Can you text with a tablet? Everything explained

Last Updated on September 3, 2022 by Kennedy

Can you text with a tablet and be an android tablet or an iPad?

That’s the question we have for today. How possible can you be able to send a text message right from your tablet and also receive a text message straight on your tablet?

Going straight to the answer, yes you can text on a tablet but it depends on the type of tablet you have.

It is very important to know the types of tablets we have before going to buy a new one for yourself because we have the LTE and the Wi-Fi only tablet.

Also, the way iPads are made is quite different from Android tablets or any other tablet.

Table of Contents

Can you text with a tablet?

The answer is yes. You can text on a tablet but only if the tablet is of LTE version which supports a sim card.

However, not all LTE tablets that support a sim card have the feature or option of sending a text message and this is applicable to iPads.

Now I will categorize this topic into two and which include android tablets and iPads. When talking about tablets you should know that iPads are included.

Related Posts:

1.1. Can you text with an android tablet?

The straight answer is yes. You can text with an android tablet that supports the use of a sim card which is commonly called the LTE android tablet.

On android tablets, there are two types and which are;

LTE android tablet.
Wi-Fi-only android tablet.

2.1. LTE android tablet

The LTE android tablet is a type of tablet that has a provision for a sim card and which also has a phone app for calls and a messaging app for SMS text messages.

The truth here is that there’s no difference between your android phone and the LTE android tablet because whatever your phone will do, the tablet will also do the same.

The only difference is the camera as tab cameras are not of the same level as smartphones, especially the flagship smartphones. But for other features like airplane mode, do not disturb mode, text on other devices, making and receiving calls, and sending and receiving text messages.

The LTE type of android tablet has a sim card slot for sim but mostly you will find a single sim card, especially on Samsung tablets.

From the sim card, you will have cellular network service which you can use for calls and text messages and also browse the internet. Kindly note that the processor on high-end android tablets is the same as flagship smartphones.

For example, the Samsung tab s8 series has the Qualcomm SM8450 Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 which is the latest version. If you care to check flagship android smartphones like the Samsung Galaxy s22 ultra and the s22 series, the Xiaomi 12 ultra, etc they all have the same chipset of Qualcomm SM8450 Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 with the Samsung tab s8 series.

What you can do on an LTE android tablet

Make and receive calls using the default call app or the phone app which is available on all LTE android tablets.
Send and receive SMS text messages.
Send and receive RCS chat messages.
Use cellular data.
And other tablet functionalities.

If you are looking for an android tablet to buy today, recommend the LTE android tablet as it works just like a normal android phone in terms of cellular service.

However, LTE android tablets are quite pricey compared to Wi-Fi only android tablets.

I have the Samsung tab s8 and I’m telling you that the tab s8 series is the best android tablet you will get in the market this year and they are very fast thanks to the Qualcomm SM8450 Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset.

You can check them out below;

2.2. Wi-Fi only android tablet

By merely looking at the name, you will attain what this android tablet is all about.

As the name goes by, a Wi-Fi-only android tablet means that your only means of internet connectivity is through Wi-Fi. You can’t use LTE or cellular data on a Wi-Fi-only tablet because cellular data is not available.

On Wi-Fi only android tablet, you won’t see the phone app or call app option because it doesn’t support or have a sim card slot. Because of this, you can’t make or receive cellular calls or send and receive SMS text messages on your tablet.

The only option you have to receive text messages on Wi-Fi only android tablet is to pair your phone with your tablet.

If you don’t have an android phone, then there’s nothing you can do about that.

But if you have an android phone, all you need to do is to download and install Google messages on your tablet and phone if you don’t have it, open the google messages and do the followings;

Open Google messages on your phone and tablet.
Tap on the hamburger menu option and you will see Device Pairing.
Tap on Device pairing on your phone.
On your tablet, tap on Pair with the phone.
It will ask you what you want to do, select text with paired phone, and tap on the continue button.
On your phone, you will see a QR code scanner, tap on the QR code scanner and run it across your tablet screen where.
Immediately it will pair the two devices.

Once your phone and your tablet have been paired together, you can receive text messages on both devices and also send text messages.

Please remember that the two devices must b close to each other and not distance away else nothing will work. If you don’t fancy device pairing and would love to use a 5G network on your android tablet, then I recommend you go for the LTE version.

1.2. Can you text with an iPad?

The straight answer is no in terms of SMS text messages as it requires an iPhone, but you can send iMessage texts on an iPad.

You cannot directly send SMS text messages on an iPad without pairing it with an iPhone.

On iPad, we also have the cellular iPad and the Wi-Fi-only iPad. The cellular iPads do support a sim card by having a sim card slot, while the Wi-Fi-only iPad doesn’t have a sim card slot.

Even though cellular iPads do have a sim card slot for sim card, you can’t make cellular calls or receive incoming cellular calls. You can’t send and receive SMS text messages directly on the iPad without using an iPhone.

The cellular iPads do have network support but only for cellular data in case you want to browse with your iPad using the cellular network service and not the Wi-Fi.

On the other hand, the Wi-Fi only iPads don’t have a sim card slot and the only means of browsing is through Wi-Fi.

You can receive and send text messages on Wi-Fi only iPad but you must first pair it with an iPhone. However, you can send and receive iMessages on Wi-Fi only iPad.

To summarize it;

You can send and receive text messages on LTE android tablets and as well as outgoing calls and incoming calls.
You can’t send and receive SMS text messages on Wi-Fi only android tablet except if you pair it with an android phone.
You can’t send or receive SMS text messages on an iPad except when paired with an iPhone. Only on iPhone you can directly send and receive green text messages.
You can send and receive iMessages on both cellular iPads and Wi-Fi-only iPads.

My tablet has a phone number can I text?

If your tablet has a phone number and the messaging app installed on it, you can text with the phone. However, if the tablet is only for cellular data with calls and text messages not available, then you can’t text on the tablet.

Can I use my phone number to text on my tablet?

Yes, you can use your phone number to text on your tablet even if your tablet doesn’t support a sim card slot. All you need to do is to pair your phone with your tablet and you’re good to go.

Once you pair your phone with your tablet you can receive text messages and even send text messages right from your tablet.

If you’re using a Samsung Galaxy phone, you have the option of call & text on other devices which you can use to pair your phone and your Samsung tab. After that, you can make calls or send text messages right from your Samsung tablet.

Can you text with a tablet? Everything explained

Can you text with a tablet?