Tracfone LG600g

(NOTE: The following example(s) will work with any email client including, Gmail, YaHoo! Mail, Facebook Mail, etc.)

Just because I own an economical prepaid cell phone, such as the TracFone Bluetooth LG600G, doesn’t mean I don’t have some of the premium features, like email, that the big service providers offer such as AT&T, Sprint, Verizone and US Cellular.

The problem is, there’s no documentation to be found anywhere on how to send or receive email on TracFone’s web site, period.

Add to that, there’s also no documented email addresses for sending email messages to or from a Tracfone.

Simply put, Tracfone partners with different carriers to provide their services.

Anyway, I like to push the envelope on most gadgets I have and this was a challenge waiting to be solved.

Here’s how to send and receive email messages using TracFone.

Keep in mind the 160 character limit rule.

First, we’re going to start by setting everything up and send a test email to your TracFone from your computer’s email application which includes the use of Gmail and YaHoo! Mail and then, at the end, we’ll send an email from your TracFone.

1. – You need to know what Service Provider (Carrier) your

TracFone is using in your area. In the Chicago area, where I’m located, it’s T-Mobile.

By the way, TracFone usually rides on the back of T-Mobile or Verizon.

Here’s a list of USA Carriers you can try and test.

Read down the 1st column under ‘Carrier’. My Service Provider (Carrier) for my TracFone is, T-Mobile.

2. – You want to know what your ‘Email to SMS Gateway’ is. (SMS messages converted to e-mail.) Knowing that My Service Provider (Carrier) is T-Mobile from the 1st column, if I read across, and look under the 3rd column, I can see I will use – yourcellphonenumber@tmomail.net.
(THIS is your TracFone email address!)
(ex) 13121234567@tmomail.net
Keep and relay this email address to Business associates and friends who would want to send you an email to your Tracfone if your away from the office or on the road.

3. – You need to know what your ‘Email Gateway Number’ is. Your TracFone uses this number to SEND email from your TracFone. You won’t be able to send an email message from your TracFone without it!

This took a lot of “Googling” to find this information. I read and researched a lot of Blogs, Forums, etc., that said to use 36245. (which spells email) in the ‘Email Gateway’ of your cell phone. AT&T users would normally use this number.

I’m sure this may work on other Service Providers but not on the TracFone.

I found my ‘Email Gateway’ number at the same USA Carriers listing web site mentioned above.

It’s listed in the 5th column under ‘SMS to Email Gateway Number’. Scroll down the 1st column to ‘T-Mobile USA’ (my working example) and go across to the 5th column under ‘SMS to Email Gateway Number’ and find the number ‘500‘.

This is the number you’ll want to copy to your TracFone ‘Message Setup Settings’.
- Click on ‘Message’. Then, Scroll, or ‘Arrow Down’, to ‘Message Setting’
- Click ‘OK’. Click on ‘Text Message’. Scroll, or ‘Arrow Down’, to ‘Email Gateway’
- Click ‘OK’. Type in your ‘Email Gateway’ number and then click ‘Set’. (In my example it would be the number 500.)
(ex) Message > Message Setting > Text Message > Email Gateway > 500 > Set

4. – To test this out, open your computer’s email application and send a test email to your TracFone. In this example, my TracFone cell phone number. (ex) 13121234567@tmomail.net.

So, it would be –
TO: 13121234567@tmomail.net
SUBJECT: A test from my computer to my TracFone
(Then your actual message here…)

REMEMBER to keep the email message to 160 characters. The Subject Heading is included in the 160 character count. So if you need to have a Subject Heading keep it short.

After you send it to your TracFone, send back a REPLY to your computer’s email.

When you receive your REPLY message from TracFone, on your computer, look at the FROM: field. It will show you who your Service Provider Carrier is in your area.
(ex) From: 13121234567@mmst5.tracfone.com

If everything worked let’s move on to the TracFone itself.

To send an email from your TracFone

Remember that ‘Email Gateway Number’ (which is the number 500)? This is the magical number that allows your TracFone to SEND an email message out from the phone. That’s why you need it.

1. – Start a New Text Message and type in the person’s email address followed by a space. (ex) johndoe@gmail.com .
(We’re not using a Subject Heading for this example)

It should look like this when finished -
johndoe@gmail.com I’m running 15 minutes behind due to traffic. Please start the meeting without me. – JP
(Make sure you INCLUDE a space after .com )

2. – To include a Subject Heading in your email enclose the Subject Heading with the / or # character.
(ex. 1) Send to a regular email client such as Outlook, Apple’s Mail, etc -
Here we use the / character to enclose the subject heading -
petemoss@yardwaste.com/This morning’s meeting/I’m running 15 minutes behind due to traffic. Please start the meeting without me. – JP
(ex. 2) Send to Gmail -
Here we use the / character to enclose the subject heading -
johndoe@gmail.com/This morning’s meeting/I’m running 15 minutes behind due to traffic. Please start the meeting without me. – JP
(ex. 3) Send to YaHoo! Mail -
Here we use the # character to enclose the subject heading -
janedoe@yahoo.com#This morning’s meeting#I’m running 15 minutes behind due to traffic. Please start the meeting without me. – JP
(ex. 4) Send to Facebook Mail -
Here we use the # character to enclose the subject heading -
janedoe@facebook.com#This morning’s meeting#I’m running 15 minutes behind due to traffic. Please start the meeting without me. – JP
(ex. 4) Send to a Business email client -
Here we use the # character to enclose the subject heading -
jane.doe@bankusa.com#This morning’s meeting#I’m running 15 minutes behind due to traffic. Please start the meeting without me. – JP
(In these four examples DO NOT use a space after .com)

3. – When finished click on SEND TO and type in the ‘SMS to Email Gateway Number’, in this example it’s the number, 500. Think of it as a short code ‘phone number’.

4. – Click on OPTIONS > SEND

And, hopefully, off it goes!

On the recipient’s computer it would look like the following.

From: 13121234567@mmst5.tracfone.com (This is your Tracfone number)
Subject: This morning’s meeting
Date: February 11, 2010 7:53:39 PM CST
To: johndoe@gmail.com
I’m running 15 minutes behind due to traffic. Please start the meeting without me. – JP

Hope this helps everyone!

Listed below are a few helpful tips.

TIP 1. – To save time by not retyping an email address over and over and trying to remember the persons email address, store your most frequently email addresses as “Text Message’s” under “/MESSAGES/TEMPLATES/TEXT TEMPLATES” (which are predefined messages) and save them for use anytime you need them.
(ex) In “Templates” you would choose one of the following – john.doe@bankusa.com., janedoe@yahoo.com, or john@gmail.com etc.

- Then click on “Edit” and type your email message following the email address of the person
(ex) john.doe@bankusal.com running 30 minutes late start without me – Mike
- click on “Save”
- click on “Options”
- click on “Send Via”
- click on “Text Message”
- click on “Send To”
- click on “Contacts”
- choose “Send Email” from your Contacts List (remember we saved the Email Gateway number 500 as this New Contact)
- click on “Options”
- click “Send”

TIP 2. – In case you forget your Gateway number, create a NEW CONTACT (I use the name SEND EMAIL so I know what it’s for) with the ‘short code’ phone number 500 and add it to your CONTACTS LIST. (phonebook)

NOTE:
You can not check the status of your email account such as your Inbox or messages received with a Tracfone. You can only SEND and RECEIVE email messages.

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