# Android Phone as SMS Gateway (Beta) Use your own Android phone as an SMS sender. Instead of connecting a Twilio account, you install a small open-source app on an Android phone, pair it with your workspace, and your texts send and receive through that phone's own number and carrier plan. > **Beta channel.** The Android SMS gateway is now available to everyone on a plan with a channel allowance, but it's still new — expect the occasional rough edge, and note that behaviour and limits may change as the channel matures. If something doesn't work as described, let support know. --- ## Why Use This The Android gateway is built for **low-volume, conversational SMS** — replying to leads, AI conversations, and one-to-one texting. It's a good fit when: - You want to keep texting from your **existing personal or business number**. - Twilio is **overkill or poorly priced** for your country or volume. - You'd rather use your **carrier's existing SMS allowance** than pay per-message fees. - You want to **avoid carrier registration** paperwork (A2P 10DLC and similar) that Twilio requires. It is **not** built for bulk broadcast blasts — see [Limitations](#limitations) below. > **Prefer Twilio for scale and reliability.** If you send at volume, need guaranteed uptime, or run bulk SMS broadcasts, connect a Twilio number instead — see [SMS Messaging](sms.md). The two are alternative SMS transports; messages, contacts, the AI, and your inbox work the same either way. --- ## What You Need - **An Android phone** with an active SIM and SMS plan (unlimited or generous SMS is strongly recommended). - **The free, open-source "SMS Gateway for Android" app** from [sms-gate.app](https://sms-gate.app) — download it from the site or its [GitHub releases](https://github.com/capcom6/android-sms-gateway/releases/latest). We don't make this app — it's a third-party project. - **The phone kept powered on, online, and unrestricted** — see [Keeping the phone reliable](#keeping-the-phone-reliable). - **A paid plan** — the Android gateway is included in your channel allowance. There is **no per-message platform fee** and no Twilio bill — you use your phone's own carrier plan. If the AI generates a reply, that reply still uses AI credits, the same as on every channel. --- ## Setting Up the Gateway App 1. Install **SMS Gateway for Android** from [sms-gate.app](https://sms-gate.app) on the phone whose number you want to use. 2. Open the app. 3. Turn on **Cloud Server** mode (the simplest option — it relays through the project's hosted server so your phone doesn't need a public address). 4. The app generates a **username** and **password** on the home screen. You'll paste these into the platform in the next section. 5. (Recommended) In the app, open **Settings → Webhooks**. A webhook is an automatic notification the app sends to the platform whenever something happens — here, whenever a message arrives. 6. Copy the **Signing Key**. Pasting it into the platform adds an extra signature check on incoming messages. > **Local mode (advanced).** If you'd rather the phone talk to the platform directly over your own network instead of the cloud relay, the app also supports Local Server mode. You'll need to expose the phone on a reachable HTTPS address and enter that address as the base URL when connecting. Cloud mode is recommended for almost everyone. --- ## Connecting the Phone to the Platform 1. In the left sidebar, click **Settings** near the bottom. 2. In the Settings left rail, under **Channels**, click **Channels**. 3. Find the **Android SMS Gateway** card and click **Connect**. 4. Enter the **Phone number** — the phone's own number in international (E.164) format, e.g. `+14155551234`. 5. Enter the **Gateway username** and **Gateway password** from the gateway app's home screen. 6. Optionally, paste the **Webhook signing key** (recommended) from the app's Webhooks settings. 7. Click **Connect**. The platform validates the credentials, registers the message and delivery webhooks on the gateway for you, and flips the status to **Connected**. No copy-pasting webhook URLs into the app is needed — registration is automatic. ### Checking Status Once connected, the card's button changes from **Connect** to **Manage**. Click it to reopen the gateway panel, where you'll find **Refresh status** at any time. It re-checks that the gateway is reachable and shows whether the phone is currently **online**. If the phone is asleep or offline, you'll see a clear offline indicator so you know texts won't flow until it's back. ### Disconnecting Click **Manage** on the card to reopen the gateway panel, then click **Disconnect**. The platform removes the webhooks it registered on the gateway and clears the connection. Your texts then fall back to Twilio if you have a Twilio SMS number connected, or SMS turns off if you don't. --- ## How Messages Flow ### Incoming 1. Someone texts your phone's number. 2. The gateway app on the phone detects the SMS and notifies the platform. 3. The platform creates a contact (if new), drops the message into your inbox, and — if the relevant AI Agent is active — it replies. ### Outgoing 1. You or the AI send a reply from the platform. 2. The platform hands the message to your gateway. 3. The phone sends it as a normal SMS from your number, over your carrier. 4. As the carrier reports back, the message status updates to **Sent**, then **Delivered** (or **Failed**). > **The Android gateway takes priority for sending.** While it's connected, one-to-one and AI replies go through your phone. If you also have a Twilio SMS number connected, disconnect the Android gateway to send those through Twilio again. One exception either way: **campaign and broadcast SMS blasts always go through your Twilio number**, never the Android phone — bulk sending from a personal handset is exactly what gets numbers flagged, so the platform doesn't do it. --- ## Limitations The Android gateway depends on a physical phone you control, so it comes with constraints you won't see on Twilio. Review these before relying on it for important messaging. - **The phone must stay on and online.** No phone, no texts. Keep it charged, connected to Wi-Fi or data, and excluded from battery optimization. - **Low volume only.** Carriers flag and throttle phones that suddenly send lots of texts. This channel is for conversations and one-to-one replies — **not bulk broadcasts**. - **SMS broadcast blasts are not supported on this channel.** Bulk SMS sends require a connected Twilio number; the platform will tell you so if you try to launch one without Twilio. Run broadcasts through Twilio and keep the Android gateway for conversational replies. - **Text only.** Sending and receiving MMS (media) isn't supported on this channel. - **Carrier limits apply.** Your phone plan's SMS allowance, fair-use caps, and any per-message charges are between you and your carrier. - **Delivery confirmation depends on your carrier.** Some carriers report delivery reliably; others don't. A "Sent" status means the phone dispatched the text. - **Account / number risk.** Using a personal number for automated business texting may violate your carrier's terms and can get the number throttled or suspended if abused. Use it responsibly, get consent, and include opt-out instructions. --- ## Keeping the phone reliable To keep messages flowing without interruption: - **Disable battery optimization** for the SMS Gateway app (Android Settings → Apps → SMS Gateway → Battery → Unrestricted). Otherwise Android may kill it in the background. - **Keep the screen reachable / the app allowed to run in the background.** A dedicated phone left plugged in is ideal. - **Stay on stable Wi-Fi or data.** If the phone loses connectivity, sends queue or fail until it's back. - **Keep the SIM active and in good standing** with your carrier. --- ## Troubleshooting ### "Could not validate the gateway credentials" - Re-check the **username** and **password** against the gateway app's home screen — they regenerate if you reinstall or reset the app. - Confirm the phone has internet and **Cloud Server** mode is switched on in the app. ### Status shows offline / texts aren't sending - Open the app on the phone and confirm it's running and shows it's connected to the cloud server. - Check the phone isn't in Doze / battery-saver and that the app is excluded from battery optimization. - Tap **Refresh status** on the card after bringing the phone back online. ### Incoming texts not appearing - Confirm the connection still shows **Connected** (tap **Refresh status**). - Send a test text to the phone's number from another phone. - Make sure the phone's default Messages app isn't blocking or filtering the sender. ### A text shows "Failed" - The carrier rejected it — check the recipient's number is valid and in international format. - Confirm your SIM has SMS allowance left and the number isn't suspended. - Very high send rates can trip carrier throttling; slow down and keep volume low. --- ## Need Help? The Android SMS gateway is in **Beta**. If you hit something not covered here, reach out to hi@youraiconnector.com with: - The phone number you connected (not the password). - Whether the gateway app shows online on the phone. - A description of the issue and when it happened. We'll take a look as soon as we can.