Personal texts, sent for you, from your own number.
Write one message. PigeonText makes a personal copy for each person, you approve every one, and your phone (Android or iPhone) sends them one at a time, spaced out like you sent them yourself.
Now in a small beta. Works with Android phones and iPhones.
You write it once
Hey {FirstName|friend}! Fall retreat sign-ups close Friday. Want me to save you a spot? – {MyName}
Text to Maria Lopez
Hey Maria! Fall retreat sign-ups close Friday. Want me to save you a spot? – Sam
Text to James Carter
Hey James! Fall retreat sign-ups close Friday. Want me to save you a spot? – Sam
Text to (no first name saved)
Hey friend! Fall retreat sign-ups close Friday. Want me to save you a spot? – Sam
Text to Priya Shah
Hey Priya! Fall retreat sign-ups close Friday. Want me to save you a spot? – Sam
Not a group text. Not a blast.
The people you text should feel like you texted them, because you did.
| Group text | Bulk-texting service | PigeonText | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who sees it | Everyone in one thread | Each person, as one of a list | Each person, in their own conversation with you |
| Comes from | Your number | A business or shared number they may not know | Your real number |
| The words | Same for everyone | A template, sent as is | Personal for each person, and you approve every one |
| When it arrives | All at once | Usually all at once | One at a time, at least two minutes apart |
| Replies go to | The whole group | A dashboard | Your phone, like any text |
How it works
Write it once
Use fields like
{FirstName}and PigeonText fills them in for each person. Add a fallback for anyone missing one:{FirstName|friend}. If something's blank or misspelled, it tells you before anything is drafted.Review and approve every draft
Read each person's text, change any of them, or skip someone. Nothing is sent unless you approved that exact text, and editing an approved text means approving it again.
Pick a time window, and your phone sends
Choose when the texts should go out. Your phone, Android or iPhone, sends them one at a time from your number, at least two minutes apart. If the phone goes offline, it never catches up by sending a pile at once.
Who it's for
Ministry leaders
Built first for ministry staff and volunteers who keep up with a lot of people personally: inviting every student you met this fall to Bible study, following up after a retreat, checking in with partners before a support update. Each person hears from you, by name, from the number they already have saved.
Small businesses, next
For owners who know their customers by first name, like a piano teacher reminding families about the recital or a contractor checking in after a job. Texting customers comes with its own rules about permission, so make sure each person has agreed to hear from you.
Questions
Does it work on iPhone?
Yes. On an iPhone, an Apple Shortcut does the sending: your iPhone checks in every two hours from 8 AM to 8 PM and sends the texts due then, one at a time and at least two minutes apart, even while it's locked. On an Android phone, the PigeonText app sends them at whatever times you pick.
Either way, the texts go out from that phone's number, so use the phone with the number people know. You write, review and approve from any web browser, on a Mac, a PC, a tablet or a phone.
What about opt-outs?
If someone asks you not to text them, mark them “Don't text” in PigeonText. From then on they're left out of every campaign, and your phone checks again right before each text, so even a text that's already scheduled won't go out.
PigeonText never reads the texts you receive, so it won't notice a “stop” reply by itself. You make the change, the same way you'd remember it if you were texting by hand. Turning texting back on for someone takes a separate confirmation, so it never happens by accident.
Will people know?
Each person gets an ordinary text from your number, addressed only to them. There's no group thread, no shared number and no “sent with” tag, and their replies come straight to your phone.
It's still your message: you wrote it and approved each copy. Write the way you'd text that person yourself, and if someone asks how you keep up with everyone, tell them.
Does it use my phone plan?
Yes. They're normal texts from your own plan, so your carrier's usual texting rates apply (most plans include unlimited texts).
What happens to my contacts?
They're stored in your PigeonText account so the app can write and send your texts. We never sell them or use them for anything else. The privacy policy has the details, including how to delete everything.
Want to try it?
PigeonText is in a small invite-only beta for ministry leaders. Create an account, tell us a little about how you'd use it, and we'll let you know when you're approved to send.
Request beta access