SCIFText

Questions.

Short answers about what SCIFText is, why it is Android-only, and how texts get to email and back.

What it does iPhone Default app RCS Replies Storage Battery Delete Security managers

What does SCIFText do?

SCIFText is an Android app. It emails your texts, picture messages, missed-call alerts, and (if you turn them on) other app notifications to addresses you choose. Reply from that email and the phone sends the answer as a text from your own number.

Is this available for iPhone?

No. There is no iPhone app, and there cannot be one that works the way SCIFText does.

Apple does not let a third-party app become the default Messages app. An iPhone app cannot read the SMS and MMS database, cannot receive carrier texts on behalf of the system, and cannot send SMS from your number as a background relay. Notification access on iOS also does not hand another app the contents of Messages. iMessage is a closed Apple service that other apps cannot tap.

SCIFText needs those Android capabilities: default SMS handling, the notification listener, and sending SMS from your number. iOS locks each of those down, so this kind of app cannot exist on iPhone.

Do I have to make it my default texting app?

To use SCIFText as the texting app on the phone (the Messages tab), yes: Android only gives that role to the default SMS app. While it is default, incoming SMS and picture messages are forwarded from the system receivers.

If Google Messages stays the default, SCIFText can still forward from the notifications you allow, including RCS that arrives in Google Messages. Replies still go out from your number through the phone.

Does it forward RCS and pictures?

Picture messages (MMS) yes, when SCIFText can see them. RCS lives in Google Messages, not in the phone’s SMS database, so RCS forwards through the notification path while Google Messages is still the default. Turn RCS chats off in Google Messages if you want those threads as ordinary SMS while SCIFText is default.

How do I reply?

Reply to the forwarded email from a verified address. The email comes from your personal SCIFText address (sms-…@sciftext.com). The subject names the person (and sometimes a saved contact label). The phone sends that reply as a text from your number. Anyone who can send from a verified address can send texts from your phone, so keep those inboxes locked down.

Does SCIFText store my messages?

The server does not store the text or pictures of messages it forwards. They pass through memory on the way to your inbox or back to the phone. Your email provider stores the mail you receive, under its own terms. The app’s Log on the phone keeps a short local history; it is not uploaded. Details are in the Privacy Policy.

Why does the app need to stay running?

Forwarding and email-to-text only work while the app is allowed to run. Phone makers pause background apps. Leave the “SCIFText is running” notification in the notification drawer, and set battery to Unrestricted. Step-by-step notes are on Keep the app awake.

How do I delete my account?

Use Delete account in a browser, or the same action in the app. That removes the account, forwarding addresses, and sessions. It does not delete mail already in your inbox.

Is this safe for a work phone?

SCIFText is a personal SMS-to-email relay the user installs. It is not remote-access software or a hidden monitor, and the server does not store message content. Security teams: read the security managers FAQ.