Sparetext

Get the apps

These are test builds you install yourself, not store listings. After installing, pair the phone from Phones › Add phone in the dashboard.

Android

Automatic

Android 8 or newer with a SIM. Sends and receives in the background and reports delivery from the carrier.

Download for Android
  1. 1Open this page on the phone and download the APK.
  2. 2Open it. If Android asks, allow your browser to install unknown apps.
  3. 3Open Sparetext, allow SMS and notifications, and turn off battery optimisation when it asks, so Android doesn't pause it.
  4. 4Scan the code from the dashboard. The phone shows Online within seconds.

iPhone

Semi-automatic

Apple doesn't let any app send or read texts on its own, so the iPhone app uses the paths Apple allows. For fully automatic sending from an iPhone, add Sparetext for Mac below.

Shortcut auto-send

The app hands each batch to the “Sparetext Send” shortcut, which sends with the Messages action and returns. Automatic while the app is open, so it suits a spare iPhone on a charger.

Tap to send

The app opens each text ready to go in the Messages sheet and you tap Send. Works on any iPhone with no setup.

Download the iPhone appGet the shortcut

Install the IPA

  1. 1On a Mac or PC, install Sideloadly or AltStore.
  2. 2Connect the iPhone, drop the IPA in, and sign in with your Apple ID when it asks. It signs the app for your phone only.
  3. 3On the iPhone, open Settings › General › VPN & Device Management, trust your Apple ID, and turn on Developer Mode if iOS asks.
  4. 4With a free Apple ID the app has to be refreshed every 7 days (AltStore does it for you). A paid developer account lasts a year.

Receive texts on iPhone

In the Shortcuts app, create a personal automation: When I get a message, pick a Sender or a word in Message Contains (iOS has no "anyone" option), set it to Run Immediately, and add the action Forward Text to Sparetext. The app walks you through it. To get every reply with no setup per sender, use Sparetext for Mac below.

Sparetext for Mac

Automatic

A menu-bar app for macOS 14 or newer. With Text Message Forwarding on, your Mac sends texts through Messages from your iPhone's number and reads every reply, with no taps.

Download for Mac
  1. 1On the iPhone, turn on Settings › Apps › Messages › Text Message Forwarding for your Mac.
  2. 2Unzip the download, move Sparetext to Applications and open it. It isn't notarized yet, so the first time macOS stops it: open System Settings › Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway.
  3. 3In the dashboard, open Phones › Add phone › iPhone + Mac relay and click Open in Sparetext, or type the code in the app.
  4. 4The app's setup list takes you to Full Disk Access, so it can read replies, and asks once to use Messages. It starts at login and shows its status in the menu bar.
Command line instead (for servers and scripts)

The same relay as one sparetext binary for macOS 13 or newer, with a CLI for sending and reading texts. Get sparetext-macos.zip, give it Full Disk Access, then:

sparetext relay pair CODE --server https://sparetext.netlify.app
sparetext relay install
sparetext relay doctor

Use the app or the command line, not both.