How to send SMS to multiple people at once

Do you need to send the same message to dozens or even hundreds of people? Doing it manually from your phone takes ages and it’s easy to make a mistake. In this article, we'll show you what your options are and what to watch out for.

Why sending SMS manually doesn't make sense

Anyone who has ever tried to send the same message to twenty people by phone knows how annoying it is. You open a conversation, type the text, send it. Then again. And again. By the fifth contact, you're already annoyed, and by the fifteenth, you are making mistakes—wrong number, typo, forgotten name.

And that's just for twenty messages. What if you need to send two hundred? Or a thousand? Doing it manually is simply not feasible. You need a tool to help you with that.

What are your options

There are several ways to send bulk SMS. Each has its pros and cons.

1. Group SMS from your phone

Most phones allow you to create a group of recipients and send them one message. The problem is that it has limits— usually a maximum of 20–30 recipients at a time. You don’t have any history, no control over delivery, and with larger lists, your operator may temporarily block your number.

2. SMS gateway (API)

A professional solution used by large companies. SMS is sent via the provider’s central server. The advantage is high speed and reliability. Drawback? Cost. You pay a credit for each message sent— typically 0.50 to 1.50 CZK per SMS. With a thousand messages a month, this is thousands of crowns. Moreover, the recipient sees a foreign or alphanumeric sender number, so the message looks impersonal.

3. Sending from your own phone via an app

There are apps that combine the convenience of a web interface with sending via your own Android phone. You prepare the campaign on the web—contacts, lists, message text—and the phone then sends the messages one by one, as if you were typing them manually. The recipient sees your number, SMS are sent via your plan, and you don't pay any credits.

Advantages of sending from your own phone

Why are more and more companies and organizations opting for sending from their own number?

• No credits – SMS are sent through your mobile plan. If you have an unlimited plan or a large SMS bundle, you don’t pay anything extra for the messages.
• Trustworthiness – the recipient sees your number. They know who the message is from, can call back or reply. This is a big difference compared to anonymous numbers from SMS gateways.
• Simplicity – you don’t need any API or integration. Just a web browser and an Android phone with an active SIM card.
• Full control – you control the sending speed, see the status of each message, and have a blacklist for blocked recipients.

What to watch out for

Whatever method of bulk sending you choose, keep in mind a few important things:

• Recipient consent – for marketing SMS you need consent. For operational notifications (order status, appointment reminder), a legitimate interest is usually sufficient.
• Unsubscribe option – give recipients the option to unsubscribe. Besides being a legal requirement, it will also keep your contact database clean.
• Reasonable frequency – don't overwhelm your recipients. One marketing SMS per week is the maximum. For notifications, send only when it makes sense.
• Short and clear text – SMS has a 160-character limit (without diacritics). Be brief, get to the point, and include a clear call to action.

Practical usage examples

Bulk SMS is useful in many situations. Here are some real-world examples:

More about individual use cases can be found on the pages SMS for companies, SMS for e-shops and SMS for municipalities.

Summary

If you need to send SMS to multiple people at once, you have three main options: manually from your phone (for small numbers), via SMS gateway (expensive but fast), or via an app from your own phone (best price/performance ratio for most businesses).

For small and medium-sized businesses, e-shops, clinics, or municipalities that send dozens to thousands of SMS per month, sending from your own phone is the most reasonable choice. You don’t pay credits, recipients see your number, and you have full control over what is sent and when.