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Google SMS

This service is brought to you by Google.com

What is Google SMS?

Google SMS (Short Message Service) enables you to easily get precise answers to specialized queries from your mobile phone or device. Send your query as a text message and get phone book listings, movie showtimes, dictionary definitions, product prices and more. Just text. No links. No web pages. Simply the answers you're looking to find.

How do I use it?


     

  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.
     

Why should I use Google SMS?

 

Learn about Google SMS

How to use Google SMS

Want to start using Google SMS? Here's a quick introduction to how it works and how to get it.

Important tip: You can get Google SMS help information sent directly to your phone by sending the word 'help' as a text message to 46645.

 

Business listings from Google Local  
Sample business listings query
Sample business listings query

Sample results from Google Local
Sample results from Google Local

Sample results from Google Local
 

      Google Local enables you to search the entire web for just the stores and businesses in a specific neighborhood. Get the name, address and phone number of a business near you or in any zip code across the US.

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:

  • pizza 10013
  • pizza new york ny
  • pizza.10013
  • Pottery Barn 02116
  • Pottery Barn Boston MA
  • Pottery Barn.Boston MA
Residential listings from PhoneBook  
Sample residential listings query
Sample residential listings query

Simulated results from Google PhoneBook
Sample results from Google PhoneBook

      Find publicly listed phone numbers and addresses for residences in the US.

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.


 

Movie Showtimes  
Sample movie listings query
Sample business listings query

Sample results from Google SMS movie showtimes
Sample results from Google Local

Sample results from Google Local
 

      You can use Google SMS to get showtimes for movies playing near you. Just send a text message query with the movie title followed by the zip or city and state and you'll get back showtimes by location and movie details like running time, MPA rating, movie genre, and critics' rating.

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*:

Get showtimes and theaters for a particular movie:
  • hitch 94103
  • hitch san francisco ca
  • Get movie details:
  • hitch
  • Find the top movies playing near you and their theater location:
  • movie: movies 94103
  • movie: films san francisco ca
  • Find the theaters near you and their movie showtimes of the top movies:
  • movie: theaters 94103
  • movie: showtimes san francisco ca
  • *Note: The samples are of movies playing in Februrary 2005, please substitute our example ('hitch') with a movie that is currently playing

    Product Prices  
    Sample query for product prices
    Sample query for product prices

    Sample results from Froogle
    Sample results from Froogle
     

          Froogle lets you search millions of products from stores across the web. Check prices on popular products for easy comparison shopping. These results are not advertisements, just current prices for products available online.

    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:

  • Price ipod 20gb
  • ipod 20gb prices
  • F ipod 20gb
  • price dvd player
  • dvd player prices
  • F dvd player
  • 'Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire' ISBN:
  • price 043935806X
  • 0 439 35806 X
  • 43935806X
     
  • Nikon D70 camera UPC:
  • price 018208252145
  • 0 18208 25214 5
  • 018208252145
  •  

    Definitions  
    Sample query for definitions
    Sample query for definitions

    Sample results from the Web
    Sample results from the Web
     

          Find definitions for a word or phrase on 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
    More useful information  
    Wallet-sized tips sheet

    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:


     

    Sample search results snippet
    Sample results from the Web
         
    • 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
    Sample calculator results
    Sample calculator results
     
    • 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
    Sample area code results
    Sample area code results
     
    • 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
    Sample zip code results
    Sample zip code results
     
    • 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
    Still want more?

    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.

    Help  
    Sample help request
    Sample help request

    Sample Google SMS help message
    Sample Google SMS help message
     

          You can ask for Google SMS help directly using your phone. Send the word 'help' as a text message to 46645 and you'll receive instructions and tips on how to use the service.
    • 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

    SMS FAQs

    About Google SMS

    1. What's Google SMS?
    2. What does SMS stand for?
    3. What's a "beta"?

    Using Google SMS

    1. Will Google SMS work on my mobile phone or handheld device?
    2. How much does it cost?
    3. How does it work? When I send a message using Google SMS, who's replying to me?
    4. Does Google SMS know where I'm sending my query from?
    5. Does Google SMS work everywhere? Can I find pizza restaurants in Palermo?
    6. Which wireless providers does Google SMS support?
    7. Does Google SMS work in other languages?
    8. I have free messages through my cell phone plan. Can I use them for Google SMS?
    9. Does sending a text message use up minutes of my cell phone plan?
    10. Can I get Google SMS help directly using my phone?

    Services offered

    1. What information can I access using Google SMS?
    2. Can I access the web using Google SMS?
    3. Can I access my Gmail account?
    4. Can I get ringtones or screensavers or downloads? What about pictures?
    5. How can I learn when new services are made available?
    6. Are the results ads?

    Sending a query

    1. What's the number I should send queries to?
    2. Are queries case-sensitive?
    3. I have big fingers and a tiny keyboard. Can you spare me some typing with a few shortcuts?

    Results as text messages

    1. How do I get my results?
    2. Where are these results coming from?
    3. How long does it take for my results to arrive?
    4. Can I send the results to a friend?
    5. What's the maximum number of results I can get for each query?
    6. How are the results sorted? Is the first result the most relevant one?
    7. What does 1of2 stand for?
    8. Why are my results sent as multiple messages? Can I see all of the results in a single message?
    9. What's the maximum number of messages I can get?
    10. These results are so helpful. Please, may I have some more?
    11. I don't like the results I got. How can I get more?
    12. I didn't get any results. What gives?

    Business listings by Google Local

    1. What is Google Local?
    2. How do I use Google SMS to get business listings?
    3. I found the listing I want. Can I get in touch with them directly using Google SMS?

    Movie Showtimes

    1. What are movie showtimes?
    2. What information can I get about the movie? I want to know when and where it's playing.
    3. I want to find a theater near me. How can I get a list of theaters? Similarly, can I just get a list of movies playing near me?
    4. What's the difference between the results I get for 'theaters 94043' and 'movie: theaters 94043'?
    5. Can I get Google Local results with my movie showtimes results?
    6. In the first text message, I get a score (e.g., 3.0/5, 2.2/5) after the movie genre, what is this? Where is this coming from?

    Prices by Froogle

    1. What is Froogle?
    2. How do I use Google SMS to get prices by Froogle?
    3. What companies am I getting these prices from?
    4. Can I get a price for a product from a specific store?
    5. This result shows a great price! Can I buy it directly using Google SMS?

    Google search results snippets

    1. What are search results snippets?
    2. How do I use Google SMS to get snippets?

    Troubleshooting

    1. Google SMS doesn't seem to work on my phone. What should I do?
    2. Why did I get a "no results" message for a common search term?
    3. Why are the messages with my results arriving out of order?
    4. My results needed to be sent as multiple messages. Some messages arrived first. Why did it take so much longer for the others to arrive?
    5. How do I report a problem?

     


    About Google SMS

    1. What's Google SMS?

      Google SMS is a new service that enables you to search for certain kinds of information with Google from a mobile phone or handheld device (such as a Blackberry), and returns your search results as text messages. Get phone book listings, dictionary definitions, product prices from Froogle, and more.

      Please check
      how to use Google SMS to see sample queries and the types of results you might get.

       
    2. What does SMS stand for?

      SMS stands for Short Messaging Service. It's also known as text messaging. But if you'd like to make the first S stand for "search", we won't tell.

       
    3. What's a "beta"?

      "Beta" is geek speak for a pilot program or test version of a product. It means that the Google SMS you see today is likely to evolve and improve over time. You can help with that process by sending your suggestions to
      mailto:sms-support@google.com.
     

    Using Google SMS

    1. Will Google SMS work on my mobile phone or handheld device?

      It should, as long as you have a phone or device that's able to do text messaging or send and receive SMS messages. You don't need a fancy phone with a web browser. Any SMS-enabled phone will do. Even last year's model that now feels as big as a toaster.

      Please note, however, that Google SMS only works on
      major wireless providers in the US.

      You also need to make sure that you have text messaging enabled on your service plan. If you're not sure whether you have this capability, please check with your wireless provider.

       
    2. How much does it cost?

      Google is not charging users to send a query or receive results at this time. However, your wireless provider's standard rates for sending and receiving text messages still apply.

       
    3. How does it work? When I send a message using Google SMS, who's replying to me?

      When you use Google SMS, you're sending a specialized query to Google. This could be a query for a phone book listing or the definition of a word or the square root of 7,569. Based on your query, Google determines what specific information you're looking for and automatically returns the top results.

      Using Google SMS is not quite the same as using Google.com. For example, when you search on Google.com, your search results typically include links to websites. Google SMS results are text-only. There are no links or web pages. Please check out
      how to use Google SMS to see sample queries and the types of results you might get.

       
    4. Does Google SMS know where I'm sending my query from?

      Google does not know the location that you're sending your query from. You'll get the same fast results whether you're in Huntington, New York or Huntington Beach, California.

       
    5. Does Google SMS work everywhere? Can I find pizza restaurants in Palermo?

      Right now, Google SMS only works in the U.S. We're working hard to make it available when and wherever you're on the go. In the meantime, how about a little slice of heaven in Little Italy? (try 'pizza 10013')

       
    6. Which wireless providers does Google SMS support?

      Google SMS works on all major wireless providers in the US , including AT&T, Cingular, Nextel, Sprint PCS, T-Mobile, and Verizon.

       
    7. Does Google SMS work in other languages?

      No, not yet. Google SMS only works in English for now.

       
    8. I have free messages through my cell phone plan. Can I use them for Google SMS?

      Yes, you can. Please note that the Google SMS queries you send and the messages you receive with your results will each count towards your SMS message total.

       
    9. Does sending a text message use up minutes of my cell phone plan?

      Nope. So no need to worry about keeping count of all those anyti