Description: SMS4FREE, as Free SMS Text Messaging is also known as, is essentially another SMS app for Android that also promises to give you free text credits to send to your friends and family. However, with just 10 free credits awarded when you download the app, how ‘free’ is free? The app also supports group messaging as well as the ability to hide or show your caller ID depending on whether or not you want to and of course, this is a way to save money on your phone bill. More an app for those looking for a way to hide their number, or those in a developing country without large SMS allowances, SMS4FREE is a simple app. Let’s see just how simple it is.
How it Works: All you need to do in order to start using SMS4FREE is to download it from the Play Store. Then, you need to enter your email address and phone number to activate an account. Inside the app you’ll find a quick introduction on how to use it and what SMS4FREE is all about.
If you ever need to get more credits, which let’s face it with only 10 free credits is definitely going to happen, you can either pay with PayPal or use a reward system.
You can earn SMS credits by watching adverts as well as installing free games and such.
It’s nice and simple to send a message, all you need to do is add the number and then create your message.
That’s all there is to SMS4FREE, it’s a super simple application that can also show you all of the text messages that land on your phone as well.
Opinion: While I can see the appeal of something SMS4FREE, I’m finding it difficult to come across reasons why casual users should give this a try. After all, there are only 10 credits, one of which is an average text message each, and you need to watch ads in order to get any more on your device. This raises some problems. After all, how many text messages do we said a day? Around a hundred I’d say, and for some people that’s conservative. Still, SMS4FREE does live up to its name of free text messages even if you have to jump through some hoops. The ability to hide your caller ID will be helpful for those in business, or as the app listing itself suggests, for sending fake messages to your friends or family.
Ratings
- Speed (3.5/5) – While the app runs fine, it took quite some time for my activation code to come through.
- Features (3/5) – Free text messages sounds like a great concept, especially for those in developing countries with expensive bills, still 10 credits is a tiny amount.
- Theme (4/5) – It doesn’t look great on high-resolution devices, but it gets the job done at least.
- Overall (3.5/5) – The concept is good, but with just 10 free credits and a clunky interface this is sadly hard to recommend to everyone.
Pros
- Does genuinely offer at least some free text message credits.
- No need to use a different phone number or anything like that.
- Easy to setup, with no need for a password.
- Good idea for developing countries or those with expensive messaging plans.
Cons
- Only gives you 10 free credits when you get started.
- Clunky interface isn’t at all transparent.
Conclusion: While the idea here is pretty nice, watch a few ads and get some more free credits, save money on your phone bill and so on, the implementation just isn’t there. How many of us have more than 500 text messages included in our monthly bill? Giving just 10 credits at first isn’t good enough, and while the app does work well, we wish the UI was better-looking and it was much easier to actually get your hands on free credits.