I built Windows and Linux. I only really tested macOS.

dumbsms is out for macOS, Windows, and Linux. You can download all three today.

Here’s the part I need to say plainly before you install anything on a PC: I’ve been living on the macOS build. Windows and Linux exist because the stack is cross-platform and the CI produces installers — not because I’ve spent weeks on real hardware shaking out every USB driver quirk and Bluetooth edge case on those OSes.

This is a hobby project, not a product with a QA team. That has been fine while the audience was me and my flip phone. It is less fine now that strangers might download a .exe or .deb and expect it to Just Work™ on the first try.

What actually got tested

On macOS, I’ve done the unglamorous work: install the .pkg, plug in over USB, send and receive SMS and MMS, group threads, attachments, Bluetooth when USB is awkward, idle links, the companion app sideload dance, the whole daily driver loop. That’s the build I trust.

On Windows and Linux, I’ve built installers, run automated tests, and done code review — but not live hardware time. I don’t have a Windows box or a Linux daily driver in the house. What I do have is Rust code with platform-specific paths, notification stubs that persist state but don’t deliver on non-macOS yet, and a long list of “probably works” assumptions about adb/USB permissions and BLE adapters.

The download page labels those platforms Help us QA for a reason. They’re not vaporware. They’re also not something I want to oversell.

What would help most

If you have a compatible flip phone and a Windows or Linux machine, I’d love real-world reports — especially early, before you assume you’re doing something wrong.

Install and launch

• Does the installer or portable zip work on your setup?
• Does the app open without missing libraries or permission walls?

USB link

• Does the phone show up after developer mode?
• Can you complete pairing and see your threads?

Core messaging

• Send and receive a plain SMS.
• Send and receive a picture (MMS).
• Try a group thread if you have one.

Bluetooth (if you use it)

• Connect over BLE when USB isn’t in play.
• Leave it idle for a few minutes, then send again — I’ve been chasing stale-link bugs on macOS and I don’t know yet how they behave elsewhere.

Rough edges

• Anything that crashes, hangs, or silently fails.
• UI weirdness, missing notifications, driver errors — all useful.

You don’t need to run a formal test plan. A few sentences in an email is enough: OS version, phone model, what worked, what didn’t.

The upside? Your name in the credits. I’m not running a bug bounty — it’s a hobby — but if you help shake out a platform and send reports I can actually use, you get a permanent thank-you in the app’s credits list. Small, but real.

How to reach me

Use the contact form — pick Question about dumbsms and mention your platform in the message. If you’re stuck mid-setup, check troubleshooting first; it covers a lot of USB and companion-app footguns.

macOS users aren’t off the hook either. If you’re on Intel hardware, or a phone I haven’t tried, or a carrier combo that’s weird — same ask. The more diverse the setups, the less likely the next person hits a wall I never saw.

Why publish before it’s perfect?

Because hiding Windows and Linux until they’re “done” mostly means they never get tested by anyone who isn’t me — and I’m on a Mac. I’d rather be honest, ship the builds, and fix what you find than pretend three green checkmarks on a landing page mean anything.

Thanks for trying dumbsms, and doubly thanks if you send a bug report instead of quietly uninstalling. That’s how a one-person hobby project gets better.