looking for a free texting app for our iPhones...

[jdc]

any reviews? Ive got a couple, but the whole "other phone number" thing is throwing us a bit

this is really just for my wife and me, trying to avoid more $$$ on our bill

on a related question -- could you use twitter as a sort of IM client? can you make your twitter account private so only we could see it?

[Ken Sp.]

TextFree--It is great--Make sure you use it at least once a month to stay active--and it can do background notifications.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/textfree-...25151?mt=8

Just add the text free number to your names in address book, and it will show up as name instead of a number.

There is "talk" about TextFree adding calling later.

[(vikm)]

You could use something like the Twitter app Echofon (or similar). In addition to being a regular Twitter client it has a private messaging system (private in the sense it isn't broadcast like a regular tweet). I think it can be set for push notifications. It limits the number of characters that can be used like something like IM. It may or may not be free. If it's not, I may have paid (no more than) $2.99. It is free for all messages afterward, though.

Hope that helps. Good luck.

[macphanatic]

TextPlus, free with ads or paid app without ads. Background notification and can send texts to phone numbers for free. Also works on the iPad.

[davester]

Get a Google Voice number and use that. It's the only method I've found that will both send and receive texts free with no hassle. It doesn't look quite as pretty as the iPhone SMS app, but so what!

[mspace]

Love TextFree.

If you're jailbroken, you will need PushDoctor to allow the phone to get notifications from this or any app.
http://www.hackint0sh.org/f127/113610.htm
(Remember to completely reboot the phone after installing)

[threeprong]

I've never understood why people don't just use AIM instead of texting.

It's free, instantaneous and can be set up to mimic texting. It also can be set to "hand off" to yout Mac when you are at your desktop.

It just requires that you both sign up for a AIM accountl . ( again free)

3p

[deckeda]

… my understanding is that texting became more popular than chatting because from the get-go it never required the receiving party to leave an app open. A person's phone number is "always on."

Ironically, today that's less of an issue perhaps as smartphones have the ability to background running chat apps, voice apps (Skype etc.)

[Anthony]

Another vote for Textfree.
Plus you get too see all those cool iAds.

[jdc]

Thanks all.

I have a GV account, didn't know it could text?

3p--how do you use AIM on an iPhone? I didn't see an app to it.