In short
- Install the DroidSender app on an Android phone and pair it with the code from your dashboard.
- Put your contacts in Excel or Google Sheets, one number per row, with any details you want to use.
- Upload the file as a campaign and write the message with each person's details.
- Send now or schedule it. Messages go out from your number at a human pace.
- Read and answer the replies from your computer, in one inbox.
What you need
- An Android phone (7.0 or newer) with a SIM card that can send texts, on a plan with SMS included (unlimited is best for lists).
- Your contact list in Excel, CSV or Google Sheets.
Sending the same text to a list of customers usually means one of two things: typing it into your phone dozens of times, or paying a bulk SMS service per message and texting from a number your customers don't recognise. There is a third way. Your own Android phone sends the messages, and you control everything from your computer.
What you get
- Your own number. Customers see the number they already have saved, so they read it and reply.
- One message, personalised. "Hi Sarah, your appointment is on Tuesday at 10:00" for each person, from a single template.
- From your computer. Upload a spreadsheet, write the text, press send. The phone does the sending in the background.
- Replies in one place. Every answer lands in one inbox on the computer, in the same conversation as your message.
- No per-message fee from DroidSender. You pay your normal mobile plan. The Free plan covers 100 SMS a month to try it.
Step 1: Connect your Android phone
Install the DroidSender app from droidsender.com/install and pair it with the 6-character code from your dashboard. It takes about two minutes. If Android shows warnings while installing, the installation guide walks you through each one.
Step 2: Prepare your list
Put one phone number per row in Excel or Google Sheets. Add a column for anything you want in the message, such as the name, the date or an amount.
| phone | name | day |
|---|---|---|
| +44 7700 900123 | Sarah | Tuesday |
| 07700 900456 | Tom | Friday |
Numbers can be international (+44…) or national. National numbers are read in the country of the SIM in your phone. Rows without a valid number are listed before you send, so nothing goes out by mistake. The Excel guide has more detail on columns and formats.
Step 3: Write the message
Create a campaign, upload the file and write one message using the column names:
Hi {name}, just a reminder that we're coming on {day}. Reply here if you need to change it. - Mike, Riverside Plumbing
Check the preview for a couple of rows before sending. Keep the message short: one SMS holds 160 characters, but most accented letters (like á, ã or ç), an emoji or a long dash (–) switch the whole message to Unicode, which holds only 70. The example above is 119 characters and fits in one SMS because it uses a normal hyphen (-).
Step 4: Send now or schedule
Send right away or pick a date and time. DroidSender sends at a human pace, with a gap between messages, which helps keep your mobile plan happy. For long lists you can connect more phones and split the work between them. If a message fails for a temporary reason, such as no signal, it is tried again automatically.
Step 5: Answer the replies from your computer
Replies arrive on the phone and in the Conversations inbox on your computer, one thread per contact. Answer from the keyboard and the reply goes out from your number.
How much it costs
| DroidSender | Typical bulk SMS service | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost per message | None (your mobile plan) | Usually charged per message |
| Number your customers see | Your own | A shared or rented number |
| Replies | In your inbox, same thread | Depends on the service |
| To start | Free plan, 100 SMS/month, no card | Usually credits or a plan |
Paid plans: Starter $11.99/month or $7.99/month billed yearly (2,000 SMS, 1 phone), Pro $36 or $24 (10,000 SMS, 3 phones), Business $119 or $79 (50,000 SMS, 10 phones).
Before you send to a big list
- Check your mobile plan's terms and start with a few dozen messages, growing gradually.
- Only text people who expect to hear from you, like your customers, members or patients. Marketing texts usually need their consent.
- Keep the phone charged and connected. The dashboard shows the battery and status of every phone.
Questions people ask
- How can I send 1000 text messages at once?
- Put the 1,000 numbers in a spreadsheet, upload it as a DroidSender campaign and send it through your Android phone. The phone sends at a human pace, so 1,000 messages take a while rather than seconds; with several phones connected, the campaign can be split between them. Check that your mobile plan allows that volume.
- How can I send bulk text messages from my computer for free?
- Connect your Android phone to DroidSender and use the Free plan: 100 texts a month, no card needed. Upload your list, write the message on your computer and the phone sends each text individually from your number. Your mobile plan's normal SMS charges apply.
- How do I send a mass text from Excel?
- Keep one phone number per row and a column for each detail (name, date, amount). Upload the file to DroidSender as a campaign, write one message using the column names and send or schedule it. Each person gets their own personalised text.
- Is bulk texting legal?
- Texting your own customers about their orders, bookings or accounts is common practice. Marketing texts usually require the person's prior consent, and the rules vary by country (in the EU and UK, consent is required for most marketing SMS). Only text people who expect to hear from you.
- Can I send a mass text from my own number for free?
- DroidSender's Free plan includes 100 SMS a month on one phone, with no card to start. The messages themselves go through your mobile plan, so check that your plan includes SMS. For bigger lists, paid plans start at $7.99 a month (billed yearly) for 2,000 SMS.
- If there's no per-message fee, why do the plans have an SMS limit?
- DroidSender never charges per text. Each plan includes a monthly number of sends through your own phone (100 on Free, 2,000 on Starter, 10,000 on Pro, 50,000 on Business). What each text costs depends on your mobile plan.
- Will my customers see my number?
- Yes. The texts are sent by your own phone through its SIM card, so customers see the number they already know and can reply to it.
- How many texts can I send per day from my phone?
- It depends on your mobile plan, so check its terms. DroidSender sends at a human pace, with gaps between messages, and can spread big campaigns across several phones. Start with smaller lists and increase gradually.
- Do I need to type each message one by one?
- No. You write one message and add the columns from your spreadsheet, like the name or the appointment time. DroidSender fills them in for each person.
- Where do the replies go?
- To the phone, as usual, and to the Conversations inbox on your computer, in one thread per contact. You can answer from the computer and the reply goes out from your number.
- Does it work on iPhone?
- No. The sending phone has to be Android, because iPhones do not allow apps to send SMS in the background. Your customers can use any phone.