As we all know Google for creating world class applications. Google India has launched a new product called Google SMS Channels. This website lets users subscribe to news, blog and other kinds of information like stocks, jokes, sports, or horoscope via SMS text messages.
Anyone having Indian phone number can subscribe to Google SMS Channels on mobile phone via SMS, for example you can join KuchBhi on Google SMS Channels.
The Google SMS Channels is more or less same as SMS Gupshup.
Google SMS Channels is free for both content publishers as well as mobile phone users who subscribe to text updates via SMS.
You can also create private SMS groups on Google SMS channels and stay in touch via SMS without paying any fees to mobile carrier.
The best part about the service is that apart from RSS feeds via SMS, user can also also use the Google SMS service to get news updates and weather updates on your phone. User also limit the alerts based on different settings.
Once you create your channel, you don’t really need a mobile phone to send an SMS to your group. Google SMS Service has an interface where you can compose and send SMS messages via the web itself. It supports English, Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada.
Google SMS channels currently is only implemented for Indian phone numbers, however Google Team are “working towards making this service available to international numbers.”
Q: You can only send messages to a channel only if:
- You created the channel
- Click on ‘New SMS Message’ on your channel screen
- You are subscribed to a channel that allows everybody in the group to publish
- If you want to sent message to channel just reply to any message that you must have received from the channel
Q. How do I invite others to a channel?
You can invite friends to a channel created or subscribed by you.
To invite someone you need to know his/her phone number.
To invite on the website, click the ‘invite others’ link for the channel and enter the phone number (or a list of up to 5 phone numbers separated by commas) of the people you wish to invite to join the channel.
To invite through your phone, simply send an SMS with the format ‘invite <channel name> <phone number>’ to 9870807070.
We’ll send an SMS to the number specified by you and the receiver needs to respond with ‘ON {channel name}’ message to complete the subscription.
Q. How do I unsubscribe from a channel?
Go to the My Channels tab. For the channel you’d like to unsubscribe from, simply click the ‘Unsubscribe’ button.
To unsubscribe using your phone, SMS ‘OFF <channel name>’, to 9870807070. <channel name> is the name of the channel.
For example, send the following SMS to 9870807070 to unsubscribe from GoogleNews channel:
OFF GoogleNews
Q. What SMS Commands are available
Almost everything that you can do on the website can be done over SMS. Detailed in the table below is the list of SMS commands and what they do.
| create <channel_name> <description> | Create channel <channel_name> with optional description <description>. By default anyone can join & all subscribers can send. To change properties, use MODIFY |
| modify <PRI or PUB> | Change channel properties as: PRI: Only invited user can join PUB: Everyone can join and Publish |
| delete <channel_name> | Delete a channel that you created |
| on <channel_name> | Start receiving messages posted on channel <channel_name> |
| off <channel_name> | Stop receiving messages posted on channel <channel_name> |
| accept | Accept the terms and conditions |
| send <channel_name> <message> | Send message <message> to channel <channel_name> Message is forwarded to all subscribers |
| poke <channel_name> poke <channel_name> #number poke <channel_name> <query> |
Retrieve nth last message of channel or message in the channel satisfying given query |
| invite <channel_name> <phone_number> | Send invitation to <phone_number> to join channel <channel_name> |
| pref pref <max_msg> <start_time> <end_time> |
Retrieve current maximum_number_of_messages and time settings Set maximum_number_of_messages and message receiving start and end times |
| ch on ch create ch send |
Receive list of channels you have joined Receive list of channels you have created Receive list of channels to which you can publish |
| search <query> | Retrieve list of channels satisfying <query> in name or description |
| more <query> | Retrieve more channels from this query |
| about | Learn more about this product from google |
| tos | Get link to online Terms of service |
| help help <channel_name> help <command> |
See list of important supported commands Get information about a channel Get help about a command |