Guidelines to avoid SMS filtering

In short, avoid sending spam or fraudulent traffic. Keep your account credentials secure to avoid account takeovers by malicious actors.

Below are some guidelines that will greatly reduce the chances that your messages will be filtered:

Consent and opt-in
- Ensure that you only send messages to mobile users who have provided consent (opted-in) to receive messages from you:
  1. Prior to sending the first message, you must obtain agreement from the message recipient to communicate with them – this is referred to as “consent”, you must make clear to the individual they are agreeing to receive messages of the type you’re going to send. You need to keep a record of the consent, such as a copy of the document or form that the message recipient signed, or a timestamp of when the customer completed a sign-up flow;
  2. If you do not send an initial message to that individual within a reasonable period after receiving consent (or as set forth by local regulations or best practices), then you will need to reconfirm consent in the first message you send to that recipient;
  3. The consent applies only to you, and to the specific use or campaign that the recipient has consented to. You can’t treat it as blanket consent allowing you to send messages from other brands or companies you may have, or additional messages about other uses or campaigns; and
  4. Proof of opt-in consent should be retained as set forth by local regulation or best practices after the end user opts out of receiving messages.
- Ensure that your messages clearly identify who is sending the message, and how to opt-out. If you are contacting the same recipients multiple times per month, you do not need to provide opt-out instructions in every message, but you must do it at least once per month;
- The opt-out language you include in your messages must include a widely accepted keyword for opt-out. In the US and Canada this is typically STOP, e.g. “Reply STOP to unsubscribe.” Using alternative phrases like “text 2 to opt out” is not compliant, and will result in filtering; and
- If you are sending messages to users repeatedly over a long period of time, you should check in with your recipients at least once every 18 months to ensure they still want to receive messages from you. The mobile number you are sending messages to may have changed owners, or the recipient may not remember giving consent to receive messages from you.
Message contents
- Do not send links that have been shortened using shared public URL shorteners, such as TinyUrl or free Bitly links. United States carrier policies forbid the use of shared public URL shorteners. Other countries might not totally forbid using shared public URL shorteners, but it is not advisable; and
- Do not send any content that is illegal, harmful, unwanted, inappropriate, objectionable, confirmed to be criminal misinformation, or otherwise poses a threat to the public. Prohibited content also includes anything that is illegal in the jurisdiction where the message recipient lives.
Avoid account takeover

If your Account accidentally falls into the wrong hands, your account could be used to send bad messaging traffic. We strongly recommend you keep your account credentials safe to prevent account takeovers.

Age and Geographic Gating
- If you are sending messages in any way related to alcohol, firearms, gambling, tobacco, cannabis or other adult content, then more restrictions apply. In addition to obtaining consent from every message recipient, you must ensure that no message recipient is younger than the legal age of consent based on where the recipient is located. You also must ensure that the message content complies with all applicable laws of the jurisdiction in which the message recipient is located or applicable communications industry guidelines or standards; and
- You need to be able to provide proof that you have in place measures to ensure compliance with these restrictions