Only done it once when enforced by circumstance. Lady I was with was away a few days for work, when I was redeployed to an Asia backwater at a few hours notice. We had been together a few weeks and I knew it would be months before I was back. I gave her the option by text to wait or find somewone else...she had moved away before I was back, so never saw her again.

Speaking as someone on the receving end....quite disrespectful, humiliating and still angers me today.

At that point , it probably doesn't matter long term.

Tacky and gutless. If you are in a relationship with someone, you owe them a face-to-face explanation. If you don't have the courage to do that, you shouldn't be in a relationship with anyone.

If it isn't a serious relationship, it depends on how long and why you feel the need to not tell them in person. I was in a 5 year LTR with someone who lived about a half hour away who cheated on me and then texted me to tell me "I fucked up. Please don't call me." And then blocked my number. I know she blocked my number because of course I called her for clarification... fucking cowardly. I don't know if she was worried I'd flip out or if she didn't want to watch my heart break in person. Either way, she got her wish. I guess that made it easy for her.

Perhaps, it's because I use texting so much that I consider it my main form of communication, but I say:

Depends. If you've been together a couple of weeks or so and only been on a couple of dates, it's a little shitty but not majorly bad. On the other hand, if you've been together more than ten years and married for five, then text your partner to say you've met someone else and give them 12 hours to pack what they can and get out, it makes you a bit of an arsehole.

As you may have guessed, I'm not discussing an entirely hypothetical situation here.

Cowardly

It's rude and disrespectful, as is "ghosting."

I always have a conversation in person.

Not very nice, for sure!