SmsCatcher

An Android utility app that periodically reads recent inbox SMS messages and forwards them by email.

Originally created as a supporting component for FaucNet (private project).

Overview

SmsCatcher is a lightweight Android background-service project built for simple SMS-to-email forwarding automation.

Its main purpose is straightforward:

• read the latest inbox SMS messages on the device
• build a plain-text email payload from those messages
• send them to a configured email address
• repeat the process on a timed interval in the background

This repository is best understood as a focused automation prototype / utility app, not a production-ready mobile product.

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What it does

When the service is active, SmsCatcher:

1. reads the latest SMS messages from the device inbox
2. selects the most recent messages
3. formats message details into an email body
4. sends that email using a configured Gmail account
5. repeats the process periodically

The current implementation is designed around forwarding the latest 3 inbox SMS messages on a 20-minute interval.

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How it works

The project is organized around a small set of responsibilities:

• MainActivity
  Starts and stops the background service.

• SendingService
  Runs in the background and re-triggers the SMS processing flow on a delay cycle.

• Process
  Coordinates the main logic:

  • read SMS
  • build email content
  • send email

• SmsReader / Sms
  Reads messages from Android’s SMS content provider and maps them into simple objects.

• WrittenMail / SendMail
  Handles email composition and delivery through JavaMail.

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Tech Stack

• Java
• Android
• Android background service
• JavaMail
• Telephony SMS content provider

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Requirements

• Android device with KitKat (API 19) or newer
• SMS inbox available on the device
• Internet access
• A Gmail account for outgoing email delivery

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Permissions

The app uses the following Android permissions:

• READ_SMS
• INTERNET

Because this project reads private SMS content, it should only be used in environments where that access is fully intentional and authorized.

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Setup

1. Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/squasar/SmsCatcher.git

Please Remember

SmsCatcher needs to be killed at least once on the device to work smoothly. You can open and then kill it. (Hold on the menu button and then swipe left/right the application)

After killing and restarting once, you can start using the SmsCatcher.

Currently, it has two buttons.

One of them activates a service that is going to run even if you kill the application. If pressed, the other button stops it. The service is reading the last 3 SMS on your inbox and sends them to the specified mail account for automation purposes. Unless its service gets stopped (which it can get via stop services button), it will continue to send the latest 3 SMS per 20 mins. It uses JavaMail API to send the mail. You have to have a gmail account to send mail.

• WrittenMail.java : You can edit your mail addresses and passwords in this file.