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SMS gateway for Germany: send SMS from your own Germany number

Published and updated

An Android phone holding a Germany SIM sends the messages, so the API call goes out over that SIM and recipients see the +49 number that sent it. Any Android phone with a Germany SIM that can send SMS runs the textbee app. Section 172 of the Telecommunications Act requires a prepaid provider to verify the subscriber name and date of birth against an identity card, passport or another listed document before the SIM is switched on. The SIM keeps its own carrier plan, and textbee is $9.99 a month at 5,000 messages on top of it.

How it works with a local SIM

  1. Put a Germany SIM in an Android phone that stays on and on power, and install the textbee app on it.
  2. Register the device from the dashboard, which pairs the phone with your API key.
  3. Call POST /gateway/send-sms with the recipient in E.164 form. The phone sends it over the SIM and reports the result back.

What it costs at 1K, 5K and 25K messages

Monthly spend sending to Germany, cloud providers and a local SIM against textbee plans
Provider1K messages5K messages25K messages
Twilio$113.15$112.00 messages, $1.15 number$561.15$560.00 messages, $1.15 number$2,801.15$2,800.00 messages, $1.15 number
ALDI TALK Kombi-Paket S, flat unlimited calls and SMS$10.45EUR 8.99 per 4 weeks$10.45EUR 8.99 per 4 weeks$10.45EUR 8.99 per 4 weeks
textbee$9.99Pro plan, up to 5,000 messages included$9.99Pro plan, up to 5,000 messages included$29.99Scale plan, up to 25,000 messages included

textbee plans include the messages shown. There is no per message fee, number rental or carrier surcharge.

Provider prices checked on September 4, 2026

The textbee plan is the platform fee and the SIM plan is what the carrier charges for the messages, so a local setup costs the plan price plus the SIM.

Rules for application to person SMS in Germany

  • Section 7 of the German Unfair Competition Act treats advertising by electronic message without the prior express consent of the addressee as an unreasonable nuisance, and also catches messages that give no valid address the recipient can use to stop them. gesetze-im-internet.de, checked on September 4, 2026
  • The Bundesnetzagentur tells consumers they may only be contacted for advertising with their prior consent and takes complaints about unwanted SMS, though it states it cannot issue fine notices for SMS spam. bundesnetzagentur.de, checked on September 4, 2026

Quickstart

send.sh
curl -X POST https://api.textbee.dev/api/v1/gateway/send-sms \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"recipients": ["+4915123456789"], "message": "Your textbee code is 482913. It expires in 10 minutes."}'

On a dual SIM phone, pass simSubscriptionId to pick the SIM the message goes out on, as the send reference describes.

Format and check Germany numbers

The API takes E.164, which for Germany looks like +4915123456789, so strip any local trunk prefix before you send.

Result

Enter a phone number above.

Use E.164 format (e.g. +15551234567) for textbee.dev API recipients.

Count segments

A message over one segment is sent as more than one SMS, so it draws more than once on the SIM plan.

Result

  • Characters: 54
  • Encoding: GSM-7
  • Segments: 1 SMS
  • 1 segment = 1 SMS

GSM-7: 160 chars per segment (153 for multi-part). Unicode/emoji: 70 chars per segment (67 for multi-part). Carriers may charge per segment.

Honest limits

One phone sends roughly 10 to 15 messages a minute, so a large blast takes time to drain. Carriers can filter bulk patterns on consumer SIMs. Marketing messages still need consent from the recipient under the local rules.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need consent before sending marketing SMS in Germany?

Yes. Section 7 of the Unfair Competition Act treats advertising by electronic message without the prior express consent of the addressee as an unreasonable nuisance, and the message must give a valid address the recipient can use to stop further messages. The Bundesnetzagentur tells consumers they may only be contacted for advertising with their prior consent.

What ID activates a German prepaid SIM?

Section 172 of the Telecommunications Act requires a prepaid mobile provider to verify the subscriber name and date of birth against an identity card, passport or another listed official document before the SIM is activated. Plan for that step before you put a SIM into the phone that runs textbee.

How much does a German prepaid plan with unlimited SMS cost?

ALDI TALK lists its Kombi-Paket S at EUR 8.99 per 4 weeks with a flat rate for unlimited calls and SMS. Each 4 week period renews on its own while there is enough credit on the SIM.

Sources

  1. SMS rules Germany, gesetze-im-internet.de, checked on September 4, 2026
  2. SMS rules Germany, bundesnetzagentur.de, checked on September 4, 2026
  3. Sending from a local SIM Germany, gesetze-im-internet.de, checked on September 4, 2026
  4. ALDI TALK Kombi-Paket S, flat unlimited calls and SMS, checked on September 4, 2026
  5. Twilio SMS pricing, Germany, checked on September 4, 2026

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