Twilio

When would you send a text from your app?

A repair shop might text a customer when a bike is ready for pickup. Twilio can pass the text to the phone network. Your app must record that the repair is ready, check the person agreed to pickup texts and decide what to do if the message fails.

Choose a sender that supports SMS for the destination. Check the requirements for that country and sender type. Twilio’s US application-to-person registration guide covers sending from a US 10-digit long-code number to US recipients. It requires a paid account for registration and a verified campaign before sending on that route.

What if a customer gives you a number or replies STOP?

Twilio’s messaging policy requires express consent for the kind of messages you plan to send. Tell customers who is sending the text and what it is for. In the first text, include “Reply STOP to unsubscribe” or equivalent wording that uses a standard opt-out keyword. Let the person opt out in one step by replying with that keyword. Keep the consent record and honor a withdrawal. A phone number in an order form does not by itself establish agreement to receive texts.

Keep a way to check repair status in the app. If the person declines or withdraws consent for SMS, they can still find the update there. Avoid putting private details in the message body.

Does a sent text mean the customer got it?

Twilio marks an SMS as Sent when the upstream carrier accepts it. Delivered means Twilio received a delivery confirmation from the carrier and, where available, the handset. Neither status establishes that the person read the text.

Keep Twilio’s message reference alongside the app’s repair event so you can look up what happened. If a request times out and you cannot tell whether the text was accepted, check the message records before deciding what to do. Leave an unresolved attempt for review instead of retrying blindly.

How can you check the SMS decision without using a real number?

Use paper only. Make up three pickup records and leave phone numbers as labels such as Customer A. Keep the app, provider and phone network disconnected.

1. 1
   Follow the eligible case

   Customer A agrees to pickup texts. Mark the saved repair event as eligible for one text, and write down the message reference you would retain.
2. 2
   Check the withdrawal

   Customer B previously agreed and later replied STOP. Mark the text as skipped and show where the customer can still find the repair update.
3. 3
   Trace an uncertain result

   Give Customer C a request timeout. Write down what information you would use to find the first attempt. Until you know what happened, mark it for review. The paper exercise cannot verify carrier delivery.

What affects the SMS bill, and what should you keep?

Twilio’s US price table lists a base of US$0.0083 for one outbound long-code SMS segment. A segment is one billable piece of a text. A longer message or different character encoding can use more than one. Carrier, number, registration and other applicable fees are separate. Check the price for your destination and sender.

Twilio documents exporting message activity and a separate process to port an eligible number. Keep your own message preferences, consent and suppression records. Check the new provider’s rules and registration requirements before assuming a number or permission can carry over.