Choosing between SMS and fax

One warns, the other delivers and proves.

Comparing SMS and fax at a glance: one resembles a doorbell, the other a letterbox. An SMS alerts a person, and on the screen they consult dozens of times each day; a fax, meanwhile, delivers a full page — stamp, signature, table included — to an organisation's machine, and the remote device confirms that it was received. Hence the decisive factor is not speed but the kind of message: a brief notification, or a document whose transmission might later need to be justified? Often the best course is to send both channels in sequence.

Four differences that matter

On speed, the two channels are on a par. Here is what really separates them.

What is transmitted
An SMS carries only a few words of plain text. A fax reproduces an A4 page exactly as it is: layout, ticked boxes, signatures, company stamp. Elements that lose their meaning as soon as they are recopied as text.
The record left behind
An SMS receipt remains on the carrier's side and proves nothing beyond delivery to a handset. With fax, the generated report captures the destination number, the exact time of transmission and how many pages the receiving unit confirmed.
Who you are addressing
An SMS reaches a person, on their own number. A fax addresses an organisation: a town hall's reception, a court registry, a hospital pharmacy — the number comes from an official form.
The expected channel
No administrative procedure admits a document submitted by SMS. The organisation that publishes a fax number has built its reception on that channel: the sender complies.

When an SMS is enough

  • Alert, don't deliver

    Confirming an appointment, reporting a delay, saying “the quote has gone out by fax”: an SMS is read almost immediately. It announces the document without ever replacing it.

  • Contacting an individual

    Plumber, neighbour, distant relative: none owns a fax. For those people, a text or an email carrying the PDF is still the obvious choice — and the only option that works.

  • When nothing is disputed

    Entry codes, street details, a drop-off window: when nothing will ever require proof, convenience comes before the record. That is the lot of most everyday messages.

When fax is required

  • The organisation requires it

    Health insurance, court registry, hospital department, notary's office: many of these still handle fax traffic. Route the document by any other channel and it may simply sit in a queue.

  • A page, not a line of text

    Signed order, prescription, minutes or certificate: their strength lies in their very presentation. A photo sent by messaging gives neither the right framing nor legibility sufficient for the receiving department.

  • A deadline to meet

    Termination, complaint, file to submit before a date: hold on to the PDF you transmitted along with its transmission report. The pair establishes what was sent, the called number and the moment it went through — details an SMS cannot establish.

The right method: fax, then warn

Fax's weak point is the receiving machine: a shared device at the end of a corridor, or one at the front desk with the sheet waiting there for hours. Follow the send immediately with an SMS or a call and the issue is solved: the right person hears that something is waiting and comes to collect it.

The reverse order is worthless. Warning by SMS does not carry the document, and the so-called “SMS fax” services do no more than send a link where the file can be downloaded. No fax, no report: nothing a counter could record as a delivery.

SMS and fax: frequently asked questions

Does an SMS have evidential value?
Yes, wherever the law admits free evidence on the same footing as an email or a fax. How much weight it carries is then for the judge to decide case by case: you must still establish the author and the precise content. For an actual dispute, get advice from a lawyer or another legal professional.
Will my phone get a text when someone faxes me?
That is a feature of some reception services, backed by a virtual number: the provider captures the fax and sends you a notice. Faxeroo limits itself to sending and allocates no number; the reception page reviews the solutions.
Is it possible to transmit a fax to a cellular phone?
No. The fax would need a machine at the far end to answer with signaling tones, and those signals get distorted by the cellular network. You can find the full explanation and the available alternatives on our dedicated fax-and-mobile page.

Fax in everyday life

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