Show the bookmarks bar in your browser
Open Chrome on your computer. If the bookmarks bar is not visible at the top, press Ctrl+Shift+B to show it.
Drag the smart button into the bookmarks bar
This is the tool that removes the need for a smartphone. Drag the brown button with your mouse onto the bookmarks bar at the top of your browser.
Create an account on sms4free
To verify a kosher phone number with Google, we'll use an Israeli service called sms4free – a messaging provider licensed by the Ministry of Communications and tailored to the charedi community.
Go to sms4free.co.il and click Register. Enter your kosher phone number and a password. The service will ask you to verify ownership by calling them from your kosher phone – one call, and your account is ready.
- If your kosher phone supports text messaging (SMS): You do not need to register on sms4free. You can skip this step entirely and send the text message directly from your phone in Step 7.
- If your phone is talk-only (no SMS support): You can send the verification text from any friend's or relative's mobile phone that supports SMS. Google will verify the signup, but please note that the Gmail account will be associated with that phone number.
Open Google's signup page
Open an Incognito window in your browser (Ctrl+Shift+N) to avoid conflicts with existing accounts.
In that window, go to accounts.google.com/signup?hl=en and fill in your personal details – name, date of birth, desired username and password.
This link opens Google's sign-up page directly in English, so there is no need to switch language in the middle of the sign-up.
Make sure the page is in English
When Google shows you the QR-code page, make sure the page is in English. If you opened the sign-up through the link in step 4, it already is and there is nothing to do.
If the page is still in another language: do not rely on the language menu at the bottom of the page – during sign-up it does not always switch the language. Close the incognito window and start again from step 4, using the link.
Click the smart button
On the QR-code page (with the page in English), click the Google SMS QR Extractor shortcut in your bookmarks bar.
A dark window will open titled SMS Details Captured, containing two items:
- A Google phone number (e.g.:
+972539001109) - A short unique text to send (e.g.:
Send this message without editing. (RHmX69CwQFTb))
Click Copy Both to copy both items together.
Send the message through sms4free
Open a new tab, log in to your sms4free.co.il account and choose Send SMS. Paste the Google number into the recipient field, and the unique text into the message body. Click Send.
sms4free will ask you to call them once more to confirm sending. Dial, and the message will be sent to Google.
- If your phone has SMS: Simply open your phone's Messaging app, put Google's phone number (extracted in Step 6) as the recipient, paste/type the unique text exactly, and send the message.
- If your phone is talk-only: Send the unique text from a friend's or relative's mobile phone that supports SMS.
Finish signup and switch back to Hebrew
Go back to the Google tab. Within seconds the page will automatically move forward and offer to add a recovery email (you can skip).
Finally, once the account is created, you can set it back to your preferred language at myaccount.google.com/language and complete the account setup.
Got a new Gmail account?
Connect it now to Virtual Mail – and receive and send emails directly from your kosher phone.
Connect Gmail to Virtual Mail →