I'd like to interact with my customers via texting/messaging on a phone app, but not use my personal phone number. Although this seems like a common need, haven't found a solution for that yet.
Twilio SMS services are amazing. I'd like to take advantage of those services as well as utilize a familiar iMessage like interface for interaction with in and out SMS/MMS messages.
Was wondering if I could avoid re-inventing the wheel by using a standard XMPP iOS app with a standard XMPP chat server and only build an intermediate service that would translate between Twilio SMS and XMPP.
I've got to assume that other's have already solved this problem. I'd would love to hear your input on using this approach or hearing how you've solved this.
Twilio developer evangelist here.
I am not an expert in XMPP I'm afraid. However, a bit of Googling turned up the following links:
SMS over XMPP with Twilio
Multi channel chat with Twilio and Google App Engine
Cloudpipes Twilio XMPP integration
Perhaps one of those might help?
This XMPP component connects Twilio SMS and voice to XMPP: https://wiki.soprani.ca/TwilioSetup
I posted an Android SMS app called Owl SMS, that allows you to do what you wanted, keep your personal SMS (from your mobile phone number) separate from your business SMS. At this time, it only does text, I haven't added MMS.
https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.tigerfarmpress.owlsms&hl=en
Related
I'm using Twilio Conversations for a chat service in my project. Currently, we have only normal 1-to-1 chat which is handled using frontend SDKs. It's working properly. My new requirement is something like WhatsApp broadcast: the sender can send messages to multiple participants, but on the receiver's side, it should be a normal chat message. Is it possible to implement using Twilio? How can I implement this?
Twilio developer evangelist here.
You can definitely do this with Twilio Conversations! Here's a way to do it using the Twilio CodeExchange.
Here's the JS version of that CodeExchange app on GitHub as well.
Edit: A Messaging PM says that Conversations is not the right product for notifications/bulk messaging. They're positioning Conversations and its features for bi-directional/conversational messaging and Messaging for transactional messaging (notifications, bulk messaging, verifications, etc.)
What they've seen people do in the past:
get list of numbers, iterate through them with Messaging API to send out bulk marketing message
set up the 'from' number (twilio sender) with Conversations autocreation, so that if someone replies it creates a Conversation
Handle the interactive dialogue with the person who wrote back using Conversations
Let me know if this helps at all!
I am trying to implement a call feature in my xamarin forms app using Twilio. I am able to call by providing From and To numbers using this API of Twilio. But the above call is happening via Twilio, I need to make a call via the internet (App to App). Is there any way to do this using Twilio?
Also is there a way to send a voice clip if the call is not answered? And any way to list out all the voices? I am able to list out SMS and call logs, but couldn't find a way to list the voices. I am using c# codes.
Twilio developer evangelist here.
If you want to make App to App calls then you want the Twilio Voice SDK. I am afraid we don't provide an official Xamarin wrapper for this SDK, though there are community wrappers available that might help you.
Is there anyway to send the same text to multiple contacts not as a group text. I have been told that it would need a server to accomplish this. If that is the case I would like to be able to still send texts from my current number not a new number. I have checked out Twilio but have not gotten very far.
Twilio developer evangelist here.
You cannot send mass text messages using Twilio and your existing phone number.
One option you might have is, if you have a Mac you can control the SMS app programmatically to send lots of SMS messages. Here's a blog post with some example code to do that: https://www.twilio.com/blog/2017/06/drawing-pixel-art-text-messages-signal-video-wall.html
That might not be of much help, but while you can send lots of SMS messages with Twilio, you cannot do so using your existing number.
Yes you could send mass texts out to different numbers using twilio. No you could not use your current number.
You would have to purchase a new twilio number that has SMS messaging enabled.
Look at the Twilio documentation and their get started guide, figure out the language you want to create your server in and you will be sending texts in no time. https://www.twilio.com/docs/quickstart/node/programmable-sms You would run the webserver. Twilio does not offer a swift or ios based SMS solution.
https://www.twilio.com/docs/quickstart?filter-language=swift
If I am using Twilio for a disaster recovery application and the scenario happens that all mobile comms in a region are down but landline is still up; will Twilio still function for landline users or does it rely on mobile comms for some portion of its service? Does Twilio rely on mobile networks for some portion of its back end?
Or should I be safe?
Hi Twilio Customer Support here.
It depends on how you set up your application, if its primarily SMS based and the mobile network goes down in the region/country then it will impact SMS deliverability, though I cannot state 100% sure how it will affect sms to sms capable landlines.
What I recommend is you mix voice into your service on top of SMS, you could have automated messages or statements, or voicemail services.
Have you seen the Twilio.org rapid response kit? It might give you some pointers on where to look at:
https://www.twilio.com/blog/2014/03/open-source-nonprofit-tools-twilio-org-rapid-response-kit-nt.html
Tom
I am working on an app that will require registering (or verifying?) with phone number just like WhatsApp or Telegram or many messaging apps do. Something like this:
Is it possible to do something like that with Parse.com? Or what would be the best option to implement this service?
Thank you!
Yes, it would be possible with Parse as your backend. You'd need a third party SMS service to send the txt. Parse is partnered with Twilio for sending SMS messages. See here. There are many other SMS API services available as well if you just google search it.