [?] and one or more cookies from the computer you are using, as well as information about the mobile phone you are sending to, including the phone's telephone number and carrier. In addition, we might also log the text of the message you send, in order to investigate and correct technical problems with the service.

For more information regarding privacy, read Google's Privacy Policy.

The best way to keep text messages from reaching your phone is have your carrier block our address (sms-extension-user@google.com). You can do this either by calling your carrier directly, or, in many newer phones, by using an option in the phone itself.

If you'd like to report abusive or unwanted messages, please write to us at extensions-sms@google.com.