Short Message/Messaging Service, commonly abbreviated as SMS, is a text messaging service component of most telephone, Internet and mobile device systems. It uses standardized communication protocols that let mobile devices exchange short text messages. An intermediary service can facilitate a text-to-voice conversion to be sent to landlines.
An SMS message written on a Motorola Razr V3
A Siemens wireless landline telephone that is capable of SMS
An example of a phishing attack through SMS, showing a fake message and URL claiming to be from Apple
Text messaging, or texting, is the act of composing and sending electronic messages, typically consisting of alphabetic and numeric characters, between two or more users of mobile devices, desktops/laptops, or another type of compatible computer. Text messages may be sent over a cellular network or may also be sent via satellite or Internet connection.
The word "lol" sent via iMessage
A text message on an iPhone announcing an AMBER Alert
A multimedia message displayed on a mobile phone
SMS is used to send "welcome" messages to mobile phones roaming between countries. Here, T-Mobile welcomes a Proximus subscriber to the UK, and Base welcomes an Orange UK customer to Belgium.
