Comments on: Google takes two with Gmail-SMS chat

After a hiatus of more than a month, Google has reintroduced a feature to send instant messages to phones via SMS.

[jerrymerfeld]

Very cool!!!

Much better than the old Send to Phone http://www.google.com/tools/firefox/sendtophone/faq.html if you asked me.

[Boodle]

I just tried sending a message to my friend's phone and she received it almost immediately. When she replied via text message it took almost ten minutes for me to receive the message even though she replied immediately. This delay is definitely a deal breaker if it doesn't get fixed.

[Shankland]

Interesting--is that a consistent delay, or was it a one-time thing? I agree it's a deal-breaker with that kind of latency. Share more information if you can with a new test tomorrow.

[kieranmullen]

Dealbreaker? What are you goons talking about? Its a free service.
KieranMullen
http://360oregon.com

[nowimcool]

this happens all the time with normal cellphone text messages ... most of the time I get them immediately, but sometimes my wife will send me a text from work and I'll get it when we're sitting on the couch in the middle of a tv show eating dinner ... hours and hours and hours later ... if I wasn't 1/2 way through a plan I'd switch carriers yesterday...

[JwL3394]

Hahaha, I agree with Kieran. For me it was instant, both ways.

[ElNumeroUno]

Since I live in Canada, can i just change my regional settings in Gmail to US?

[ElNumeroUno]

Ehh, turns out I can send SMS to US still, just not a canadian phone number.

[KTLA_knew]

Didn't all the other IM services have this feature 4+ years ago? I know I used on this years ago a few times to IM with someone that had only a standard cell phone. I think everyone but Google figured this out long ago, frankly I'd have bet money that Google had this feature for years as well, since it's so old.

[Michichael]

Pft. They can't even get IM working on the G1 properly.

[FredTester]

That's a good point

[TV James]

So we're all getting assigned defacto phone numbers in this process? And still no SMS in Grand Central? WUWT?

[5errr]

there goes my idea for a startup ;)

[tekwizard]

Putting in a number and I'm only getting Mail option, no SMS.

[ckojam]

You have to add an sms option. Go to <settings> , <labs> , <Text Messaging (SMS) in Chat - Enable> , <save changes> Now just type the phone number in <search, add, invite field> bellow <chat> and you are good to go!

However, you might as well don't bother because the service is horrible and that's being nice. I know it's free, beta, labs and all other nicely wrapped labels, but come on. As Boodle described, there was a delay when someone responds, however that was in the beginning. Now it's even worse! In last two days I send over 10 sms to people with different carriers and sometimes it takes an hour and sometimes few hours for them to get my message. Some - never got it! When they respond I usually get it in my inbox because it's middle of the night and I'm not next to my computer. Google should maybe do some testing before they announce something as a big deal that others, e.g. Yahoo Mail (don't like them either) had years ago!

[ligorx]

I can't send SMS with gmail sms to Russia/ working only mobile operators SMS urls collected http://smsurl.ru/ But it require load and recognize captured text - very expensive for use on mobile phone

[KIRANBAN]

HAI

[KIRANBAN]

HELLO