Google (Gmail) Launches Free SMS Service in India

Google has launched its free SMS chat service in India. This service was first launched in some African Countries in the year 2011. Now you can send text messages to mobile phones via Gmail chat using this service. Though it took time for Google to launch this service in India where there are more than 908,358,714 mobile phone users (August 2012), but that’s ok. Gmail's free SMS service is an International SMS service of Google which supports many countries and many mobile service operators. Though according to Google all mobile operators in India support SMS chat in Gmail, but for now this service is available on 8 mobile operators in India: Reliance, Vodafone, Aircel, TATA Indicom, TATA DoCoMo, Idea, MTS, and Loop Mobile. This service is not available in GTalk right now.

Initially you can send 50 messages per day. That means you have a message limit of 50 per day and for each message send your message limit will decrease by 1.But when a user will reply to your text message sent via Gmail, your message credit will increase by 5, but limited to 50 messages per day. When you will reach the credit limit i.e. 50 messages, your account will be credited with 50 messages again after 24 hours. Google built this credit limit to discourage misuse of its SMS services for SMS marketing or spamming.
If a Gmail user sends excessive number of messages to a particular number without getting any reply from that number, Google will block that Gmail user from sending further messages to that particular number. This is done to prevent spam and abuse.
If a Gmail user does not wish to receive messages from Gmail chat, he/she can block it by simple replying to the message with the word 'BLOCK' to that particular sender. Later if they wish to receive message from that particular sender, simple reply to the message of the sender with the word 'UNBLOCK' written in it
If Gmail Chat user in India does not wish to receive any SMS from Gmail SMS Chat service, they can simple stop the service by messaging 'STOP' to +918082801060. If they wish to start the service again, they can simple message 'START' to that same number.

How to Use Gmail Chat SMS Service:

Gmail has put this SMS service into its chat box. To send SMS select a user from the chat list and then select the 'Send SMS' option. As soon as you click the Send SMS button, a pop up window will appear, type the phone number of the recipient to whom you want to send the SMS, select his name and country, then click save. Once you click on the save button, you will be directed to standard Gmail chat window where you can start sending messages.

You can also increase your SMS credit in case you run out of credit balance by sending a text message to your phone from Gmail and replying to that message from your phone. You can do it multiple times .This will increase your SMS credit balance by 5 messages every time when you reply to that Gmail message from your phone. But you may be charged by your mobile operator company for sending an outgoing SMS (i.e. you will be charged whenever you send a reply to you Gmail message from your phone)