SMS in texting stands for Short Message Service. It is a text messaging service that allows sending short text-only messages, typically up to 160 characters, between mobile phones over cellular networks

. SMS is one of the oldest and most widely used forms of mobile communication, originally developed in the 1980s and introduced in the 1990s

. Unlike multimedia messages (MMS), SMS messages contain only text and no attachments such as pictures, videos, or audio files

. SMS messages are sent using the cellular network’s signaling channels, making them reliable even in areas with limited data coverage

. In summary:

• SMS = Short Message Service
• Text-only messages up to 160 characters
• Sent over cellular networks without requiring internet
• One of the oldest and most common texting methods

This distinguishes SMS from MMS, which supports multimedia content, and from internet-based messaging apps like iMessage or WhatsApp