topic Re: Is it possible to read text messages online? in Get Support

Is it possible to read text messages online?

luco — Wed, 05 Jan 2022 06:16:32 GMT

Is it possible to read my received text messages online somewhere?

I would like to have that option since PM doesn't have international roaming and when I sign into some of my accounts like email etc. overseas they use 2-factor authentication and send me a text message with a code, which obviously I'd never receive outside of North America.

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

Re: Is it possible to read text messages online?

mimmo — Sat, 10 Dec 2016 05:10:09 GMT

check out fongo.com. you can send and secieve sms (sending costs i believe)

Re: Is it possible to read text messages online?

talkalot — Sat, 10 Dec 2016 05:11:46 GMT

Fongo is a great application recommend by a friend of mine keepmus posted on how it works out for you.

Re: Is it possible to read text messages online?

dirk — Sat, 10 Dec 2016 05:17:13 GMT

If you have a Mac or iPad and an iPhone then as long as the iPhone has reception the other devices see all text and picture messages.

Otherwise, for Android there's Pushbullet or Mightytext (and there are probably others). Your text and picture messages will show up in a browser window on your computer. Again your Android device needs to have reception.

Re: Is it possible to read text messages online?

ShawnC13 — Sat, 10 Dec 2016 05:23:45 GMT

@dirkthat is what he is saying is that if he is out of North American where PM is not yet roaming he won't have reception to see this. Windows/via skype integration is working on this it is working sometimes lol

Re: Is it possible to read text messages online?

dirk — Sat, 10 Dec 2016 05:27:16 GMT

If he left his phone at home and used a different device on his trip, then it will work as long as he has WiFi. Obvoiusly it won't work if his phone doesn't have reception, as it is a bridge.

Re: Is it possible to read text messages online?

mimmo — Sat, 10 Dec 2016 05:35:01 GMT

@ShawnC13 do you have more information on this windows'skype thingy.

For the international texting you could leave your phone at home , plugged in and on with your PM sim using an old /spare phone, and use a sms forwarding app to send sms and also redirect calls to a fongo number.

This is what i will likley be doing when I go to europe next month.

you just won't have phone abilities while traveling away from or back home, unless you have wifi.

Re: Is it possible to read text messages online?

ShawnC13 — Sat, 10 Dec 2016 06:46:11 GMT

@mimmo was reading more on this and it is if you are using Win10 Mobile as your OS messages will show on your win10 computer. I run Win 10 Insider preview on my phone and computer and as I said it works sometimes.

Re: Is it possible to read text messages online?

NDesai — Sat, 10 Dec 2016 07:30:12 GMT

@dirk That mightytext works really great. I use it a lot at work. Yes it needs reception but i believe messages are loaded on the browser through wifi. So the phone needs to have both wifi and reception.

Since there is no roaming on PM, op can leave the sim at home and put it in the spare phone if you're taking the phone you have with you. Tell someone to charge it when you need and you should be able to load the message through apps like mightytext.

Re: Is it possible to read text messages online?

luco — Sat, 10 Dec 2016 14:55:13 GMT

Thanks for the suggestions.

Hmm, yes, that does makes sense that unless the SIM is active, text messages cannot be received anywhere, so the PM phone sim must be receiving texts in order for them to be accessible anywhere. Bummer.

I have an Adroid phone and I need to take it with me. I always switch to a local SIM abroad. But it's a bit unnerving travelling without an ability to make an emergency phone cal without finding a local SIM first. I hope PM adds international roaming soon!

I think I have an older Android still that I could leave at home with the PM SIM and plugged in. It's not a Galaxy Note 7, so I hope it won't explode while I'm away. haha

However, I would want my PM SIM with me while I'm still on the North American leg of my trip to use the data etc. even outside my province. Can't win, huh?

Fongo doesn't support short codes for 2-factor authentication without an SMS plan: https://support.fongo.com/hc/en-us/articles/212434926-SMS-short-codes-activations-and-verifications

I think my solution will be to add other phone numbers for my 2-factor authentication for those various accounts. I think I'll use either my wife's Fido number or the friends' numbers of places I'm going.

Accessing the various apps that need authentication from my phone is not a problem. It's usually triggered by signing into these service from a browser on a computer not previously used for the service.

Re: Is it possible to read text messages online?

srlawren — Sun, 11 Dec 2016 21:43:55 GMT

This is why SMS sucks. I can't wait until it's a thing of the past.

I wish all services supported Google Authenticator as an alternative to SMS 2FA. (And I recommend Authy as the GA client as it rocks--you can sync your tokens across devices, it has a Chrome app you can run on Windows desktops in addition to your phones/tablets, etc).

Unfortunately, this doesn't help you much with your original request, unless you can move any of those critical service(s) over to GA or email-based authentication....