SMSLink Generator

An sms: link opens the phone's messaging app with your number filled in, like sms:+15550100199. A tel: link opens the dialler instead, like tel:+15550100199. On a phone, one tap does the rest.

Write numbers in full international form, with a plus and the country code, and leave out spaces and brackets. Then the link works whether the person tapping it is in your country or not.

Adding a message is where phones disagree. The standard for sms: links, RFC 5724, puts it after a question mark: sms:+15550100199?body=Hello. Android follows that. Older versions of iOS only read the message after an ampersand: sms:+15550100199&body=Hello.

The usual fix is ?&body=. Android sees a normal query string and finds body, and iPhones find &body= where they expect it. That's the default here. Switch to the standard style if a tool you're pasting into rejects the extra &.

Prefilled texts work best when the message is short and predictable:

• Text-to-join lists, like JOIN to your number, if your SMS platform handles keywords.
• Bookings and quotes for local services, where a text feels easier than a form.
• QR codes on posters, receipts and packaging that start a support chat.
• A call link beside it for people who'd rather talk.

Normal texting rates apply, and texting an international number can cost the sender more, so say which country the number is in.

Test the link on an iPhone, an Android phone and a computer. Desktops may open a messaging or calling app, or nothing at all, so show the number as text as well.