what is sms message

SMS stands for Short Message Service, which is a text messaging service component of most telephone, internet, and mobile device systems. It is a protocol that helps send short messages over wireless networks. SMS is a way to send text-only messages of up to 160 characters between phones. SMS is a stateless communication protocol in which every SMS message is considered entirely independent of other messages. SMS messages are used for M2M (Machine to Machine) communication, such as vehicle tracking companies using SMS for their data transport or telemetry needs. SMS messages are also used for stateful dialogue, where an MO reply message is paired to a specific MT message. SMS messages are limited to text only, while MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) messages can include pictures, videos, emojis, or website links. SMS messages are always encrypted and appear in green text bubbles on your device, while iMessages are texts, photos, or videos that you send to another iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, or Mac over Wi-Fi or cellular-data networks and appear in blue text bubbles.