We are all familiar with the magic of SMS, aren’t we? A unique phenomenon that started more than two decades ago and is still popular, SMS is considered an important feature of a mobile. From simple phones to smartphones, all mobile phones have a built-in SMS function, which is why messaging is one of the most used icons in your mobile phone menu. But, SMS as we know it today is very different from how it was actually introduced. After having undergone several changes, SMS marked several milestones in more than twenty years of existence.
For those of you who don’t know, here’s a sneak peek at the fun facts about SMS communication:
Pagers inspired the invention of SMS
Before SMS became popular, people used to trust pagers. However, the sad part about pagers was that only numbers could be sent and not messages. It was in this situation that the experts identified the need to be able to send messages and worked to invent the SMS function.
First message sent in 1993
Initially, mobile phone companies never believed that people would not be so happy with the texting feature, especially when they could talk face-to-face. Therefore, the use of SMS was restricted to internal communication only. But little by little things began to change and the first official SMS came out in 1993.
It becomes popular in 1999
In the early years, users of a particular mobile phone service provider could send SMS only to numbers registered with that service provider. However, a few years later, in 1999, it was also possible to send SMS to rival telephone networks. It was then that people recognized the power of SMS and the convenience that this feature facilitated. Soon enough SMS became a sensation!
It is the second most popular feature used in mobile phones.
Yes! Believe it or not, texting is the second most popular feature used on mobile phones. The first place is still reserved for the mobile’s time check function.
The length of the word was decided by postcard.
Postcards don’t have a lot of room to write and are meant to notify people. Even the SMS were designed on similar lines with a 160 character limit so that people could send all the basic information instead of describing the situation in detail.
People vote for texts
It was in 2003 when media kids realized the power of texting when a European singing contest introduced a unique feature where the audience could vote for their favorite contestants via text message. It was an instant hit and continues to be used even today.
