1. Enter your query as a text message. See some sample queries.
2. Send the message to the US shortcode 46645 (GOOGL on most phones).
3. Receive a text message (or messages) with your results, usually within a minute. Results may be labeled as "1of3", "2of3", etc.
4. To get Google SMS help info sent directly to your phone, send the word 'help' as a text message to 46645.
    

• Business listings
• Residential listings
• Movie showtimes

• Product prices
• Definitions

• More useful information
• Help

Sample business listings query

Sample results from Google Local



 

To get business listings:

• Enter what you want to find. You can search for either a specific business (Pizza Hut) or a general service (pizza).
• Make sure to include both a city and state, or a zip code with your search terms.
• If you want to make sure you get Google Local results, put a period between the business name and the location ('pizza.10013' or 'pottery barn.boston ma')'.

Sample queries:

Simulated results from Google PhoneBook

To see residential listings, use any of the following combinations as your query:

• first name, last name, city and state
• first name, last name, state
• first name, last name, area code
• first name, last name, zip code
• phone number, including area code
• last name, city, state
• last name, zip code

Sample queries:

• john smith palo alto ca
• 650-555-1234
• B Walsh, 90210

If there are both residential and business listings for your query, your results will show both categories.

If you do not receive any results, it is likely that your query is for an unlisted residence.

To have your residential or business phone and address information removed from the Google PhoneBook, click here.

Sample movie listings query

Sample results from Google SMS movie showtimes



 

To get movie showtimes, theater listings and movie details:

• If you're looking for showtimes of a movie that's currently playing, enter the movie's title followed by your location (a zip code or city and state).
• For a listing of theaters near you and the showtimes of their top movies, enter 'movie: theaters' or 'movie: showtimes' followed by your location.
• For a listing of movies playing near you and their theater location, enter 'movie: movies' or 'movie: films' followed by your location.
• For movie details such as running time, genre, MPA rating, and critics' rating, simply enter the movie title.
• Get Google Local results in addition to your movie showtimes when you type 'theaters' or 'films' followed by your location.
• Learn more about our movie showtimes feature here: http://www.google.com/help/features.html#movies

Sample queries*:

*Note: The samples are of movies playing in Februrary 2005, please substitute our example ('hitch') with a movie that is currently playing

Sample results from Froogle

 

To see prices:

• Enter a product name. You can search for either a specific product (sealy posturepedic queen) or a general one (coffee maker). You can specify that you only want prices by including 'price' or 'prices' at the beginning or end of your query. Or, use the shortcut 'F' before the search terms. Remember, Google SMS is not case sensitive, so 'F' and 'f' are the same.
• You can also search for a specific book by entering its ISBN (the 10 digit code found on the back of its cover), or a specific product by entering its UPC code (the 12 digit code below the bar code).

Sample queries:

Sample results from the Web

 

• Enter 'define' followed by the word or phrase
• Or use the shortcut 'D' before the search terms
• Google SMS is not case sensitive, so 'D' and 'd' are the same

Sample queries:

• define prosimian
• D Gordian knot
• d crepuscular

Print out our wallet-sized tips sheet and put it, well, in your wallet. Or tuck it in your cell phone holster if you're packing one. It's likely to save you a lot of keypad strokes when you're out and about searching for something.

More features

Google SMS also offers you instant access to some other very useful information, such as:

• Search results snippets
  A snippet is a text excerpt from the returned results page when you do a search on Google. Using Google SMS, you can get up to two snippets per query, although you won't be able to see the full web results or click on any of the links. But sometimes you can get the answer to your question by just looking at the snippets.
  
  Send a query and include 'G' before the search terms.
  
  Sample queries:
  • G population San Francisco
  • g hubble telescope
  • g thanksgiving day parade

• Calculator
  Enter the calculation you'd like done as a query. The calculator can solve math problems involving basic arithmetic, more complicated math, and units of measure and conversions, as well as physical constants (in case you're at the hardware store and need to multiply the gravitational constant by the speed of light).
  
  Examples:
  • 5+2*2
  • sqrt(-4)
  • half a cup in teaspoons
  • 160 pounds * 4000 feet in Calories

• Area code look-up
  Send a query with only an area code and see the region that area code covers.
  
  Sample queries:
  • 617
  • 415
  • 212

• Zip code look-up
  Send a query with only a zip code and get results for the area that zip code covers.
  
  Sample queries:
  • 94404
  • 02138
  • 10012

Just can't get enough of Google SMS? Want to know what else we have in the works? Sign up for our email mailing list to be one of the first to know when we release new features.

We're working hard to make Google SMS even better, so please send us your feature requests and let us know what you think. Send feedback to sms-feedback@google.com.

Sample Google SMS help message

 

• You can get either general Google SMS help info or help with a specific feature.
• Specify the feature in your text message if you want specific help.

Sample messages:

• help
• froogle help

You can also send the word 'tips' or 'shortcuts' to 46645 to receive the following summary of our keyboard shortcuts, which you can then save for future reference:

Name Location / Name.Location / (F)roogle / (G)oogle / (D)efine / Calculator / Area code / Zip code.

If you have easy access to your computer, you may want to check out the Troubleshooting section of our FAQ. Google SMS is in beta, so we're still working out some bugs. Thanks for your patience as we work to improve this service