How to send an email as a text message in 2026
For years you could text a phone by emailing an address like 5551234567@vtext.com. That trick is disappearing. Here is where things stand and what to use instead.
Mostly, you can't anymore. AT&T shut down its email-to-text gateway (txt.att.net) in June 2025, Verizon has said vtext.com will close by the end of March 2027, and many people report T-Mobile's tmomail.net no longer works. For personal messages, text from your phone. For business alerts, use an email-to-SMS service or an SMS API that sends real text messages.
How email to text worked
Each mobile carrier ran a gateway: you emailed [10-digit number]@[carrier gateway], and the carrier turned the email into a text message. It was popular for alarm systems, website alerts and school notifications, because it needed nothing but an email account.
Status by carrier
| Carrier | Gateway address | Status |
|---|---|---|
| AT&T | number@txt.att.net | Shut down in June 2025 |
| Verizon | number@vtext.com (text), number@vzwpix.com (picture) | Closing; Verizon set the end of March 2027 |
| T-Mobile | number@tmomail.net | Widely reported as no longer working |
Carriers are closing these gateways because spammers abused them and they can't verify who is sending. Even where one still works, messages can be delayed or dropped without warning.
What to use instead
- Personal messages: text from your phone, or use a messaging app.
- iPhone users: iMessage can reach someone using the email address registered to their Apple Account, if they have turned that on.
- Business alerts and notifications: an email-to-SMS service gives you a special address you email, and it sends a real text. Services of this kind typically charge a monthly fee.
- Developers: an SMS API from a provider such as Twilio, Plivo or Infobip sends texts directly from your app or website.
- Alarm and monitoring systems: check whether your system offers a phone app or push notifications instead.
Rules for business texting
In the US, marketing text messages need the recipient's prior consent, and business texting through A2P services usually requires registering your brand and messages. Keep marketing for email: build an email list with permission, and use texts for alerts people asked for.
Sending a text message to an email address
Going the other way, from your phone's messages to an email inbox, is easier:
- Copy and paste: press and hold the message, choose Copy, then paste it into a new email.
- Screenshot: take a screenshot of the conversation and attach it to an email. See how to send photos by email.
- Share: on many phones you can share a photo or file from a message straight to your email app.
Can you email a phone number?
Not directly anymore. Email is delivered to email addresses, and the carrier gateways that turned a phone number into an address are closing. To reach a phone, send a text, use a messaging app, or use a text-messaging service if you are a business.
Questions people ask
- Can I still send an email to a phone number?
- Mostly not. AT&T ended its email-to-text gateway in 2025, Verizon's is closing, and T-Mobile's is widely reported as not working. Use a text-messaging service instead.
- What is the Verizon email-to-text address?
- It was 10-digit-number@vtext.com, or @vzwpix.com for pictures. Verizon has announced it is ending this service by the end of March 2027.
- Why did AT&T stop email to text?
- Carriers cite spam and the lack of sender verification. AT&T shut down txt.att.net in June 2025.
- Can I receive text messages as emails?
- Some phones and services can forward texts to email, and business SMS services can deliver replies to an inbox. The old carrier gateways are not a reliable way to do this anymore.
- How do I send a text message to my email?
- Copy the text into a new email, or take a screenshot and attach it. Sharing a message to an email address from your phone's messaging app is less reliable now that many carrier gateways are closing.