Android SMS gateway

Turn Any Android Phone Into A Programmable SMS Gateway.

One paired phone, one real SIM, one API. No rented number, and no server of your own to keep online.

Connect Your App See How It Works

The concept

What "Android SMS Gateway" Actually Means.

An Android SMS gateway is a phone running an app that lets other software send and receive text messages through it, using the phone's own SIM card and mobile network instead of a carrier-leased virtual number. Your software talks to the gateway over an API; the gateway talks to the mobile network the same way any phone does.

People search this out for a specific reason: rented virtual numbers cost per message, get flagged by carriers as automated traffic more often than a real consumer SIM does, and add a middleman between you and message delivery. A phone you already own, sending over its own number, avoids all three. For the fuller picture of how that stacks up against Twilio, Plivo, and other providers, see how to choose an SMS API.

Option one

Running Your Own Gateway Yourself.

Several solid open-source Android SMS gateway apps exist, and self-hosting one is a completely reasonable path if you're comfortable owning the infrastructure. It typically means:

Install and configure the gateway app yourself
Run and monitor your own relay server
Build your own message queueing for when the phone drops offline
Wire up webhook delivery and retries by hand

Option two

The Hosted Version: TexMax.

Same core idea, none of the infrastructure. Pair a phone, call the API, and TexMax handles the relay, the queueing, and the webhook delivery for you.

Install the TexMax app, pair it to your account
TexMax hosts the relay and the queue
Messages queue automatically if the phone's offline
Replies delivered straight to your webhook

The API

One Request To Send Through The Gateway.

This is the real call. No SDK to install, just an HTTP request from whatever backend you're already running.

# Send a message through the paired Android gateway
curl -X POST https://api.texmax.app/messages/send \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer tmx_your_api_key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "deviceId": "8jr3ewqh55y7gyj3e0w0stw5",
    "address": "+15551234567",
    "body": "Your appointment is confirmed."
  }'

Questions worth answering upfront.

Is TexMax the same as a self-hosted open-source Android SMS gateway?
The underlying idea is the same: a paired Android phone sends and receives SMS over its own SIM instead of a rented virtual number. The difference is that TexMax hosts the relay, webhook delivery, and message queueing for you, so there's no server to run or uptime to manage yourself.
Do I need to root my phone or sideload a custom APK?
No. The TexMax Android app installs like any normal app and asks for standard SMS permissions. No root access is required.
Can I use a free tier before committing?
Yes. You can pair a phone and send test messages through the API on TexMax's free trial before deciding whether to upgrade.
What happens if the Android gateway phone goes offline?
Outgoing messages queue automatically and send the moment the phone reconnects. The API response reports this, so your application always knows the real delivery status instead of assuming a message went out.

Your phone. Your SIM. One API.

Pair A Phone, Start Sending.

No rented number, no gateway server to run yourself.

Connect Your App Back to TexMax