The best Email-to-SMS alternative for when AT&T and Verizon shut down

The best Email-to-SMS alternative for when AT&T and Verizon shut down

By Katie Helps

4 min read time.

Business Solutions

Big changes are coming to AT&T Email-to-SMS and Verizon SMS via email.

AT&T and Verizon are shutting down their long-standing email-to-SMS services by mid-2025. And it’s leaving thousands of businesses scrambling for alternatives. If your systems rely on sending texts via email, this change isn’t just inconvenient — it could break key workflows overnight.

The good news? You don’t need to overhaul everything. ClickSend offers a modern, reliable, and secure alternative that keeps your messages flowing — and your business running smoothly.

What’s changing in the world of Email-to-SMS?

Email-to-SMS allows you to send text messages directly from your email. It’s widely used — from patient appointment reminders and IT alerts to system monitoring and customer updates — because it’s fast, low-effort, and highly effective.

But some big changes are underway.

  1. AT&T is shutting down its email to text message gateways (like @txt.att.net) on June 17, 2025.

  2. Verizon has already started phasing out vText, with many users reporting failures.

Why are AT&T and Verizon email-to-text shutting down?

These legacy systems weren’t built to handle today’s high volume messaging demands. They’re prone to spam and don’t comply with newer regulations like A2P 10DLC. Carriers like AT&T and Verizon are shutting their Email-to-SMS services down but because these free gateways aren’t secure or scalable enough for modern use.

The good news?

Email-to-SMS is still very much alive — and ClickSend offers a reliable, secure, and scalable way to keep using it.

What this means for your business

If your business relies on carrier gateways to send messages via email, you could lose a critical communication channel and your automations could stop working. That doesn’t sound fun.

Some industries that may be the most affected are:

  • Healthcare providers who are sending staff alerts, patient notifications via Email-to-SMS.

  • Infrastructure and maintenance providers who send out real-time fault and maintenance alerts.

  • IT departments who manage system outages, send out SMS for dev-ops alerts or security breach notifications.

  • Customer service platforms who send out booking reminders and status updates.

As AT&T put it: “If your business sends texts through automated systems using email… this update could break core parts of your workflow.”

It’s not all doom and Email-to-SMS gloom

Here’s the good news. With ClickSend you can keep your workflows running. Our platform is purpose built and has a much loved Email-to-SMS feature — which won’t be turned off.

Why send Email-to-SMS with ClickSend?

We’re not a carrier like AT&T or Verizon. ClickSend is a business texting and communications platform trusted by over 90,000 businesses worldwide. Our Email-to-SMS feature lets you send texts from your email just like before — but with better reliability, control, and speed.

Because SMS is our bread and butter, we spend our whole lives making sure our platform is secure, scalable and always complies with regulations.

Here’s what sets us apart:

Feature

ClickSend Email-to-SMS

Pay-as-you-go pricing

No subscription or platform fees (other providers charge up to $49 per month).

Good value SMS

SMS from as low as $0.0086 per message.

Works with all major email providers

Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, and more.

Easy setup

Create an account, no software needed.

You’re in control

Unlimited users and you can manage Email-to-SMS access.

Two-way messaging

Repiles sent to your email.

Speed and scale

Send up to 4,800 SMS/minute via Tier 1 networks.

99.95% uptime

24/7 monitoring and global infrastructure.

Oh — and inbound messages? They’re free.

How ClickSend works

If you’ve used carrier gateways, the switch to ClickSend will be easy as pie. In fact, you can get set up in minutes:

  1. Create a free account: sign up at ClickSend and register your sending email address in the dashboard.

  2. Send your first SMS: just write an email to 0400000000@sms.clicksend.com (replace with your recipient’s number) — and hit send. That’s it.

  3. Receive replies: if someone responds, it lands right back in your inbox. No new tools. No fuss.

  4. Add more users or automate: easily manage multiple sender emails, or connect your systems and CRMs for automated workflows.

Want help switching over? You can contact our sales team and they’ll support you every step of the way.

Don’t wait, switch today

The AT&T deadline is fast approaching, and Verizon’s changes are already impacting businesses. Now’s the time to make the switch — before your systems go dark.

With ClickSend, you’ll get a future-proof communication platform that scales with your needs, stays compliant, and keeps your team and customers informed.

Ready to start sending Email-to-SMS with ClickSend? Sign up for a free 14-day trial today.