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 is normal that, among so many changes, information is left behind; that is where Pushbullet becomes the piece that connects everything, allowing you to send messages, move files, and view notifications between devices without complicating your life.

Beyond a “simple bridge”, we are talking about a service platform, apps and extensions with which you can Send text messages to Android from a computer, as well as links, notes and even MMS, reply to messages, activate a universal clipboard, and even receive alerts from your WordPress website thanks to WP Cerber. If you're one of those who wants to have everything at hand without having to email yourself, it will come in handy for you.

What is Pushbullet and why you might care

Pushbullet combines web services, mobile applications 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.

Works on Android e iOS, has extensions for Chrome, Firefox and Opera, and desktop applications for Windows, macOS and Linux; on a practical level, this means that It is just as convenient to send a link from your mobile to your PC. than passing a photo in reverse, all in seconds.

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

Additionally, 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 notifications from your website on your mobile or in your 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 using it from your PC, the browser extension or the desktop app; you'll find it all in https://www.pushbullet.com/appsWhere downloads Free versions for Android, iPhone/iPad and major browsers.

Once the app (and/or extension) is installed, create your Pushbullet account by signing in with Google or Facebook; it is important that 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 teams; you will 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 and notifications from apps like WhatsApp or Telegram (depending on configuration) can appear as notifications in Chrome, Firefox, Opera, or the desktop app, so you don't have to let go of 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, respond directly from your computer; on iOS, support depends on the ecosystem; if you need Automatically forward your text messages to your iPhone, there are specific solutions, and in Mac is possible receive notifications from iPhone as long as you have Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), which means at least an iPhone 4S and a Mac from 2011 or later.

If you ever need silence, you can go to 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.

Please note that, as expected, you need 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 popular features is writing and sending SMS from your PC; with the Android app installed, simply open the “SMS” tab in the browser extension or desktop app to write messages comfortably 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 with the attach button; it is useful for send photos in full quality when other apps over-compress them. If you use Windows 11, you can too Receive and reply to SMS messages from Windows 11.

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

The recipient will always see your real number because messages travel through your mobile operator; that said, if you use services like Google Voice for SMS, will not work with Pushbullet because it depends on the phone line.

Universal Copy and Paste: The Clipboard That Follows You

When you turn on Universal Clipboard, any text you copy on one device syncs with the rest, so you can copy on your mobile and paste on your computer, or the other way around, without intermediate steps or strange inventions.

It's one of those invisible features that, once you try it, you won't want to let go; you activate it from the Pushbullet settings on each device and that's it. your last “copied” appears instantly wherever you're going to hit.

Send files, links and chat

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

For links, Pushbullet is a godsend: stop sending yourself emails with URLs, because with one click appear instantly on the other team, 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 across devices; all in an environment that, without being a typical messaging app, It is agile to share and comment.

Integration with WordPress using WP Cerber

WP Cerber adds a notification system that leverages Pushbullet to Send free, instant notifications from your WordPress to yours mobile devices or to your desktop browser, even if you are not logged into the panel at the time.

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, go to the WordPress dashboard, WP Cerber Notifications plugin section, paste it into the “Pushbullet Access Token” field, and save. If all goes well, You will see the list of your connected devices and you can choose which ones the notifications will reach (or all of them).

As for security, WP Cerber doesn't require you to install anything strange or open doors on your server: communication with Pushbullet travels over HTTPS and is one-way from your site to your devices; if you want, You can customize the notification texts using WP Cerber's own hooks.

A 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 temporarily mute notifications, the extension icon itself offers the “Snooze” option.

Pushbullet on Ubuntu and Linux with Pushbullet-Indicator

If you are using Ubuntu, Linux Mint or another compatible distribution, Pushbullet-Indicator is a tool that integrates the platform into the system indicators 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, transfer a photo from your PC to your mobile or vice versa it becomes practically instantaneous.

The prompt also allows you to write SMS from the Ubuntu desktop; the message is typed on the computer but is actually sent from the phone that you select, taking advantage of your operator rate.

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

Installing Pushbullet-Indicator

Pushbullet-Indicator isn't in the official repos, 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 it's common nowadays. use newer 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 search for “Pushbullet Indicator” in the applications menu, launch it, grant access to your account when the pop-up window asks for it and approve permits; from then on it is integrated into the system.

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

Pushbullet and Indicator feature end-to-end encryption for notifications, universal clipboard, and SMS; this means that data is encrypted before leaving your device and they are not decrypted until they reach another of your computers.

To activate it, you must set the same password on each device where you want to use it; technically it uses AES-256 with GCM authentication and the key is derived with PBKDF2, so your password is not saved on servers nor on 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 storage. storage in the Pushbullet cloud; if you upgrade to Pro, the maximum file size rises to 1 GB and available space at 100 GB, in addition to other advantages such as premium functions (depending on the time).

With SMS, in the free version there is a monthly limit of messages sent from the desktop; if you need send more than 20 messages, in Pro that limit disappears, so if you do intensive use of messaging the payment plan may compensate you.

Troubleshooting: SMS not going out and other problems

Sometimes SMS messages don't send the first time, and it's not your keyboard's fault. Here's a quick checklist that usually fixes this problem. The fault is usually in the jump PC→mobile or at the moment when Android attempts 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; and with end-to-end encryption enabled, only your devices know the content, since it is encrypted before leaving and decrypted at the destination.

It's important to remember that Pushbullet doesn't open any gateways to your site or your phone: notifications come to you, not the other way around; if at any time you want to pause, you can do so from the extension. snooze notifications with one click without deactivating anything else.

Share better: example of time-saving flows

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

When you type on your iPad or Android, you copy a paragraph to finish it on your 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 your desktop, with options to discard or answer as the case may be.

Little things that make a difference

Being able to send MMS by dragging an image into the conversation from Windows seems minor, but it saves you from having to fight with apps that over-compress photos; with Pushbullet the image comes out full size and the process is as quick as dropping the file.

When you're working with multiple tabs and apps, well-integrated notifications are a godsend: the extension shows you unobtrusive pop-ups, and if you're not interested in that moment, you can snooze with a click; these are small gestures that together they save a lot of time.