Sending Bitcoin through SMS/Text Messaging?

[Tash]

Why not sent this:
6PnYYQefG5g4otFwJgWdzYrSXdRoWgQykNqx8qtPELEj62C8mrYCALAXuN
Encrypted Private Key (Password required) and pass the password on a separate phone call (or sms)

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[isaac_clarke22]

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I've seen quite the similar of these platforms before in Messenger, except that it is centralized and it is using only local currency that was made digital. The speed of the transaction seems questionable though, like how much credits from your network carrier is required so that you can send these transaction?.
There should be different rates if SMS and the transaction was sent overseas or locally.

[LUCKMCFLY]

If possible, I do not know where I read about it, but it can be done through a registration protocol, where of course you have to solve a KYC and be the transfer of Bitcoin through your identification number or ID, amount and confirmation (It is a speculative way). If there is already the way studied to make transactions with Bitcoin using radio waves, due to the problem in Venezuela of Internet and electric service, a group of Venezuelans are very advanced in it.

[Google+]

Sending bitcoins through texts could be a nice addition to the system, but I think that at the same time, it might have some exploit issues of hackers taking control or so. But a way to get rid of it would be to limit the transaction number to an extent. whatsoever, using bitcoin through SMS would be a huge step towards spreading it in the remote areas of the world.

I see technology has become more sophisticated and now there are many chat platforms that are easier and simpler such as telegram or whatsapp, the technology was created to make things easier at first that looks inefficient, if you still use SMS it will incur credit charges and the cost of sending SMS to everyone, whereas if you use WhatsApp or Telegram you don't need to use credit anymore and it's easier and the cost will be cheaper.

so in conclusion I prefer to use more advanced technology such as telegram and combined with blockchain technology.

[seoincorporation]

We can make from any Text message a brainwallet. Isn't a good option for security reasons but it's possible to do it.

For example, let's say the message is the next one:

Code:

Hello bitcoin forum, this is an example of an addy created from a text message.

Then with https://brainwalletx.github.io/ we will get the public and the private key:

Code:

5JHE86WzTqGrdA2tYymSFt9WeAXTtFpYeKMtQxBphQpAdypSc3x
13aX6LnB8zVhkkJ1oEzKkmDXxNEUMbFznn

If we send the coins to that addy then anyone who has the message should ve able to get access to those coins.

This is just an illustrative example, for security reasons it shouldn't be done this way.

[Abiky]

Depends on trust level. Raw transactions or sending private keys is two options that come to my dumb mind at the moment.

SMS is plaintext and insecure by default, so sending private key is idiotic idea from beginning that just might work.

That could work. Since there's no proven encryption for SMS/Text messaging, sending a raw transaction through the phone would be the wisest thing to do. The only issue would be that the receiver needs to have an internet connection in order to broadcast the transaction successfully to the Bitcoin network. If there was a way to send BTC transactions offline using SMS/Text messaging, then it would've been a blast. After all, not all countries of the world have internet access. The Blockstream satellite helps, but the user still needs an internet connection in order to broadcast transactions over the Bitcoin blockchain.

Maybe someone decides to create a relay/gateway server that would connect to a landline and provide BTC wallet functionality to phone users? Users would interact via a bot over SMS/Text messaging (similar to how it's done via Telegram) with a set of pre-defined commands. The bot would then communicate to an SPV Electrum server to manage key pairs, create wallets, etc. At least, the idea is there. But making it a reality is another story.

Did you mean sat2.io ?
I haven't tested it by myself, so obviously use at your own risk.

Interesting. Never heard about this before. If the service works as intended, people will be able to send BTC transactions over SMS/Text messaging. The only downside is that the one sending the Bitcoin needs to have an Internet connection to access the service. Personally, I wouldn't mind using this service for P2P BTC transactions using a featurephone. But I would've loved a way to send BTC transactions offline using this method too. If made possible, Bitcoin's adoption within the mainstream world would grow like never before in third world countries. After all, not everyone has access to the Internet these days. But I guess that developers are focused on other important things for the improvement of the Bitcoin blockchain besides this.

you can't not need a third party in such a design. lets take a look at two situations:
1. sender doesn't have internet but receiver does
this is a much safer situation. all sender has to do is receive his transaction history from a third party using any other method like on a floppy disk! then he creates a new transaction sending bitcoin to the receiver, all offline and signs it. then sends the signed raw tx using SMS. then the receiver (having internet) broadcasts it to be mined, he can continue monitoring the situation with his tx and know when it confirms, if it is valid,...
worst case scenario in this case is if in first step the sender doesn't receive all his UTXOs or receives wrong ones. in any case he won't lose any money.

2. sender has internet but receiver doesn't
this case is very different from the last one. the sender has a much easier time since he has access to internet and can create the tx and broadcast and monitor it. but there is no need for him to send the raw tx through SMS to the receiver since he doesn't have internet and won't do him any good. all he needs to do is to send them the txid (hash) and maybe the block height.
now the receiver has a much harder time because he has to find a way to verify if the txid is real. what they can do in order not to rely heavily on third party is to receive block headers and the merkle root of the same block height that the txid is in. they can receive it through snail mail in a USB disk or burnt on a CD/DVD. since block headers can't be faked without spending billions of dollars worth of hashrate and merkle root can't be faked thanks to SHA256 they can be more sure about honestly of the transaction they received.

Very nice observation. Thanks for presenting different scenarios about how sending BTC over SMS/Text messaging works. Honestly, I'd wish there was a way to send/receive BTC transactions without middleman in a safe and secure way using any phone. This would allow people who live in areas where there's no Internet access to easily interact with the Bitcoin blockchain. But achieving this via an unsecure protocol, seems very unlikely. With other ways to send BTC transactions without middleman in an offline manner (satellites, mesh networks, radio waves, etc.) there might be no need for something like this. Still, the idea is there. It's up to someone to come up with a decentralized solution that would fulfil said purpose.

[th3nolo]

This is a Venezuelan development but it works for other countries, it is called Cointigo. They work through Twitter and SMS. I have used the service before and it works exceptionally.

Why do I recommend it? It was the only Bitcoin wallet that kept working no matter how difficult the communications were when the power went out in Venezuela for 3 days.

This is its twitter handle.

https://twitter.com/CoinTigoDev

And this is its website https://www.cointigo.io/

[Abiky]

This is a Venezuelan development but it works for other countries, it is called Cointigo. They work through Twitter and SMS. I have used the service before and it works exceptionally.

Why do I recommend it? It was the only Bitcoin wallet that kept working no matter how difficult the communications were when the power went out in Venezuela for 3 days.

This is its twitter handle.

https://twitter.com/CoinTigoDev

And this is its website https://www.cointigo.io/

Thanks for sharing. This would work wonders when either the sender or receiver don't have access to the Internet to send/receive Bitcoin. I'm not sure how secure this would be since it relies on an unencrypted protocol (SMS), but at least the idea/concept is there. For complete peace of mind, it's often best to send raw transactions yourself over text messaging. But the only downside would be that the receiver needs to have internet access to broadcast the transaction to the BTC blockchain.

Still though, online services (like the one mentioned earlier) are great for sending Bitcoin to people who don't have a BTC wallet. It's a convenient way to send money without the need to remember complicated addresses. A phone number would be all you need to send/receive BTC (or any other crypto) in a P2P manner. Considering that it's now possible to send Bitcoin over satellites, mesh networks, and even radio waves, I believe that it might be possible to send Bitcoin through SMS/Text messaging in a completely decentralized manner (no middleman) sometime in the future. Once it's discovered how to do this securely without compromising Bitcoin funds in a completely offline manner though any phone, people in third world countries could adopt the pioneer cryptocurrency in mass.

Nonetheless, it's good to know the various ways of sending Bitcoin through SMS/Text messaging. So far, one of the sides (either sender or receiver) needs to have an Internet connection to be able to interact with BTC transactions. But maybe sometime in the future, a developer comes up with a decentralized solution that would allow people to perform transactions securely using this method in an offline manner. It would be truly revolutionary since not everyone has access to the Internet. Enabling offline BTC transactions over SMS/Text messaging would increase the pioneer cryptocurrency's adoption within the mainstream world. Until then, we'd have to rely on centralized services (with middleman) that would require access to an Internet connection. Just my thoughts

[blachken]

This application can function as a «secret key store» to decrypt transactions and make them readable. The problem here is that the sender is the only one who needs to have access on the internet.

[Tash]

Well first of all thanks for bringing up this topic because I really had no idea that you can able to make transaction via SMS. And I found out that there are already have been several applications that provide this kind of service. Knowing that crypto transaction requires internet connection and SMS was not online this make me wonder how can you able to make it?

Just sent the private key and forward the password whichever way you like
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5227566.msg53903610#msg53903610

[Saint-loup]

I'm looking for a way to send Bitcoin to people in countries which lack Internet access. After all, being able to send Bitcoin in a safe and secure way over SMS/Text messaging would prove to be extremely convenient for "offline" transactions. For once, I've heard about a crypto service which allowed people to send Bitcoin over SMS/Text messaging. But I can't recall its name. Still though, it relies on a central operator/middleman. I'd prefer a solution that would allow me to send BTC though SMS/Text messaging in the most decentralized way possible.

Do you think it's possible to do this? Are you aware of any methods to sent BTC through SMS/Text messaging without relying on third parties? If it cannot be done in a decentralized manner, I'd still like to know if there are mainstream companies offering such possibility to Bitcoin users. Thanks in advance.

AFAIK There are currently 4 main centralized services doing that :

• Coinapult https://coinapult.com/

• Cointext https://cointext.io/en/

• Lite.im https://www.lite.im/

• Crypterium https://crypterium.com/

And only one decentralized :

• Samouraï Wallet : https://www.samouraiwallet.com/offline

It sends your signed raw transaction by SMS to a relay phone number which broadcasts the transaction for you, so neither you nor the receiver needs an internet connection





Note : For all these services(centralized and decentralized ones) you will have to pay an international SMS sending communication if there is no phone number dedicated to your country.

[Clark05]

It did not goes to my mind about this about sending bitcoin in SMS or text , I do not know if it's possible but maybe they have people can discover that process but the chances is very low for sure.

My country have slow internet connection but it still okay to sending bitcoin so I don't see any problem but for the other country I think it is a big problem for them but using bitcoin did not need fast connection because even slow connection you can use it but takes time.

[Abiky]

Just sent the private key and forward the password whichever way you like
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5227566.msg53903610#msg53903610

This is the only way to send BTC safely through SMS/Text messaging. Depending on third-party services to do that, is not an option for those looking for complete decentralization over their BTC transactions. I believe that SMS/Text messages are the most accessible method for people in the mainstream world. After all, not every country of the world has access to the Internet. With SMS/Text messaging, people will be able to send/receive BTC in a truly P2P manner without middleman. Something like a bot which handles BTC wallet functions would be a great to implement on a decentralized SMS/Text messaging service. The bot would communicate with a Bitcoin satellite in order to obtain the latest transactions from the blockchain, check balances, broadcast transactions, and more all through SMS.

I'm sure that once developers find a way to do this, Bitcoin's adoption within the mainstream world will soar like never before. As it's said out there: "when there's a will, there's a way". If there's demand for truly decentralized BTC transactions through SMS/Text messaging, we'll see it become a reality in the future. Otherwise, people in third world countries will find it hard (if not impossible) to interact with Bitcoin transactions. The Blockstream satellite helps, but I believe it's much more expensive to build a transceiver to communicate with it directly than just using SMS/Text messages. Just my thoughts

[Tash]

Just sent the private key and forward the password whichever way you like
https://bitcointalk.org/index.php?topic=5227566.msg53903610#msg53903610

This is the only way to send BTC safely through SMS/Text messaging. Depending on third-party services to do that, is not an option for those looking for complete decentralization over their BTC transactions. I believe that SMS/Text messages are the most accessible method for people in the mainstream world. After all, not every country of the world has access to the Internet. With SMS/Text messaging, people will be able to send/receive BTC in a truly P2P manner without middleman. Something like a bot which handles BTC wallet functions would be a great to implement on a decentralized SMS/Text messaging service. The bot would communicate with a Bitcoin satellite in order to obtain the latest transactions from the blockchain, check balances, broadcast transactions, and more all through SMS.

I'm sure that once developers find a way to do this, Bitcoin's adoption within the mainstream world will soar like never before. As it's said out there: "when there's a will, there's a way". If there's demand for truly decentralized BTC transactions through SMS/Text messaging, we'll see it become a reality in the future. Otherwise, people in third world countries will find it hard (if not impossible) to interact with Bitcoin transactions. The Blockstream satellite helps, but I believe it's much more expensive to build a transceiver to communicate with it directly than just using SMS/Text messages. Just my thoughts

For anyone wanting access to the stash the password is "1" .   You now have full control, can prove its your coins.

[Gladiator25]

I'm looking for a way to send Bitcoin to people in countries which lack Internet access. After all, being able to send Bitcoin in a safe and secure way over SMS/Text messaging would prove to be extremely convenient for "offline" transactions. For once, I've heard about a crypto service which allowed people to send Bitcoin over SMS/Text messaging. But I can't recall its name. Still though, it relies on a central operator/middleman. I'd prefer a solution that would allow me to send BTC though SMS/Text messaging in the most decentralized way possible.

Do you think it's possible to do this? Are you aware of any methods to sent BTC through SMS/Text messaging without relying on third parties? If it cannot be done in a decentralized manner, I'd still like to know if there are mainstream companies offering such possibility to Bitcoin users. Thanks in advance.

This is possible but I think it will take a very long time to create such program. SMS/Text messaging are offline while the bitcoin and the other cryptocurrency are online. It is very hard to create a program that can do a transaction without relying on the internet. If such thing is possible, it will be very convenient to people.

[xSkylarx]

I have never heard that we could send and receive Bitcoin without the internet. Transacting Bitcoin through SMS will still be a big help especially for places without internet access but I don't think we will be able to withdraw and process the Bitcoin that we'll be receiving offline. However, cryptocurrency is developing continuously so we can expect changes like this in the future.

[Tash]

I have never heard that we could send and receive Bitcoin without the internet.

I can hand over a paper wallet, like give cash.

[camito]

I'm looking for a way to send Bitcoin to people in countries which lack Internet access. After all, being able to send Bitcoin in a safe and secure way over SMS/Text messaging would prove to be extremely convenient for "offline" transactions. For once, I've heard about a crypto service which allowed people to send Bitcoin over SMS/Text messaging. But I can't recall its name. Still though, it relies on a central operator/middleman. I'd prefer a solution that would allow me to send BTC though SMS/Text messaging in the most decentralized way possible.

Do you think it's possible to do this? Are you aware of any methods to sent BTC through SMS/Text messaging without relying on third parties? If it cannot be done in a decentralized manner, I'd still like to know if there are mainstream companies offering such possibility to Bitcoin users. Thanks in advance.

At times where you have no internet access at your home or workplace, after typhoon, when landline wasn't paid, and especially at remote areas where waves have a hard time reaching their towers, it is important to have a way to send BTC. Let's admit that though many of us are familiar with how it works, some are still crossing the gap between stable and readily-available internet connection. SMS/text messaging might be a good way but it has disadvantages. Sender might have the error to replace the number of his/her receiver. Also, these text messages can be controlled by the service provider or a third party.

If you are not yet informed, high-frequency radios are now used to send BTC. It doesn't require internet to broadcast their transaction and thus, using a certain application or frequency, Bitcoin can now be sent. I suggest you try this.

[GideonGono]

I was thinking,
If it is possible to receive a text message without any usage of internet connection, then this is also possible.
However, this might result to transparency or there should be a certain company/ies that will serve as a nationwide service provider for this to become possible. They are the one that will provide the tool that we will be using and the service assistance we need as a consumer.

I heard there are services that offers just that. I hope in our country there would be such a thing. If it would happen then the law should be amended so that it would further protect the sensitive information shared in their platform. This would be great to those people who have no internet access but have a good connection with their telecommunication provider.

[Tash]

I was thinking,
If it is possible to receive a text message without any usage of internet connection, then this is also possible.
However, this might result to transparency or there should be a certain company/ies that will serve as a nationwide service provider for this to become possible. They are the one that will provide the tool that we will be using and the service assistance we need as a consumer.

Seriously?
 Technical it is also possible to use morse code or CB (Citizens band) radio.