Send Text Messages From WordPress With WSMS

WSMS (formerly WP SMS) is a WordPress plugin made by VeronaLabs. It connects your website to your 160.com.au account. Then you can text your customers straight from WordPress.

Use it to send single texts and bulk SMS, schedule messages, run an SMS newsletter and send WooCommerce order updates. Some features need the paid WSMS All-in-One upgrade. You can see the full feature set here.

This short guide takes you step by step through:

  1. Installing the plugin
  2. Connecting your 160.com.au account
  3. Sending your first text message
Get The WSMS Plugin Here

Get These Ready Before You Start

  • Your 160.com.au username and password. Use your username, not your email address.
  • A sender. This is your 160.com.au virtual number or a Sender ID (your business name).
  • SMS credits in your 160.com.au account.
  • A mobile phone that can receive your test text.

Install WSMS on Your WordPress Site

Step 1: In your WordPress dashboard, go to Plugins > Add New.

Step 2: Search for “WSMS”. A search for “WP SMS” also finds it.

Step 3: Find the WSMS plugin by VeronaLabs. Click “Install Now”.

Step 4: Click “Activate”.

Connect WSMS to Your 160.com.au Account

WSMS with 160au selected as the SMS gateway

Step 1: Go to WSMS > Settings > Gateway.

Step 2: Under “Change Gateway”, search for “160”. Select “160au”.

Step 3: Check that 160au shows at the top as your “Selected Gateway”.

WSMS credential fields for a 160.com.au account

Step 4: In “Username”, type your 160.com.au username. Do not use your email address.

Step 5: In “Password”, type your 160.com.au password.

Step 6: In “Sender Number”, type your virtual number or your Sender ID.

Step 7: Click “Test Connection” to check that your details work.

Which sender should you use? A virtual number lets customers reply to your texts. A Sender ID shows your business name, but customers cannot reply to it. A Sender ID has 3 to 11 characters and cannot be only numbers.

Send Your First Text From WordPress

Step 1: Go to WSMS > Send SMS.

Step 2: In “Compose Message”, type a short test message.

Step 3: Under “Recipients”, open “Numbers”. Type the mobile number with the country code, for example +61400000000. Click “+”.

Step 4: Click “Review & Send”, then send the message.

Step 5: Go to WSMS > Outbox to see the result.

Fix a Text That Did Not Send

  • Log in at 160.com.au with the same username and password. If this fails, the details in WSMS are wrong too.
  • Check that the mobile number starts with the country code (+61 for Australia).
  • Check that your 160.com.au account has SMS credits.
  • Read the gateway response in WSMS > Outbox. It tells you why the text failed.
  • Never put your password in a support ticket, a forum post or a screenshot.

Get Customer Replies in WordPress

Customers can reply to texts that you send from your 160.com.au virtual number. The WSMS Two-Way SMS add-on shows these replies inside WordPress. Read our two-way SMS setup guide.

Know What Each Text Costs

One SMS holds up to 160 characters. An emoji or a non-English letter drops this to 70 characters. A longer message goes in parts, and each part uses 1 SMS credit. Texts to premium or other non-standard numbers can cost more.

Get Help With Your Setup

VeronaLabs, the team behind WSMS, has a 160.com.au setup guide and an install guide.

For help with your 160.com.au account, call us on 1800 671 823 from Australia, or +61 2 8014 9443 from overseas.