Short Message Service (SMS) is an application used to send text messages to or from mobile devices.
Users can send 160 character messages, often referred to simply as ‘texts’ or ‘text messages’.
SMS has been installed on mobile phones since the early days of mobile phones and has survived to the present day.
The key appeal is that it is installed on every device, meaning that the sender does not require the recipient to have downloaded any specific software to send them a message.
In the smartphone era, some people are moving away from SMS towards apps like WhatsApp, which offer greater functionality.
Facebook’s Messenger app added the ability to read and send SMS messages in June 2015, meaning that mobile phone users will not require an app
SMS is used by many marketers to send promotional messages to mobile phone owners, typically for short-term offers or events taking place at short notice.
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