How to send messages and files between devices with Pushbullet

In our daily lives we jump from mobile to laptop and from browser to tablet, and it's normal that, amidst so much switching, information gets lost along the way; that's where Pushbullet becomes the piece that connects everything , allowing you to send messages, move files and see notifications between devices without complicating your life.

More than just a "simple bridge," this is a platform of services, apps , and extensions that lets you send text messages to Android devices from your computer , as well as links, notes, and even MMS messages. You can also reply to messages, activate a universal clipboard, and even receive alerts from your WordPress website thanks to WP Cerber. If you're someone who wants everything at your fingertips without constantly forwarding emails to yourself, this will be incredibly useful.

What is Pushbullet and why you might care

Pushbullet combines web services, mobile apps, and browser extensions with "push" technology so you can share virtually anything between your devices and, if you want, with other people who also use the platform.

It works on Android and iOS , has extensions for Chrome, Firefox and Opera, and desktop applications for Windows , macOS and Linux; practically speaking, this means that sending a link from your mobile to your PC is just as easy as transferring a photo in the opposite direction, all in seconds.

Among its great advantages are sending and receiving SMS (and now also MMS) from the computer, viewing mobile notifications on the desktop, and universal copy and paste so that the clipboard accompanies you wherever you work.

In addition, Pushbullet offers a public API for developers and integrates with third-party tools; for example, with the WP Cerber plugin for WordPress you can receive alerts from your website on your mobile phone or browser without setting up a complex notification system.

Basic installation: mobile and browser, already running

To get started, you need the official app on your phone or tablet, and if you're going to use it from your PC, the browser extension or the desktop app; you'll find everything at https://www.pushbullet.com/apps , where you can download the versions for Android, iPhone/iPad and the main browsers for free.

Once the application (and/or extension) is installed, create your Pushbullet account by logging in with Google or Facebook ; it is important that you use the same account on all devices so that they sync automatically and appear listed in the Devices menu.

From that moment on, you can send links, notes, and files between your devices; you'll see that the experience is immediate and you don't need to have any special website open, just have the app or extension active.

Desktop notifications: Say goodbye to unlocking your phone every now and then

With Pushbullet, incoming calls, SMS messages, and notifications from apps like WhatsApp or Telegram (depending on your settings) can appear as notifications in Chrome, Firefox, Opera, or the desktop app , so you don't have to take your hands off the keyboard to look at your phone.

On Android, the integration is very complete: notifications are displayed, you can dismiss them, and in some cases, reply directly from your computer. On iOS, support depends on the ecosystem; if you need to automatically forward your text messages to your iPhone , there are specific solutions. On Mac , it's possible to receive iPhone notifications as long as you have Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), meaning at least an iPhone 4S and a Mac from 2011 or later.

If you ever need silence, you can access Options from the extension icon and activate "Snooze" to temporarily pause notifications; in Chrome for Windows you can even right-click on the icon and snooze for an hour without opening settings.

Keep in mind that, as expected, you need an internet connection on your devices to receive notifications; communication travels over HTTPS and is one-way to your devices, so nothing enters your website or phone from Pushbullet without your action.

Send SMS (and now MMS) from your computer

One of the most beloved features is writing and sending SMS messages from your PC; with the Android app installed, simply open the “SMS” tab in the browser extension or the desktop app to comfortably compose messages with your keyboard and send them to your contacts.

Pushbullet has added MMS sending from Windows, so you can attach images to a conversation by dragging them into the window or using the attach button; this is useful for sending full-quality photos when other apps compress them excessively. If you're using Windows 11 , you can also receive and reply to SMS messages from Windows 11.

If at any point the phone has no coverage or the message fails, the system keeps the SMS in a queue for up to an hour to retry sending it; if it is not triggered automatically, it will be sent when you open the application on Android , so that it is not lost.

The recipient will always see your real number because messages travel through your mobile carrier; that said, if you use services like Google Voice for SMS, it won't work with Pushbullet because it relies on your phone line.

Universal Copy and Paste: The Clipboard That Follows You

When you activate the universal clipboard, any text you copy on one device is synchronized with the rest, so you can copy on your mobile and paste on your computer , or vice versa, without intermediate steps or strange inventions.

It's one of those invisible features that, once you try it, you never want to give up; you activate it from the Pushbullet settings on each device and that's it, your last "copied" appears instantly wherever you're going to paste it.

Send files, links and chat

Sending files between devices is as simple as dragging them to the Pushbullet window or using the share menu on Android; this way you can send documents, images or APKs from PC to mobile or from mobile to mobile without cables or intermediate clouds.

For links, Pushbullet is a lifesaver: stop sending yourself emails with URLs, because with one click they appear instantly on the other computer , ready to open; you can also write notes or quick lists.

If you have friends who use Pushbullet, you can "push" other people and chat easily between devices; all in an environment that, while not a typical messaging app, is agile for sharing and commenting.

Integration with WordPress using WP Cerber

WP Cerber adds a notification system that leverages Pushbullet to send free, instant alerts from your WordPress site to your mobile devices or desktop browser, even if you're not logged into the dashboard at the time.

The setup is done in three very clear steps: first you install the mobile app or browser extension, then you create your Pushbullet account and log in with Google or Facebook, and finally, you generate an access token on your Pushbullet account settings page.

With that token, you enter the WordPress panel, the WP Cerber Notifications plugin section, paste it into the "Pushbullet access token" field and save; if everything goes well, you will see the list of your connected devices and you can choose which ones will receive the notifications (or all of them).

In terms of security, WP Cerber doesn't require installing anything unusual or opening any doors on your server: communication with Pushbullet travels over HTTPS and is unidirectional from your site to your devices; if you want, you can customize the notification texts using WP Cerber's own hooks.

One note: Pushbullet manages devices and extensions with a single account, so you'll need to use a single profile (the same Google or Facebook) for everything; if you need to temporarily silence notifications , the extension's icon itself offers the "Snooze" option.

Pushbullet on Ubuntu and Linux with Pushbullet-Indicator

If you use Ubuntu, Linux Mint, or another compatible distribution, Pushbullet-Indicator is a tool that integrates the platform into the system's indicator area to send and receive messages, links, and files natively from the desktop.

After logging in with your account (you can use Google), you'll see your devices and, when you select one, a form will open to choose what you want to share; this way, transferring a photo from your PC to your mobile or vice versa becomes virtually instantaneous.

The indicator also allows you to write SMS messages from the Ubuntu desktop; the message is typed on the computer but is actually sent from the phone you select, taking advantage of your carrier's data plan.

As for messaging, you can set up quick replies from your desktop to Android apps like WhatsApp, Telegram, Hangouts, Facebook, or Line, as long as they're integrated with Pushbullet; it's a luxury to be able to reply without taking your phone out of your pocket when you're focused.

Installing Pushbullet-Indicator

Pushbullet-Indicator is not in the official repositories, but it can be installed in a snap by adding its PPA and updating; remember that there are classic PPAs designed for versions like Ubuntu 14.04 or Linux Mint 17 Cinnamon, although nowadays it's common to use more recent packages depending on your distro.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:atareao/atareao
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install pushbullet-indicator

Then you just have to look for “Pushbullet Indicator” in the applications menu, launch it, grant access to your account when the pop-up window requests it and approve the permissions ; from there it is integrated into the system.

End-to-end encryption in Linux (and beyond)

Pushbullet and the indicator incorporate end-to-end encryption for notifications, universal clipboard, and SMS; this means that data is encrypted before leaving your device and is not decrypted until it reaches another of your devices.

To activate it, you must set the same password on each device where you want to use it; technically, AES-256 with GCM authentication is used, and the key is derived with PBKDF2, so your password is not stored on servers or devices as is.

Tips, Limits, and Pro Version

In the free version you can send files up to 25 MB and you have 2 GB of Pushbullet cloud storage ; if you upgrade to Pro, the maximum file size increases to 1 GB and the available space to 100 GB, in addition to other advantages such as premium features (depending on the time).

With SMS, the free version has a monthly limit on messages sent from the desktop; if you need to send more than 20 messages , that limit disappears in Pro, so if you make intensive use of messaging, the paid plan may be worthwhile.

Troubleshooting: SMS not going out and other problems

Sometimes SMS messages don't send on the first try, and it's not your keyboard's fault; we've put together a list of quick checks that usually solve the problem because, in practice, the fault is usually in the PC→mobile connection or at the moment when Android tries to send the message.

• Try switching from Wi-Fi to mobile data and try again, in case your network is blocking the necessary traffic; this is a classic diagnosis that rules out restrictions of the router.
• Open the Pushbullet app on your phone and leave the screen on while you send the SMS from your PC; some devices require “wake up” permissions with the first shipment.
• On some LG and Samsung Galaxy S5s, a dialog box appears asking for permission to send SMS; if you accidentally rejected it, reinstall the app so it asks you again and grant him access.
• Some devices don't allow you to send texts with the screen locked; try it with your phone unlocked or change your default SMS app to a compatible one, for example. Google Messages.
• If you use TextSecure/Signal as your default SMS, syncing with Pushbullet will not work; disable that option or use the system SMS app.
• On Dual SIM Android phones, non-default apps are not allowed to choose a line; if your phone is dual SIM, that's usually where the problem lies.
• Pushbullet does not handle Google Voice SMS; you can only use your operator's SMS (Movistar, Orange, Vodafone, etc.).
• If you were on an Android M preview (older) there was a known bug with SMS; update to a stable version for avoid system failures.

Security and privacy: secure connections and control

Communications between your website (if you use WP Cerber), Pushbullet servers, and your devices travel over HTTPS; furthermore, with end-to-end encryption enabled, only your devices know the content , as it is encrypted before leaving and decrypted at the destination.

It's important to remember that Pushbullet doesn't open any backdoors to your site or your mobile device: notifications go to you, not the other way around; if at any point you want to take a break, you can postpone notifications with a single click from the extension without disabling anything else.

Share better: example of time-saving flows

You're reading a news story on your mobile and you want it on the big screen: you share it with Pushbullet and it opens instantly in your browser ; or you're working on your laptop and you need a photo you took with your phone, you drag it to the window and it arrives on your mobile in seconds.

When writing on the iPad or Android, you copy a paragraph to finish it on the desktop: with the universal clipboard you'll have it when you paste; and if you get a call or an SMS, you'll see the notification on the desktop, with options to dismiss or answer as appropriate.

Little things that make a difference

The fact that you can send MMS messages by dragging an image into the conversation from Windows might seem minor, but it saves you from having to struggle with apps that over-compress photos; with Pushbullet, the image appears full size and the process is as quick as dropping the file.

When you work with multiple tabs and applications, well-integrated notifications are invaluable: the extension shows you discreet pop-ups and, if you're not interested in that moment, you can postpone it with a click; these are small gestures that add up to a lot of time.