Multidrop - SMS Not Delivering/Reply Failures
SMS credits are charged at the point of the submission to our supplier, the charge is submitted at this point for the attempt whether it is successful or rejected by the recipient as it still costs to trigger the send.
The API continues to send the SMS until it has left our supplier's queue and is upstream with the recipient, unless the SMS is failed straight away due to no number or an invalid number it won't be charged as the submission hasn't been processed, once the SMS is submitted it is out of our hands unless our supplier blocks the sending of the SMS which we can dispute with them ask for them to unblock it.
Issues are generally further upstream with the recipient's carrier/network, for example, they may have marked the SMS as spam or harassing but we can't control this, and the same with emails being marked as junk etc but the status they provide our supplier lets us know what is going on.
If the user has an iPhone, an update earlier this year now categorises SMS' as 'known' and 'unknown' and filters them so it could be they are being filtered as unknown as the number is not saved which won't show unless they go into this section, here is a link in regards to this change - Block, filter, and report messages on iPhone – Apple Support (UK).
Alternatively, Android has a similar feature but you need to manually add the number to the list - How to Block Unwanted SMS text Messages on Android - MalwareFox
SMS Confirmation Settings - Deadline to confirm
The correct system process, unless we are instructed to change it, matches what the order notes will explain which is that the confirmation reply is passed the deadline to confirm.
We do not know if you are staffed on weekends or not to handle any confirmations and customer support if they accept/cancel a delivery, for example, they confirm a Monday delivery on a Saturday but then cancel this which means route changes and other manual updates are required to be actioned before Monday so we prevent this from happening before this can then cause complaints.
The system default is set to cut off from a Friday 18:00 to Monday morning so any confirmations for a Saturday, Sunday or Monday need to be confirmed by Friday 18:00 so if they are confirming after the cut off they will receive the error message - If you wish to have this changed please provide the specific cut-off they can confirm till, for example, 'Monday deliveries can be confirmed until Saturday at 17:00' or 'The recipient can confirm the delivery up to 23:59 the day before the delivery date no matter the day of delivery'.
My SMS was not delivered
Non-delivery means we were unable to deliver the message. There can be multiple reasons why an SMS does not deliver. Here are some of the most common reasons your SMS might not be delivered.
Phone switched off
If a phone is switched off, we are unable to deliver an SMS to that number at that time. To resolve this simply switch on the phone and make sure it has a good connection to the network.
Note that each SMS has a validity period during which the SMS must be delivered, otherwise it fails.
Under a few circumstances, the network may block the number from receiving SMS:
- The phone is on a Do-Not-Disturb (DND) list for SMS services. This is usually initiated by the customer through their provider.
- The network has put a block on the number, for example, due to unpaid bills.
Your end-user can reach out to their provider for more information.
Connection Issues
Number out of network coverage
We are unable to deliver an SMS if the phone is switched on but out of network coverage. It is also possible for the phone to have an issue with the Application-to-Person (A2P) network. In this case, it is also not possible for us to deliver the SMS until the phone has reconnected to the A2P network.
Most connection issues are resolved by simply restarting the phone as this refreshes the connection to the network.
Note that each SMS has a validity period during which the SMS must be delivered, otherwise it fails.
We cannot guarantee delivery for numbers in roaming. Whether or not the SMS can be delivered depends on agreements between the home network and the roaming network. This is out of our control.
Many countries and networks have restrictions regarding SMS content and senders. Please check to make sure you are adhering to local restrictions, as not doing so can cause issues with SMS delivery. You can see more information on this page: Country Restrictions and Regulations