Use SMS2VPS over Different Networks

The examples assume that your Android device and VPS (or receiving device) are on the same local network. If your phone is on mobile data or a different Wi‑Fi network, you can still use SMS2VPS reliably by creating a secure, private network between your phone and server using tools such as Tailscale, ZeroTier, or Twingate.

The steps below assume that you have already installed SMS2VPS, configured everything in the VPS Settings view, and successfully tested a normal SSH connection to your VPS or receiving device.

General Preparation

• Choose one of the options below (Tailscale, ZeroTier or Twingate).
• Install the client on both your Android phone and the VPS or receiving device.
• Verify that you can connect to the VPS over the new private IP address before activating SMS synchronization.

Option 1: Tailscale

1. Create a free Tailscale account at tailscale.com.
2. Install the Tailscale app on your Android phone from Google Play and sign in using the same account.
3. Install Tailscale on your VPS or receiving device and authenticate it to the same Tailscale account.
4. On the VPS, run tailscale ip -4 (or check the Tailscale admin console) to see the private Tailscale IP address.
5. Open the SMS2VPS app and in VPS Settings set Host/IP address to the Tailscale IP you found in the previous step.
6. From another SSH client on your phone, test the connection to the Tailscale IP and SSH port. When the test works, you can safely activate SMS synchronization over Tailscale.

Option 2: ZeroTier

1. Create a ZeroTier account at zerotier.com and create a new network.
2. Install the ZeroTier One app on your Android phone and join it to your network using the network ID.
3. Install the ZeroTier client on your VPS or receiving device and join it to the same network.
4. In the ZeroTier web console, authorize both devices so they become fully connected.
5. On the VPS, run ip addr (Linux) or check your ZeroTier interface to find the private ZeroTier IP address (usually starting with 10.).
6. Enter this ZeroTier IP in the Host/IP address field in the SMS2VPS VPS Settings view and test the SSH connection before enabling synchronization.

Option 3: Twingate

1. Create a Twingate account and set up a new remote access network following the Twingate documentation.
2. Deploy a Twingate Connector in the same network as your VPS or receiving device.
3. Install the Twingate client app on your Android phone and sign in with your Twingate account.
4. Configure access so that your phone can reach the VPS via its internal IP address or hostname through Twingate.
5. On your phone, open an SSH client and verify that you can connect to the VPS over the Twingate connection using the same host, port and credentials that you use in SMS2VPS.
6. Once the SSH test succeeds, keep the Twingate client connected on your phone and enable SMS synchronization in the SMS2VPS app.