One phone, three ways in.
Send from a script with one request. Hand the phone to an agent with one URL. React to every reply with a signed webhook.
send_smsText one person or a hundred, now or laterwait_for_replyHold for the answer, or a verification codeget_conversationRead the whole thread with someonelist_conversationsSee who wrote back and what's unreadget_messageCheck whether a text went out, and why notlist_devicesKnow which phone is online before sending
Terminal
curl -X POST https://sparetext.netlify.app/api/v1/messages \
-H "x-api-key: $SPARETEXT_API_KEY" \
-H "content-type: application/json" \
-d '{"to": "+15551234567", "text": "Your code is 481920"}'Already on textbee? The /gateway/send-sms endpoint takes the same body, so you change the URL and the key.
Works with the phone you have. Even an iPhone.
Apple doesn't let any app send texts in the background. Instead of pretending, Sparetext gives you every path Apple does allow, and says what each one can do.
| Feature | Android The app on its own | iPhone + Mac Mac relay | iPhone Shortcut auto-send | iPhone Tap to send |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sends on its own | Yes | Yes | While the app is open | One tap per text |
| Reads replies | Yes | Yes | Through a Shortcuts automation | Through a Shortcuts automation |
| Delivery status | Sent and delivered | Sent or failed | Sent | Sent or cancelled |
| Extra hardware | None | A Mac that stays on | None | None |
| Setup | About 2 minutes | About 10 minutes | About 10 minutes | About 2 minutes |
Mix them: one account can hold several phones of different kinds, and you choose which one sends each text.
See every text's journey.
Queued, on the phone, sent, delivered, or failed with the reason the phone gave. Replies land in the same thread, and your agents read the same statuses you do.
Questions people ask.
- Can I use my iPhone as an SMS gateway?
- Yes, three ways. With a Mac, Sparetext's relay sends and reads texts through Messages from your iPhone's own number with Text Message Forwarding, fully automatically. On the iPhone alone, the app sends through a Shortcut while it is open, or opens each text for you to tap Send. Apple does not let any app send texts silently in the background, so those are the paths that work.
- Can Claude or ChatGPT send a text message?
- Yes. Add the Sparetext MCP server as a custom connector in Claude or as an app in ChatGPT developer mode, sign in, and the assistant can send SMS, wait for a reply and read conversations from your own phone. It works with Claude Code, Cursor, OpenClaw, n8n and other MCP clients too.
- Is Sparetext a Twilio alternative?
- For texts from your own number, yes. You don't rent a number or pay per message: texts go out from your phone's SIM at your carrier plan's price. It is not built for high-volume marketing; carriers limit how many texts a phone may send.
- How do I send SMS from an Android phone with an API?
- Install the Sparetext Android app, scan the pairing code from the dashboard, and send a POST to /api/v1/messages with your API key. The phone sends the text in the background and reports when the carrier delivers it.
- Is it compatible with textbee?
- Yes. The /api/v1/gateway/send-sms endpoint accepts the same body as textbee, so existing code can switch by changing the base URL and the key.
- What does it cost?
- Sparetext is free while it is in testing. Each text costs whatever your carrier plan charges, which is nothing on most unlimited plans.