What happens when you text a landline?
Today’s young generation is so used to texting one another from cell phone to cell phone, but what happens when you accidentally text a landline?
Today’s young generation is so used to texting one another from cell phone to cell phone, but what happens when you accidentally text a landline?
You’re on your way home and remembered there was something you were supposed to pick up from the corner store. So you send a text to your spouse. Except you accidentally sent the note to your home phone instead of your significant other’s cell phone. What will happen?
The answer? The person at home will receive an audio version of your text message when they pick up (or will be left as a voicemail message). Yep, a human-like voice will read your text message to the person at home.
Sync asked each of the three big cell phone providers how the process works and the costs involved.
Rogers
The service is called "TXT 2 Landline." Simply type a text message from your wireless phone and enter the 10 digit phone number in the "TO" field (as you would with a regular text message). The recipient’s phone will ring and when it is answered your text message will be automatically read to them. If no one answer, the transcribed text message will be stored as voicemail (if they have a voicemail service). Recipients can also reply to the text message and leave a message for you.
Telus
A Telus rep told us the process is the same for their subscribers. Called "Telus Text to Landline," you’d type a text as you would normally but send it to a landline and the person who answers will hear a transcribed version of the message. If no one picks up, it’s stored as a voicemail message. It doesn’t matter which company the recipient uses for a landline, such as Bell or Rogers.
Bell
Called "Text to Landline," Bell’s service also works with any 10-digital landline in Canada or the U.S. Any Bell Mobility customer with a text messaging-capable phone can use text to landline messaging. This service will even translate many text shortcuts (acronyms and emoticons) that are commonly used in text messaging to voice, such as "LOL," which will be read as "laughing out loud."
OK, so how much?
Sending a text to a landline incurs the standard text messaging rates for the sender (not recipient), therefore it’s 15¢ per message sent (or will count as 1 text message sent if you have a bundle).
Filed Under: Handhelds
It's funny that people actually do that. But glad to know what happens. Weird to answer the phone and see that though, I would guess.
All robotic. YOU WILL DIE TONIGHT. Just kidding! Get ready for the horror movie marathon.
=| =|
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It would have been better if the computer didn't read out lol as "laughing out loud" but rather had a computer like "Ha ha ha"
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Just tried sending a text message from a Telus cell phone to a Shaw landline… didn't work.
I don't have voicemail on the landline, but it should still ring shouldn't it?
Or maybe Shaw just isn't in on this deal yet…
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Never mind… the message came through. Took 15 minutes or so though.
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would like to see Virgin Mobile comparisons as well
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L. Harris,
Sure thing, here ya go:
http://web.virginmobileusa.com/help/stuff/text-to-landline/general#what-is-vmu-text-to-landline
Marc
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In case you were wondering
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I work at an answering service and it's weird to get one of these calls. It's a sort of electronic eavesdropping….
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Wonder does this work with SMS text mess?
I know a few business use SMS text.
I tried normal text and it was strange to see and hear it. This is great for people that do not have cells, that need to call the kids.
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The last bit of information is incorrect. Some companies (Rogers, don't know about the others) will charge you 15 cents even if you have a text message bundle.
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What would happen if you IM'd a landline? does this process work?
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whoa thats weird i use rogers and called my house and it took 5 minutes to get there and when it did some lady was like you have recieved a text message press 1 to hear so i did then it played some random elevator music then it told me my text message and some weird beeping thing after
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Does this service work for Virgin MObile Canada? I would like to try it if it does.
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Why not just call the landline (or cellphone) number and talk to the person????
duh Texting does have its place, but …..
Bob
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Mike Inkster – Text messages are SMS. In other countries people commonly refer to texting as smsing, it's just colloquial here in Canada that it's not often called that.
Bob Watson – It is handy in some situations like you are in a meeting and going to be late.. obviously you can't talk on the phone but you can shoot out a clandestine text. That's what I use it for
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yeah… the info on charging is wrong. It's considered a premium message from rogers and fido, don't know about bell and telus but i'm willing to bet it's the same. Anyway, for Fido it's 15 cents–or 1 sms off your bundle–plus 25 cents.
Why can't there be an easy place to find all these charges?
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I make lots of business trips to California every year and I use this "text to landline" service to check in with my mom and let her know how things are going.
It doesn't cost me anything to text and it doesn't cost her anything to hear the message. It's way cheaper than calling and being charged long distance AND roaming!
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I have done this several times before, it is cool, but the person who reads the message to you is: 1. Hard to understand, 2. speaks ways to fast, and 3. can not pronounce all words. Prety funny though if you are bored and you want to type gibbersh and hear the text simularity read it.
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Thats really cool does it work with vonage too? If so thats good to know..
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I've sent text messages to my cogeco voip number and of course I don't receive the call. I'm wondering what happens when texts are sent to Cogeco from a Roger's Cell phone?
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