Google Voice Easy SMS - Send & Auto-Receive SMS free via Google Voice [v2.0, 5/21/10]

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msullivan

Senior Member
Aug 13, 2008
252
61
Iowa
Google Voice Easy SMS - Send & Auto-Receive SMS free via Google Voice [v2.0, 5/21/10]

Important Announcement:
Hey everyone, thanks for the support over the last year. This app was a great learning experience for me, I enjoyed the challenges it presented and learned a lot in the process.

I've now moved on to and Android device (and if you are able, I encourage you to do the same!). Thus, my development and support are both officially finished. This application is wholly open-source, and if anyone out there wants to pick up where I left off, please do (under the conditions that the app remains open-source and you retain my name as an author).

Thanks :)


===========================

After 5 long months of working on it, Google Voice Easy SMS 2.0 is now released to the public, for free, like always! Send and automatically receive Google Voice SMS right on your phone over your data plan!

I've not been able to find a free application for Windows Mobile that allows easy text messaging (SMS) via your Google Voice account. I wanted something easy to use that also pulls from the phone's contacts list. So since I couldn't locate an app that suites these needs, I created one. After all, I’m a broke college student and I want something to give me free outgoing messages. Speaking of being broke, if you like what you see, consider donating via PayPal. After all, I'm probably saving you a good deal of money on a SMS package from your provider! You can do it right from this page on my website:

http://www.mattslifebytes.com/donate
Anything at all would be greatly appreciated!

Website & Download Location: http://www.mattslifebytes.com/?cat=7 OR http://tinyurl.com/googVSMS
Please don't mirror the installation file, just link to the above URL. That way current versions get distributed. Thanks!

Important Installation Note:
Once you have downloaded and installed Easy SMS, you'll need
to enter your Google Account information by going to 'Menu' -> 'Settings' -> 'Google Account Settings'. Fill in the info, then do 'Menu' -> 'Check for Messages'.

New In Version 2.0
  • Pretty much everything is new!
  • Easy SMS is now a full suite application. You can both send and receive Google Voice SMS through it for FREE.
  • All bugs with the old 1.x series have been fixed.

easy-sms1.jpg
easy-sms2.jpg
GVEasySMS_Vert.png
GVEasySMS_Horiz.png


Features:
  • It's free. Who doesn't like free stuff?
  • Sends messages via the data connection, meaning your outgoing SMS costs you nothing
  • Interfaces with your phone's contacts list
  • Connects directly to Google via SSL to send your message, no man-in-the-middle servers that could potentially harvest your Google Account password
  • Signature support
  • Send to multiple recipients at once

Easy SMS is completely open-source! Want to have a look? Just click through to my website for the download.

Requirements
  • Windows Mobile based device; software has been tested on versions 6, 6.1, and 6.5, but the program may work with other versions.
  • .NET Compact Framework 3.5
  • A Google Voice account
  • Cellular data plan or WiFi connectivity
  • If your cellular data plan charges by the kilobyte, be sure to keep track of your usage; this program uses very little bandwidth, but don't try to blame data charges on me
  • You must abide by the Google Voice terms of service when using this program

Google has a bad habit of changing the way stuff works without letting people know. If you find that this program suddenly stops working, it could be because Google changed a setting and broke the way this program works. Check the blog site for info on known issues and patch releases. I'll try to post here with that stuff too.

Want to make calls easily via Google Voice from your Windows Mobile phone? Try iDialer and iContact, visit http://supware.net for those amazing programs.

I've tried to be very thorough in testing, but you never know. Find something odd? Tell me how to reproduce the error and I'll try to take care of it. Toss me an e-mail.

Website & Download Location: http://www.mattslifebytes.com/?cat=7
 
Last edited:

msullivan

Senior Member
Aug 13, 2008
252
61
Iowa
I like small URLs :) This is the same as above, just easier to type in :)
http://tinyurl.com/googVSMS

The app works BEAUTIFULLY BTW :)

Combining this with the "Swype" keyboard, SMS is so much better now :D

Thank you for the TinyURL, I'll add it to the top post, and I'm glad it's working well for you :)

This gonna work with non-US country?
If Google Voice goes international, I'll try my best to keep it compatible.
 
Last edited:

gadgetluva

Senior Member
Feb 17, 2006
192
7
I'm currently in the UK (live in Chicago), is there any reason this wouldn't work? I just get a communication error. I thought it woudl just use the data connection?
 

msullivan

Senior Member
Aug 13, 2008
252
61
Iowa
I'm currently in the UK (live in Chicago), is there any reason this wouldn't work? I just get a communication error. I thought it woudl just use the data connection?

Which communication error do you get: bad Google Account username or password, unable to get value of '_rnr_se' key, or unable to send message(s)?

The program tries to open a few URL connections via the OS networking components, and if you have a data connection it really should be working. My only thought is perhaps Google's methods that I am using aren't accessible from outside the USA or something. If that turns out to be the case, I can program a workaround by bouncing the request through my own web server first, that way it originates from a USA IP address.
 

Ghettobob

Member
Jan 10, 2008
10
0
Can someone send me an invite for google voice please? PM me please :D

This app looks really cool. Would be great for me because I have a 300 text/month limit.
 
Last edited:

adp9626

Member
May 15, 2009
25
0
Thanks for the app. I just want to clarify, this app only send SMS via google voice and incoming text is still received as a regular text, is that correct?
Thanks.
 

gadgetluva

Senior Member
Feb 17, 2006
192
7
Which communication error do you get: bad Google Account username or password, unable to get value of '_rnr_se' key, or unable to send message(s)?

The program tries to open a few URL connections via the OS networking components, and if you have a data connection it really should be working. My only thought is perhaps Google's methods that I am using aren't accessible from outside the USA or something. If that turns out to be the case, I can program a workaround by bouncing the request through my own web server first, that way it originates from a USA IP address.
I'm not sure if people would feel comfortable with texts bouncing through a 3rd party, no offense to you or anything...
 

msullivan

Senior Member
Aug 13, 2008
252
61
Iowa
I'm not sure if people would feel comfortable with texts bouncing through a 3rd party, no offense to you or anything...

Certainly none taken, either. But for now it would still help if you could post what type of communication error you are getting though, that's going to be the only way I even can begin to understand the problem :-/
 

eboy44

Senior Member
May 13, 2006
419
6
LA 818
i keep getting the "communication error: unable to send message. try closing the program and re-opening. also be sure this version of Easy SMS is up to date, google might have changed something on their end."

what am i doing wrong?
 

msullivan

Senior Member
Aug 13, 2008
252
61
Iowa
i keep getting the "communication error: unable to send message. try closing the program and re-opening. also be sure this version of Easy SMS is up to date, google might have changed something on their end."

what am i doing wrong?

That error means that the program was able to log you into your Google account and get your authorization key, but when it tries to send the message Google didn't allow the connection.

Can you browse to https://www.google.com/voice/sms/send/ on your mobile device? You should get "Forbidden Error 403". Also where is your physical location currently, and who is your carrier? Thanks.
 

eboy44

Senior Member
May 13, 2006
419
6
LA 818
That error means that the program was able to log you into your Google account and get your authorization key, but when it tries to send the message Google didn't allow the connection.

Can you browse to https://www.google.com/voice/sms/send/ on your mobile device? You should get "Forbidden Error 403". Also where is your physical location currently, and who is your carrier? Thanks.

i am in los angeles and im on T-Mobile

when i go to that web page it takes me to the page...it doesnt say forbidden error 403
 

msullivan

Senior Member
Aug 13, 2008
252
61
Iowa
i am in los angeles and im on T-Mobile

when i go to that web page it takes me to the page...it doesnt say forbidden error 403

Also are you on 3G or WiFi connection? Are you roaming? And finally (lol) if I create a debug version would you be willing to run it and let me know how it works out for you?