Can you send an SMS from WhatsApp?
Not on its own. WhatsApp sends messages over the internet to other WhatsApp accounts. It cannot deliver a regular SMS to a phone number, and there is no “send as SMS” option in the app.
What you can do is use WhatsApp as the remote control. The Peoplewisher assistant lives in a WhatsApp chat. You tell it what to send, and it sends the SMS for you through a proper SMS route. You never open a laptop or a separate texting app.
How to send SMS from WhatsApp with Peoplewisher, step by step
- 01
Open the Peoplewisher chat on WhatsApp
Chat with Peoplewisher on WhatsApp: scan the QR code with your phone camera, or tap the button on your phone. WhatsApp opens with “Hi Peoplewisher” ready to send. Tap send.
- 02
Set up your account in the chat
Reply with your name and email. Peoplewisher picks up your country, currency and time zone from your phone number and asks you to confirm. Already have a Peoplewisher account? Reply connect to link it.
- 03
Add the people you want to text
Type one person per line, such as “Ada Obi, +234 803 123 4567, birthday 12 March”. Always include the country code. Contacts and groups you already have in Peoplewisher are available too, for example a Staff or Members group.
- 04
Choose how your texts are sent
Type “sender id AcmeHR” to send under your business name. In the US and Canada, texts come from a dedicated phone number instead. Prefer your own SIM? Use the Peoplewisher SMS Gateway to send from your own Android phone and your own SMS plan.
- 05
Tell it what to send
Type the request in plain words: “Send an SMS to all staff: the office is closed on Monday for the holiday.” Or ask it to write one for you: “Text my clients a short Christmas greeting.”
- 06
Preview, approve and send
Peoplewisher shows you the SMS with a real name filled in. Tap Approve to send, ask it to change the tone or shorten it, or say when to send it, for example “send it at 8am tomorrow”.
That is it. From then on, you can send a new SMS any time with one WhatsApp message, and recurring messages such as birthdays go out on their own.
What to type: example WhatsApp requests
Text all staff: today's team meeting has moved to 3pm in the main hall.
Send an SMS to the Members group: Sunday service starts at 9am this week, not 10am. Send it Saturday at 6pm.
Send every client a warm birthday SMS at 8am on their birthday, from Sarah at Acme.
Text all my customers a short Happy New Year message on 1 January at 9am.
The assistant turns each request into a finished SMS, such as the one below, and shows it to you before anything is sent.
Happy birthday, Ada! 🎂 Everyone at Acme hopes you have a wonderful day. Thank you for being with us. – Sarah, Acme
Chat with Peoplewisher on WhatsApp
Say “Hi Peoplewisher”, tell it what to send and who to send it to. It writes the message and you approve it.
What SMS from WhatsApp is perfect for
Sending SMS from WhatsApp works best when you are away from your computer and need to reach staff, clients, customers, members, volunteers, parents, partners and suppliers:
- Automatic birthday messages. Set it once and every staff member, client or member gets a birthday SMS on the day, every year.
- Holiday greetings. Christmas, Eid, Easter, Diwali, Thanksgiving, New Year and your own days, sent to everyone on the morning of the holiday.
- Announcements. Office closures, new opening hours, events, price changes, service times and policy updates.
- Quick updates. “Meeting moved to 3pm”, “Payroll is out”, “Rehearsal is cancelled tonight”, sent in seconds from your phone.
- New month and anniversary messages. Happy new month, work anniversaries, membership and client anniversaries.
- Reminders. Appointments, renewals, dues, deadlines and follow-ups.
Ways to send a text message when you only have WhatsApp open
Costs, sender names and tips
- Cost is shown before you send. Peoplewisher SMS is charged per message from your wallet, and the price depends on the country. Texts sent through the SMS Gateway use your own phone plan instead.
- Sender names need registering in some countries. Peoplewisher handles sender ID registration; in the US and Canada you send from a dedicated number, which may need a one-time 10DLC registration.
- Keep each SMS short. One SMS is about 160 characters (70 with emojis). Longer texts are split and cost more.
- Sign it. End with your name or business so people know who it is from.
- Only text people who expect it, and honour anyone who asks you to stop.
Ready to try it? Chat with Peoplewisher on WhatsApp now and send your first SMS in a few minutes.