Check if number is SMS/MMS capable before porting - twilio

I would like to check if a set of US numbers are SMS capable - the customer would like to have both SMS and voice on the numbers and I'd like to know if this is possible before porting the numbers to Twilio.
I tried the LookupAPI but that does not seem to give me this information.
I then sent a SMS to the number to see if the SMS is delivered and I get a delivered status in the Twilio API, which in theory would mean that the number is SMS capable, but I'm not sure if this test is conclusive.
Is there any other way I could determine the number capabilities without owning the number?

All US numbers ported over to Twilio support both Voice and SMS.

Related

Use own number to send SMS in Twilio

I have had a couple of customers wondering if they can use their own phone numbers to send out SMS using Twilio.
I am wondering if this is possible?
What are the carrier charges in this case and do I need to verify this number before enabling this functionality for an individual user?
The number you want to send messages from (or to) needs to be controlled by Twilio. However, it is possible to port your number from your current provider over to Twilio and thus give Twilio control over that number. This is possible, at least in some countries.
This support article here describes how this can be done for US numbers.

Service to receive SMS messages from short codes?

So I need to programmatically receive text messages from a shortcode. Twilio does not support this. Anybody know a service like Twilio but that is able to receive SMS messages from a short code sender?
Just to be clear. I need to receive a text message from a shortcode to a 10 digit number, not send from a shortcode.
Most services (Twilio, call fire) that let you send from a shortcode can not receive a text message from a shortcode
This can’t be done, shortcodes are unique to each carrier network, when a short code is available across multiple carriers it is implemented on each carrier separatly.
Also shortcodes are not international so 54321 could be used in both the UK and US by totally separate services.
SMS providers like Twilio and Vonage connect to the carriers in the same way as the shortcodes do, they are both an application connection. The carriers do not permit app to app messaging through their network so a shortcode app will only ever be able to send to a real subscriber with a SIM card.
You might find some providers that offer an SMS API by using banks of hosted SIM cards but this can be very flakey and you are usually sharing the number. The other option might be to look at hosting your own SIM card in a usb single or such and recieve the SMS that way.
Actually, Twillio does support this now, although with a big disclaimer that it "cannot guarantee that every short code globally will be able to reach Twilio numbers"
https://support.twilio.com/hc/en-us/articles/223181668-Can-Twilio-numbers-receive-SMS-from-a-short-code-?_ga=2.202438166.641482548.1608644940-210958917.1588771372
I think this article might be just what you're looking for https://help.nexmo.com/hc/en-us/articles/216487658-Inbound-SMS-on-dedicated-US-short-code
You should be able to receive SMS messages on a dedicated US Shortcode.

Facing issue while sending SMS with Twilio Copilot

I am trying to work on Twilio Copilot. I have created the SID.I have also assigned a UK number .I need to send messages to UK, US and South africa for now.
I am currently facing problem is sending messages to US. Do i need to assign a seperate US number for it to work (Same for Other Countries)?
I am using C# Twilio 4.7.2 library.
Twilio developer evangelist here.
My guess is that you have a UK landline number. That is a number that currently supports voice and messaging and starts +441, +442 or +443.
UK landline numbers cannot currently send international SMS.
If you still want to use a UK number to send international messages, you can get a UK mobile number, which will start +447, though currently these numbers do not support incoming voice calls.
Best practice for sending international messages is to try to use a local number to send them. When you are using Copilot it will automatically geomatch the best number to the location you are sending to.

Twilio: does the area code affect SMS delivery speed?

We are a mobile app that uses Twilio for phone number verification.
And experiencing a small percentage of our user base getting their SMS very slow (over 2 mins).
Right now we have ~100 Twilio phone numbers which we use in a round robin chain format (so we don't hit any API limits).
Does the area code of the Twilio phone number that sends the SMS affect delivery speed? If so, we can buy a phone number in each area code and sent user's their verification SMS from a Twilio number in the exact same area code.
Here is an example of a delivery that took several minutes:
Twilio developer evangelist here.
The area code of a Twilio number should not affect the delivery speed at all. If you are concerned about this then I recommend you get in touch with Twilio support and send them some of the message SIDs you're worried about. They can track down why there might be delays with the carriers.
Just as a note, you don't need to do the round robin yourself. Take a look at Twilio's Copilot. It allows for geomatching (on an international basis) and also gives you sticky sender so that users will always receive messages from the same number.

Twilio MMS Number

I am using the software DSLR-Photobooth. Included is Twilio to send the made pictures directly. Twilio-site says I need a number for that, but there are just SMS and voice numbers. How can I get a MMS Number?
Thanks
Enrico
Enrico, where are you trying to buy a number in order to start sending MMS?
You may want to check out this list of SMS enabled numbers and look for 'Yes' in the MMS enabled box.

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