Developer Tools●●Solid
PhoneClaw – Replace a $20/mo VPS with an old Android phone
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WizardryShip ItBig Brain
8dazo
334mo ago
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Let agents send/receive SMS using your old Android phone
by LukBrezina·Jun 19, 2026·5 points·0 comments
AI Analysis
●●●BangerBig BrainCozySolve My Problem
Old Android + prepaid SIM beats Twilio for agent SMS with real phone numbers.
Strengths
- •Hardware reuse angle is genuinely clever — old phone from drawer does something useful
- •MCP protocol integration is timely and specific for agent communication workflows
- •Messages never logged, pruned within minutes — real privacy guarantees, not marketing
Weaknesses
- •Niche audience — only matters if you're building agents that need SMS access
- •Requires physical hardware setup; not as seamless as cloud API alternatives
Category
Target Audience
AI agent developers, hobbyists building automation tools
Similar To
Twilio · Vonage
Post Description
While playing with agents I realised it might be quite handy if they could get access to OTP codes. And while at it, why not give them ability to send the SMS as well. Twillio is expensive and annoying to set up for my taste.
I vibe coded simple Android app that can read/send SMS and simple relay server that acts as MCP for agents. Works surprisingly well and my old android phone from a drawer is doing something useful again.
Feel free to use it if you find it useful. I put it just to a $5 vps. If it's crashed, you should be able to spin up your own instance on your own VPS just in a few minutes.
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