Edit Article

Four Methods:Texting on SmartphonesTexting on Older Flip PhonesLearning Basic Texting EtiquetteText Message Shorthand

Text messaging from your cell phone is a quick and easy way to stay in touch. Anyone can learn how to send a text message on a cell phone with practice and some patience. Eventually, sending a text message can eventually feel as natural as sending an e-mail or talking on the phone. Keep reading after the jump for more specific information.


Method 1 of 3: Texting on Smartphones

  1. 1
    Select "Messages" from the main menu. On the Apple devices, this icon looks like a talk bubble from a comic strip. On the Samsung Galaxy and some other phones, the icon looks like an open envelope.
  2. 2
    Create a new message. On the iPhone, an icon appears in the top right corner of the Messages menu that looks like a pencil being put to a tablet. This will open the new message window. On other phones, you may select "Create New Message" from a menu.
  3. 3
    Add a Contact to message. You can either message a contact from your Contacts List, or you can message a new phone number you haven't added into your contacts list yet. You can also select more than one person to message.
    • If you start typing the name of the person you want to message, the phone should provide a list of options you can browse through and select from. This will automatically enter their phone number in the "To" field.
    • Alternatively, you can also select someone from your Contacts List to start messaging. When you click on their name in the list, simply select "Send Message" from the list of available options and the phone will open the correct window.
    • If you've already messaged with someone previously, your existing or open conversations should pop up as soon as you select "Messages" from the main menu. Scroll through the list and select the conversation you'd like to reopen.
  4. 4
    Write your message. When you select the blinking cursor in the messaging field, your keyboard should pop up. Use the keyboard to type out the message you'd like to send.
    • Alternatively, you can select the Microphone icon near the keyboard on the iPhone to send a voice-activated message. After you select this icon, speak the message you'd like to send as clearly as possible. The phone won't add punctuation to the message, but this is an effective way to send messages if you can't or don't want to type.
    • Check for error corrections. If you misspell something while you're typing, some phone models will try to guess what you were trying to type and provide an alternative. If you want to use the substitute word, add a space and the word will be added automatically. If you don't want to use the word, hit the X on the suggested alternative.
  5. 5
    Send your message. When your message is finished, simply click send. Most smart phones will display your conversation with comic-book style "talk bubbles" that correspond to you and the person you're texting with. That way, you can look back over most of the conversation or refer to it later.
    • The iPhone and other smartphones will display ellipses in a talk bubble when the other person is typing. It can take a few seconds for the message to arrive, so if you see this icon, you can wait until the person isn't typing to respond. This helps the conversation flow more smoothly.
  6. 6
    Send a picture or video if you want to. Select the Camera icon to the left of the message field on an Apple product, or select "Send Picture" under your messaging options on another phone to send a picture message. You can either select a photo that you've already taken on your phone, or take a new photo to send. Once you've selected the photo, click "Use" and "Send."
    • Alternatively, you can select a photo from your Photo Album. Under the options, you can select "Messages" and then select a contact to send the picture to.
  7. 7
    Customize your texting options. Familiarizing yourself with your text messaging options under the phones Settings tab can help you make texting more user-friendly and fun. You can customize your notification settings, including whether or not you want your phone to vibrate or make a particular sound when you receive or send text messages.
    • Under your text settings (Go to Settings and then Texting) you can toggle between On/Off for "Send Read Receipts." This notifies the person you're messaging with that you've opened the conversation once they've sent the text. This is useful when you're texting time-sensitive things like driving directions, or when you're trying to text someone on the down-low. They don't need to respond with "ok" if you already know they've seen the message.

Method 2 of 3: Texting on Older Flip Phones

  1. 1
    Select the Messages, Text, or SMS icon on your main menu. SMS stands for Short Messaging Service. The labelling may be different for different phones. Scroll over to the icon and push your Select or Enter button.
  2. 2
    Select the "Create New Message" option. You should be presented with a blank text on your screen.
  3. 3
    Enter a recipient in the address bar. You can either type a phone number into the bar or you can click the first letter of a person in your contact list to scroll through and select.
  4. 4
    Begin typing your message by using the keypad. Each number on your keypad corresponds to a set of alphabetical letters, which should be labeled on the key. Hitting a number key will type out the first letter that it corresponds with. For example, "2" accesses the letters A, B, and C, so hitting the 2 key once will type out an A. To type a B or C, you have to hit the 2 key twice quickly or three times, respectively.
    • If you want to type "Hi," for example, hit 4 key twice quickly, pause, and then hit the 4 key three times quickly. The pauses take some getting used to, so you might practice typing some before you get the hang of doing it quickly. If you make a mistake, delete the letters you've mistyped and start over.
  5. 5
    Consider using predictive text. T9 is a program written to guess the word you are trying to spell as you type out the letters, so you only have to hit each number key once per letter. On some older model flip phones, this option will be the default and can be confusing to some first-time texters. Once you get the hang of it, though, it can make texting much faster and easier.
    • To type "Hi," you can just hit the 4 key twice. T9 will process the possible letters (GHI) and guess that you are trying to write "Hi."
    • If you choose to use T9, make sure your phone is set to "T9 mode." You should be able to toggle this with the pound or asterisk key on your phone.
    • Make sure T9 guesses the right word. "Good," "home," and "gone" can all be spelled by pressing 4663, so make sure the word that appears is the word you want. On most phones, press the asterisk or pound key to access an alternate word combination.
  6. 6
    Add a space after you are done with a word. This is typically done by pressing the 0 key. You can then begin typing a new word.
    • Inserting a space also resets T9, so you can initiate a new string of numbers for a new word.
  7. 7
    Add punctuation marks with your 1 key. You may have noticed that 1 does not correspond to any letters, but instead, can be used to access punctuation marks of all sorts.
    • Hitting the 1 key once will display a period, and hitting it twice quickly will display a comma. Keep hitting 1 in succession until you find the desired punctuation mark.
  8. 8
    To send your completed message, go to "Options" and select "Send."
    • If prompted to specify the phone number that you are sending the message to, either directly enter in the message receiver's number OR access "Phonebook" and select the message receiver's number.

Method 3 of 3: Learning Basic Texting Etiquette

  1. 1
    Use text lingo and shortcuts sparingly. "LOL" and "BRB" are instant-message stand-bys that have mostly entered into the popular lexicon. But still, overusing short-cuts like leaving out letters and using acronyms to get messages across can make your communication seem immature and difficult to read for some texters. Use full words and complete sentences whenever possible, and try to use at least some punctuation.
  2. 2
    Check your tone. When you're getting the hang of texting, your texts will sometimes sound meaner than you intend. try to include words like "please" and "thank you" to soften the tone of your messages.
    • "Come pick me up now" sounds much more rude as a text, for example, compared to, "I'm ready to be picked up now. Thanks!"
    • Never communicate bad news or frustration via text, save it for in-person or phone conversations.
  3. 3
    try to acknowledge that you've received a text message. Increasingly, some people use text messages as a go-to first means of communication. When you're first getting into it, it can be difficult to know how, when, and if to respond. A quick "Ok" or "Thanks" to let the person know you've read and received the message is often appreciated, or you can also shoot them a quick call if you'd rather.
  4. 4
    Prioritize in-person communication over your phone. Situations in which it would be inappropriate to talk on the phone are often also inappropriate to text.[1] No one wants to sit at dinner with someone who's constantly checking their phone for new text messages.
    • If you're texting somewhere quiet, like the library or a movie theatre, make sure your phones notification messages are turned off. The marimba jingle that you like so much is just as annoying as a conversation at a dramatic moment in a movie.
  5. 5
    Cut to the chase. Text messages are most effective for brief missives and short communications of information. Be judicious and save the dramatic pauses and intricate details of a story for when you're with someone in person. Likewise, don't get frustrated if you message someone "hi" and they don't want to have an IM-style chat.[2]
    • Try asking a specific question or offering a particular piece of information in a text. Rather than asking "What's up" to your friend you're hoping to make plans with, you might type, "Do you want to get sushi later?" If you want to have a longer and more personal conversation, call them.

Text Message Shorthand


  • Cell phone devices come in many different styles. The two main types are the keypad and the keyboard. The keypad includes numbers and letters on the keys. The keyboard resembles a full QWERTY keyboard that would be used for a computer.
  • It might be useful to set your phone to “T9 mode”. This system is form of automatic word completion which fills in the rest of the word that the user is trying to enter in. It guesses the word being entered in based on the sequence that the keys are input. Some manual correction may be needed to ensure that the desired word is entered in.
  • On most phones, the OK or the CENTER button can send a message off too, rather than hitting options all the time.
  • Make sure you send the message to the intended receiver. There is nothing more mortifying than a misdirected text message.
  • You can also use a website like http://www.txt2day.com, http://www.freetxt.ca, or http://www.onlinetextmessage.com to send texts from computers to phones.
  • If you are using T9, make sure that the phone uses the correct word.
  • Familiarize yourself with the location of the “Select” key and learn how to access your “Phonebook”. If you have difficulty in this, consult the instruction manual that came with your phone to locate the features specific to your device.


  • Different phones have different keypads and options for those keys. Contact your cell phone manual if you are confused to find your phone's variation of these features.

Things You'll Need

  • Cell phone with text message capabilities.

Article Info

Categories: Texting

In other languages:

Italiano: Messaggiare, Español: mandar mensajes, Deutsch: Textnachrichten versenden, Português: Escrever Mensagens de Texto, Français: envoyer un SMS, 中文: 发短信, Русский: отправлять текстовые сообщения, Nederlands: Tekstberichten sturen, Bahasa Indonesia: Mengirim SMS, Čeština: Jak posílat SMS zprávy

Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 526,378 times.

Did this article help you?
Yes No

an Author!

Write an Article