You can no longer text to an AT&T phone from email. AT&T shut down its email-to-text gateway on June 17, 2025, meaning the old @txt.att.net and @MMS.att.net addresses no longer work, and there is no current way to send a text message to an AT&T phone using an email account.
What happened to AT&T's email-to-text service
On June 17, 2025, AT&T permanently discontinued its email-to-text and text-to-email service. This means you cannot send a text to an AT&T phone from email, nor can you receive replies from an AT&T phone in your inbox. The shutdown applies to all AT&T Wireless users, and AT&T's support page states that "you can't use email to send or receive texts." Any older articles or guides that instruct you to use @txt.att.net or @MMS.att.net are now obsolete. The feature is gone, and AT&T has not replaced it with a similar service. The old email-to-text format used the recipient's 10-digit phone number followed by @txt.att.net (e.g., 5551234567@txt.att.net). SMS messages sent via the old email gateway had a 160-character limit; exceeding it would split the message into multiple SMS.
How to text an AT&T phone from your computer now
Since the carrier gateway is dead, you need to use a third-party messaging app that works on both your computer and the recipient's phone. These apps are free, secure, and let you type on a full keyboard. Below are the most practical alternatives, with brief setup notes for each. The original AT&T Text Messaging website method required logging into an AT&T account and composing messages on the AT&T site. That method did not support MMS (pictures or videos). Google Hangouts with Google Voice integration was a specific app method for sending texts to an AT&T phone.
Google Messages for web
- On your computer, go to messages.google.com/web and scan the QR code with your phone.
- Your computer will mirror your phone's texts, including messages to AT&T numbers.
iMessage on Mac
- On your iPhone, go to Settings > Messages > Text Message Forwarding and enable your Mac.
- On your Mac, open the Messages app and sign in with the same Apple ID.
- You can send and receive SMS and MMS to any phone number, including AT&T, from your Mac.
WhatsApp Web/Desktop
- Both you and the AT&T user need WhatsApp installed and registered. Messages are sent over data or Wi-Fi.
Telegram
- On your phone, install Telegram and create an account.
- Telegram syncs across devices. The recipient also needs Telegram installed.
Facebook Messenger
- On your computer, go to messenger.com or open the Facebook app.
- Start a new conversation and enter the recipient's phone number.
- If they have Messenger installed, your message will arrive as a chat. If they don't, it may send as an SMS, but both parties generally need the app for reliable delivery.
What to do if you relied on email-to-text for work or alerts
If you used the old AT&T gateway to send automated alerts, reminders, or notifications from a script or business system, you need to switch to a different method. The simplest replacement is app-based push notifications: services like Pushover, Slack, or Telegram bots can send messages to a phone without using SMS. For systems that must send actual SMS messages, use a carrier-agnostic SMS API service such as Twilio, MessageBird, or SignalWire. These services send texts through standard SMS channels and work with any carrier, including AT&T. They are not free, but they are the only reliable way to send programmatic SMS now that AT&T's email gateway is gone.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does any AT&T email-to-text workaround still exist?
No. AT&T has not provided any replacement or workaround for the email-to-text gateway. Any website or article claiming a hidden or unofficial address is incorrect. The service is permanently shut down.
Do other carriers still offer email-to-text?
Some carriers still operate email-to-SMS gateways, but availability changes frequently. For example, T-Mobile and Verizon have historically offered gateways, but they may have different formats or limits. Check the carrier's current support page before relying on the method. You can still use the same messaging apps described above for any carrier, including when you need to manage text messaging and T-Mobile texts from your computer.
How can I text an AT&T phone without a phone?
You cannot send a standard SMS to an AT&T phone without a phone unless you use a messaging app that both you and the recipient have installed. Apps like Google Messages for web, iMessage, WhatsApp, Telegram, and Facebook Messenger all let you type from a computer and deliver the message to the recipient's phone over data or Wi-Fi.
Can I still receive replies if I text an AT&T phone from a messaging app?
Yes. When you use a messaging app like WhatsApp or Telegram, replies appear inside the app on both your computer and phone. This is actually more reliable than the old email-to-text system, where replies sometimes went to a different inbox or were delayed.
