It depends on which free government cell phone you get. If you get one that supports SMS, you’ll be able to send and receive text messages.
Costs may vary depending on which service provider you select, but each SMS message sent or received should consume about one third of a minute. Other plans may consume as much as one minute per text.
Check with your service provider for specific details of their programs.
Evelin says
August 17, 2018 at 4:33 amWhat text free apps does qlink come with
Free Government Cell Phones says
August 17, 2018 at 5:35 amContact customer service to get that question answered, Evelin.
lily says
March 18, 2018 at 7:02 pmi want to have sex please .can some one say they want to have sex too.or at least kiss me or something
Free Government Cell Phones says
March 20, 2018 at 3:00 pmWe can’t kiss you, Lily, but many of our readers say they have been screwed by their service provider. Will that be sufficient to satisfy your urges?
mariam says
March 18, 2018 at 7:00 pmi can not call on my new government phone.do you know what is going on or what i could do to fix it.
Free Government Cell Phones says
March 20, 2018 at 2:58 pmIt’s 100% impossible for us to guess at the reason for your problem, Mariam. Contact your service provider’s customer service and/or tech support team.
Ashley says
January 12, 2018 at 2:38 pmI have my government phone but my friend gave me a galaxy for cheap because the government phone is so small but I can’t adford a phone payment so we called and had the government number switched to that phone and did everything they said to do and everything works but the texting. We’ve called multiple times and they just do the same thing over and over and it still doesn’t work. Any suggestions?
Free Government Cell Phones says
January 12, 2018 at 10:19 pmWe don’t have any advice about getting your texting to work, but we do have another suggestion. File a formal complaint. Here’s an article that tells you how to do it, and take it from the experts, the threat of a formal complaint usually gets the attention of the free government cell phone companies.
https://www.freegovernmentcellphones.net/faq/file-official-complaint-about-your-lifeline-service
amy stiltner says
October 29, 2017 at 11:32 amI got a quistion my old phone brock and i went and bought a new phone i called safelink and thay let me get a new sims card and let me feel out paper work to get my m8ns transferd to my new phone and new sims card ok now its pinding ok im just wanting to know whats going on where am i at on this situation her is my i.D number u guys sent me its 34906159 thank you amy stiltner
Free Government Cell Phones says
October 29, 2017 at 7:30 pmWe’re not Safelink, Amy. So we cannot tell you what is going on with your phone. You need to contact customer service or tech support.
Karen Maddox says
October 10, 2017 at 8:35 pmIf my gov Safelink runs outta talk minutes will I still be able to send and recieve text messageing? Safelink had told me yes. My daughter is outta talk minutes but is wondering if she can still send and recieve text messageing being she was told its unlimited.
Free Government Cell Phones says
October 10, 2017 at 11:50 pmSeems like unlimited must mean unlimited, Karen.
Susan Wong says
August 12, 2017 at 1:59 pmCannot receive texts on my galaxy prevail I got yesterday
Free Government Cell Phones says
August 12, 2017 at 2:06 pmContact your service provider’s customer service team by calling 6-1-1 on your free government cell phone.
Arielle says
May 3, 2017 at 9:15 pmIs there any way I can have my calls and texts automatically forwarded to another mobile number from my Alcatel One Touch a382g?
Free Government Cell Phones says
May 4, 2017 at 4:44 amWe are experts on the free government cell phone program, Arielle, NOT on cell phone technology. In other words, beats the hell out of us. But we’d suggest that you google your phone make and model and the words “user manual.” Once you find your manual it should be reasonably easy to answer that question.
However, that brings up a question. If you have another cell phone, why do you need a free government cell phone?
Ty Manson says
June 19, 2017 at 10:27 pmI have 3 phones. The only one that stays on is my free phone. Can’t count how many times I couldn’t pay my bill and the service was cut off. Of the 3, one hasn’t been in use for over a year but is certainly still usable, thank you very much. How many phones do you have, nameless Free Government Phones rep? 😊 Probably not the best question on your part… Much love.
Free Government Cell Phones says
June 20, 2017 at 2:29 amNone of us have more than one cell phone.
Robert says
November 20, 2016 at 3:27 pmHow do I get my phone back on because I wasn’t using it
Free Government Cell Phones says
November 20, 2016 at 4:46 pmYou’ll need to re-enroll, Robert. The good news is that you now enroll with any company you want. The benefit is that some companies offer far more minutes, more texts or even data plans. So check them all out carefully to find the plan that’s best for you. Here’s where you can find all the plans available in your state:
https://www.freegovernmentcellphones.net/states
Rhonda says
December 11, 2016 at 11:07 amOn my life wireless phone , how come i can receive text but people don’t get my text ?
Free Government Cell Phones says
December 11, 2016 at 1:37 pmNo way for us to troubleshoot your tech issues via the comments section, Rhonda. Get in touch with your service provider’s customer service or tech support team.
sabrina says
June 1, 2017 at 6:58 pmI’m having the same problem. I can only send pictures, but I can’t get or receive texts. I tried contacting my service provider, but they kept hanging up on me. Now my phone can’t even dial the number. It’s just really frustrating. I’m a single working mom, and I have to be able to text. Please help me.
Kelly R Ricksen says
October 13, 2016 at 9:12 pmHI, great service and thank you and God bless. I got a good phone but unfortunately the earpiece doesn’t work after I dropped it many times. My neighbor bought me a cheap phone as a gift, I put the sim in, but no calls. I cannot make call out or in. I’m assuming no SMS too. I was told to ask for an “APN setting” What is your APN setting? thank you god bless. Please help!
Free Government Cell Phones says
October 13, 2016 at 10:08 pmWe can’t answer that question, Kelly, because we’re not your service provider. We’re an independent website with no affiliation with any of the free government cell phone companies. You need to contact your service provider’s customer service team to get your question answered.
Amy LeBow says
October 2, 2016 at 12:14 pmI really just want to transfer to another company. The 1 I’m in is awful. I can’t find my paperwork & don’t know the carrier. I think it was …. Q link. I looked online, but I thought it said that they are no longer in the program
Please help :-/
Free Government Cell Phones says
October 2, 2016 at 12:18 pmWe can answer both your questions, Amy. First, Q Link is definitely still in the free government cell phone business. In fact, it’s one of the fastest growing companies.
Second, if you want to switch service providers, here’s an article that will tell you everything you need to know. It’s really a pretty simple process.
https://www.freegovernmentcellphones.net/faq/how-do-i-switch-lifeline-providers
karen schulze says
July 22, 2016 at 11:16 pmwhy do I get charge for text when I didn’t for two years now I do
Free Government Cell Phones says
July 23, 2016 at 3:29 pmWe don’t have a clue, Karen. But that makes sense because we’re not your service provider. FreeGovernmentCellPhones.net is a website, not your service provider.
jean robertson says
July 11, 2016 at 11:53 amHow do I get free unlimited text messaging with my free phone? My cellis 863 606 ****. Thank you, Jeanne Robertson
Free Government Cell Phones says
July 11, 2016 at 12:00 pmWe don’t know where you live, Jean, but most of the unlimited plans are available only in California, Oklahoma and Alaska. You can check out ALL the plans available in your state here:
https://www.freegovernmentcellphones.net/states
Shambronese says
June 26, 2016 at 4:21 pmIm just recieved a replacement phone and im with trac ohone.I cant send or recieve texts becux they charge i wanted a phone with unlimited texts.What do i have to do?
Free Government Cell Phones says
June 26, 2016 at 4:29 pmWhat do you mean by “they charge?” Are you saying that you signed up for the wrong program and that your phone is not part of the free government cell phone program?
Suzan Doll says
May 14, 2016 at 5:05 pmMy safelink phone sent a text message to be able to send and receive free texting How do I do It?
Free Government Cell Phones says
May 14, 2016 at 5:35 pmWe cannot comment on messages you received from your service provider than we have not seen. You should contact Safelink’s customer service team to resolve your question. Good luck.
judithwilliams says
March 27, 2016 at 6:48 amI want to get my text I want to send and I have no data
Dànielle Hopkins says
March 6, 2016 at 8:18 amWay can’t I receive picture messages on my qlink phone
Free Government Cell Phones says
March 6, 2016 at 4:49 pmContact QLink directly and ask for the company’s tech support department. They are probably the only ones who can help. You may need to request a replacement phone or upgrade to a more fully-featured model.
Amber says
June 26, 2016 at 9:02 pmHow many text messages am i allowed
Free Government Cell Phones says
June 26, 2016 at 9:51 pmThat is 100% dependent on which service provider you choose, Amber. Some offer more, some offer fewer. If texts are important to you, look through all the plans and all the companies in your state and pick the one that works best for you. Here’s where you can find all the free government cell phone companies in your state:
https://www.freegovernmentcellphones.net/states
Maya says
January 23, 2016 at 7:00 amI want to text but my parents said it costs money so I cant but my friends can For free
Diana Rodriguez says
January 4, 2016 at 11:11 amHow do I receive free text messages
Brittany says
December 23, 2015 at 7:29 amDo we get unlimited text when our time is gone on our q link phone
deborah kearney says
December 16, 2015 at 6:55 pmmy minutes are deducted with every text.please don’t tell people that they are not!
Laura says
December 6, 2015 at 2:01 amEvery time i send a msg it tells me “msg not sent, stored in outbo”…what’s wrong? Did i do something wrong?
THOMAS DEARTH says
November 30, 2015 at 10:42 amI received a text about the availability for free texting explain how I Can get this benefit my number is 252~508~8450 Call or Text me.
Savannah says
August 18, 2015 at 11:51 pmMy phone will not recieve texts. It says messages I send r sent but cant receive texts. I thought it was unlimited texting
barbara antone says
August 1, 2015 at 12:46 pmhow do i get free texting?
FreeGovernmentCellPhones.net says
August 2, 2015 at 5:10 pmSome providers offer free, unlimited texting. Check our page on your state, and click through to each provider that serves it and you’ll see which do.
https://www.freegovernmentcellphones.net/states
deborah kearney says
December 16, 2015 at 6:56 pmyou don’t
nicole says
June 16, 2015 at 7:10 pmHi I got a coolpad government phone and it won’t let me send pictures through my messages. You brother got the same phone and it let’s him so I was wondering why mine won’t let me. Please let me know as soon as possible
cindy letson says
May 9, 2015 at 7:59 amCant text having a lot of trouble cant dial 611 help!! 2564100808
Tammy. Williamson says
April 6, 2015 at 8:22 amAsking about free text message. Would like a reply if I’m eligible for free text.
FreeGovernmentCellPhones.net says
April 7, 2015 at 6:41 amEach plan has different number of texts you get each month with your plan. Some make it a part of the 250 minutes (like 3 texts count as one minute), and Assurance Wireless will give you unlimited texting.
Will Rosado says
March 2, 2015 at 9:07 pmWhy can’t I get text from my job .I’ve texted to 42800 like I was told and it comes back sorry this service not available with your plan .I’ve called safe links and was told everything is OK,but still no text
Christopher says
February 20, 2015 at 10:34 pmHow can I send and receive text messages for gree
Ragan Walker says
February 16, 2015 at 9:11 amWant to know why this year my text messages is costing $.30 for each incoming/outgoing text messages? This was not a charge since I’ve had this service. Will it be possible to return to no cost text as before? Plus there is a $1.00 fee for incoming/outgoing call’s. Please advise if there is something new going that I’m not aware of. Thank you!
jessida says
January 16, 2015 at 4:58 pmWhy all the sudden after a month is this government phone taking a whole minute away when I make and get texts.
Paul says
January 15, 2015 at 7:36 pmI have just received my phone. Can you go on the internet with these phones? Mine won’t connect me to the internet. Please reply. If you can please tell me who I would speak with. Thank you very much.
Rachel says
September 15, 2014 at 9:57 amI just got the same text today @the “safelink.com/sms”. NOTHING.
Also got a text saying “Welcome to SafeLink, we hope you will enjoy your service!” -which I have been for the past @2yrs., ever since a rep from their co. signed me up at the local DSS office. Don’t know why they sent the “welcome text” though-As I just said, I’ve had their service for @2yrs. I did, however, just receive a replacement phone as mine was lost recently, so maybe that’s the reason for the “welcome text”.
THE SAFELINK.COM/SMS ?
I have a feeling, if anyone-like me-w/the “government phone/plan” for people w/low-income, calls to ask a REPRESENTATIVE about this, I bet you’ll be told what I was told @1wk. ago, concerning “Safelink” promotions, etc.-which is:
The government phone/plan is for Safelink, yes-but what we have isn’t “technically” SafeLink-it’s “LIFELINE”. It does state this on our recertification we have to do for our continued phone service every so often. Yes, it’s SafeLink, linked up w/Assurance Wireless, but being LIFELINE, I have a feeling we’ll be told that SafeLink promo’s are only for “straight” SafeLink accounts-NOT LifeLine 🙁
However, IF that’s the case, we shouldn’t be getting the misleading text to begin with!
*Note-that text they sent us all @the “free texting” didn’t take out’ve my 250minutes. They’re lucky for that!
Kevin B says
September 13, 2014 at 6:26 amEvery commenter on here needs to get a clue. Are y’all daft enough to think that you get a completely free ride (Free Talk/Text)? I mean c’mon, you can see that some of the posts on here go back to 2012 (2 yrs. ago). Stop relying on the Gov’t for everything.
Free Government Cell Phones says
September 13, 2014 at 11:17 amIn California, actually you can get unlimited free voice and unlimited free texting.
https://www.freegovernmentcellphones.net/states/california-government-cell-phone-providers
norma says
August 31, 2014 at 8:27 pmok, it says text messages from your cell at NO extra cost! Don’t know how? Learn at safelink.com/sms
I can’t get NO where. Why the false info?
ty Norma
Free Government Cell Phones says
September 1, 2014 at 6:33 amLink worked for us.
Ralph Clark Sykes says
December 14, 2014 at 4:39 pmI do not know how to send free messages on my gov. safelink phone and I have a sms.
Alesha says
July 28, 2014 at 9:09 amSame problem. Says go to safelink.com/sms for free messaging. What’s the problem?
Peggie Starks says
July 23, 2014 at 10:19 amIm trying to get information about the free talk and text for my phone but cant send or receive text messages. I’ve tried changing my plan but it didnt work. What’s the problem.?
chenista says
July 10, 2014 at 12:35 amWe r suppost to have unlimited talk and text now its sayin i cant send txt y
chris says
June 26, 2014 at 2:04 pmi have at&t i can send and my girlfriend can receive texts from my phone to her safelink phone. all the sudden she can still send them to me but she cant receive texts from me. anybody else can send and receive texts to her safe link phone. i call att&t thinking it was my phone. its not! what gives? why cant she receive texts from me? and nobody touched any settings on either phone….
waymond perry says
June 2, 2014 at 1:31 pmI have the same problem my phone says to go to safelink.com/sms to learn how to text from my phone at no extra cost but there is no info on that subject
leitha curtis says
March 28, 2014 at 2:47 pmI have the same problem as everybody else does. Why is it
You tell us one thing, and then it. Turns out we can,t. So what give? The government want,s us to trust them but how can we when your telling us half truths and other stuff so hat give
Debra Garza says
March 4, 2014 at 10:37 amI got on my phone that if I go to safelink.com/sms. That I can get free text message on my safelink cell phone.
Debby says
February 10, 2014 at 6:20 amI too got the message saying to go to Safelink.com/sms to get free text message minutes. Can’t find the link. I was under the impression that I got 250 free call minutes and 1000 free text minutes when I applied for the phone. So where are the 1000 free text minutes? Thank you…
Sabi says
August 17, 2014 at 8:27 pmMe too and it takes my 250 mins time when i send or recieve a text
Kathy says
February 7, 2014 at 1:39 pmI got a message this morning on my safelink phone that said CLEARLY THAT I COULD use TEXT (sms) messaging completely FREE if I went to “www.safelink/sms” and YET there is NO INFO for this!
(A) HOW can I receive FREE texting w/o charging my minutes (JUST AS THE PHONE MESSAGE CLEARLY indicated????
(B) I certainly hope that YOUR text message did NOT take away from MY minutes!!!
I ask for someone to call/text/email me with clarifiied-directions.
Genuinely, Kindly–
Thank You –
KATHY
Sabi says
August 17, 2014 at 8:26 pmI recieved the same message and havent found any answers i want to know too, charges me mins everytime i send or recieve a text
Free Government Cell Phones says
August 18, 2014 at 8:32 amCan you write out the exact message they sent you?
Alexandria says
February 8, 2013 at 8:21 amHey
my boyfriend and I was wondering if it takes minutes from his government phone if he text’s someone and receives messages from the other person. Because it charges him whenever he has to go to his voice mail or call someone he looses hours on his phone.
We would like to find out if it’s unlimited for texting so He can save on minutes because the government gives him so meany amount of minutes a month.
Because we are about to get our apartment by the end of this month and we need to be able to contact people about our apartment and when we can move into our place.
-Alex
Dorothy says
November 25, 2012 at 1:55 pmHow do I send a text to a safelink phone from a pc?
Julia says
November 6, 2012 at 12:30 pmHi! my phone obviously doesnt work any more, 🙁 but thnx for helping
Cece says
September 30, 2012 at 11:52 amI asked to change my package to free talk and text and got a message back that said ok and it would be working on the 27th of Sept. It is not. I keep getting a message that says your balance is too low. I saw this on your ad on the TV- FREE TALK AND TEXT-250 minutes for both. Am I understanding ths wrong? ???????????
pamela says
August 2, 2012 at 2:20 pmThe contract says that I have free texts, but after I get my minutes (250) I try to text and the response says because of low balance, my text didnt go thru. Seems like the only way I can text is if I put money on the phone.
moe says
July 30, 2013 at 12:31 pmme too did you find any answers??
pamela says
August 2, 2012 at 2:16 pmI can receive texts but cant send any, whats the problem?
Julia says
March 5, 2012 at 3:07 pmHello! I have recently received a SafeLink Cell Phone and I know I can send texts but I cannot receive texts.. or I can’t make calls or receive calls either… What can I do and What does this mean??
Thank you,
Julia
Sabi says
August 17, 2014 at 8:23 pmYou need to get ahold of safelink they will send you out a replacement phone