Free international texting app?

[QMdude]

Does anyone know of a free international texting app? My current cell phone service can receive international SMS messages, but I cannot reply. I want to text friends in Pakistan and India who do not have smartphones (so apps like Viber do not help me in this). Any advice?

If not a direct texting app, is there any way to recieve and reply to SMS messages via email such that a non-smartphone can reply to them?

I know some networks have email addresses such as [phone number]@[network website], but I am not sure how common that is.

 

[Zcott]

It's pretty much impossible unless they have smartphones.

 

[propalitet]

Fishtext

Sign up for fishtext and download the app. Although it costs, the rates are really cheap, about 1-2 cents per sms in my case, I buy 5 euros credit and it lasts me a while. It won't work well if you want to text people in the us though using the service, something with the us operator not liking these cheap services much.

 

[wknapp0924]

I used voxox for sending SMS texts to my wifes phone in Afganistan, not free but like .02 per text.

 

[mac.fanatic]

Whatsapp works well, but both parties have to have a smartphone.