---
"@context": https://schema.org
"@type": TechArticle
"@id": https://www.twilio.com/docs/glossary/what-is-virtual-sms#article
headline: What is Virtual SMS?
description: Virtual SMS enables you to send and receive SMS text messages over the internet without having to use a physical phone. This is especially useful when you want to use software to communicate with telephone networks that would be impossible on a physical phone, e.g. Uber notifying a customer that their car is outside or to have local phone numbers in different countries.
url: https://www.twilio.com/docs/glossary/what-is-virtual-sms
inLanguage: en
dateModified: 2026-08-13T17:05:12.000Z
author:
  "@type": Organization
  name: Twilio Developer Education Team
publisher:
  "@type": Organization
  name: Twilio
---

# What is Virtual SMS?

Virtual SMS enables you to send and receive SMS text messages over the internet without having to use a physical phone. This is especially useful when you want to use software to communicate with telephone networks that would be impossible on a physical phone, e.g. Uber notifying a customer that their car is outside or to have local phone numbers in different countries.

Virtual SMS enables you to use local [virtual phone numbers](https://www.twilio.com/en-us/phone-numbers) to send messages, enabling recipients to reply to you without incurring international charges.

There are three main ways to send Virtual SMS text messages:

* API: Using software you write, send text messages to a [REST API](https://www.twilio.com/en-us/messaging/channels/sms) over the internet to an API vendor like Twilio. This approach enables you to deeply integrate Virtual SMS into your systems to achieve the use cases below.
* Software: Using software you purchase that includes messages and phone numbers, typically with a graphical user interface (GUI).
* Software + API: Using software you purchase that sends Virtual SMS text messages via an API not provided by the software vendor.

Sending SMS text messages via software is a common way for companies to reach their customers. SMS has 5x the open rate of email and much greater reach than apps, so Virtual SMS is used for things like:

* Appointment reminders: confirming appointments to help people remember to show up
* Arrival alerts: letting customers know that their service is arriving, for example Uber
* Order notifications: keeping customers in the loop about the status of their orders
* Shift scheduling: updating staff on upcoming shifts and changes
* Text marketing: sending offers to your customers
* Two-factor authentication (2FA): sending a one-time passcode to increase account security
* Phone verification: verifying who people say they are