Hello!
I’ll be travelling to Jamaica from Canada, and need to be able to receive a few phone calls but also SMS messages while I’m there.
I know I can (and have) set my phone to call forward to my voip.ms number when I’ve visited the US from Canada (obviously with a data only eSIM on my phone)
What I’m not too sure on is the SMS side of things.
Is it possible to have an SMS come into my Canadian phone number, which would be call forwarded to my voip.ms number and to be able to receive the SMS?
If your phone number is not on voip.ms (probably the case for a cell phone), you are limited by your provider’s capabilities. Contact your provider to know if they have a SMS forward option, or an SMS to email option. There is not much that can be done otherwise.
If your phone number is on voip.ms, maybe you can install an application that does just that? If you have Android, for example:
Otherwise you can forward all SMS. Go in the Edit the desired DID and at the bottom in the SMS section, activate SMS/MMS Forward to a Phone Number. I never used that specific option, but it should work.
I assume you have a voip.ms phone number. In the voip.ms interface, go to DID Numbers > Manage DIDs and edit the settings for your number. Way down at the bottom under "Message Service (SMS/MMS) add an email address to "SMS/MMS Forward to an Email Address. Then your SMS will forward to your email address. You can reply to the email to respond to the SMS, just don’t change the subject line, that’s what voip.ms uses to respond to the correct originating phone number.
Second or alternatively, install the free SMS app for voip.ms by Michael Kourlas "VoIP.ms SMS. This gives you a dedicated SMS tool (not MMS though)
For phone calls I use the paid (one time) Acrobits voip sip softphone. Unlike other softphones, acrobits doesn’t sit waiting for a call (and burning battery), instead incoming calls to your voip.ms number pass through their server and a push notification goes to your phone waking up the app to receive the call. I found no extra battery drain. It does take a few seconds more for the incoming call to traverse their server to your phone.
Otherwise again under DID Numbers > Manage DID > Voice mail, I have incoming voice mail calls (audio recording) and transcribed to text emailed to me. I respond when I can (or when I want to ).
If making calls locally in Jamaica remember to set in Sub Accounts > (sub account for your device) > Allow International Calls > Yes - International Calls enabled > pick Jamaica from the list of allowed countries to call.
Hey,
You’re correct that forwarding calls to your voip.ms number works well over data when you’re traveling, especially if you’re using an eSIM with only mobile data.
However, SMS doesn’t forward the same way calls do. Traditional call forwarding (like from your mobile carrier) doesn’t carry SMS with it SMS isn’t part of the voice layer and isn’t passed along in the same manner.
To receive Canadian SMS while in Jamaica:
1.You’d either need to keep your Canadian SIM active (roaming or with Wi-Fi calling enabled, depending on your carrier), or
2.Use a virtual Canadian number that supports SMS and have your contacts message that instead.
VoIP.ms does support incoming SMS on many numbers, and you can access those via the portal, email, or their API but your mobile provider likely can’t redirect SMS to VoIP.
Some VoIP providers also offer direct SMS to email or API access from Canadian virtual numbers.
and, as well, as i understand it, you can’t forward (or send) messages to international numbers. but you can receive messages from international numbers.