SMS Channel
At a glance
| Location | Settings → SMS / Chat composer → channel switcher |
| Plan | All plans, including the free tier |
| Related features | 3 |
Send and receive SMS text messages alongside WhatsApp, in the same inbox. Providers: Spun SMS (a shared Spun number your organization can be granted - nothing to set up, shown as an "Included" option when your admin has enabled it), bring your own Twilio or TextGrid account (connect with Account SID + Auth Token and import your numbers), platform-provided dedicated TextGrid numbers, or a TextBee Android-phone gateway as fallback. When you send from the shared Spun number, replies usually come back into the same chat; if two organizations happened to text the same person from that shared number recently, the reply goes to Spun support rather than being delivered to the wrong organization. Before sending, you must accept the SMS Acceptable Use Policy (consent-based messaging, honor STOP/opt-outs, no purchased lists, TCPA/CTIA compliance). In a chat, switch the composer to SMS mode via the channel switcher - SMS messages appear as orange bubbles with delivery status (queued/submitted/sent/delivered/failed), and each SMS bubble has a Reply button that answers by SMS whatever channel the composer is currently in. SMS is text-only, for 1:1 chats (not groups). A contact who replies STOP is also opted out of WhatsApp task notifications for that org, since the two channels share the same opt-out record for a contact; replying START reverses both. If Spun SMS is not available to your organization, the SMS screens say why: accept the Acceptable Use Policy first, SMS is suspended for your organization (contact support), or Spun SMS is temporarily unavailable (you can still connect your own provider). When Spun SMS is on, Settings → SMS explains that you send through a shared Spun number with no number of your own to manage. Connecting a provider and accepting the Acceptable Use Policy are done by a manager of your organization; other members who open the SMS options are told that a manager sets this up in Settings. The automatic reply to a HELP text and the unsubscribe line added to SMS campaigns are written in the language of your organization (a campaign uses the language chosen for a contact when there is one), while the keyword itself is always STOP. Each SMS you send shows under the bubble who sent it: the teammate, or the automation and the rule that sent it.
How to use
- Go to Settings → SMS.
- A manager of your organization accepts the Acceptable Use Policy.
- If your organization has Spun SMS enabled, you can send immediately with no provider setup - Settings → SMS shows "Spun SMS" instead of a number of your own. Otherwise, a manager connects a provider: click "Connect" under Provider Accounts, choose Twilio or TextGrid, enter your Account SID and Auth Token, verify, and import your numbers.
- In any 1:1 chat, use the channel switcher to enter SMS mode ("SMS → +1555…"), type your message, and send.
- Exit SMS mode with the X to return to WhatsApp. Note: a contact's STOP reply silences both SMS and any WhatsApp task notifications from your org to that contact; their START reply restores both.
Related features
FAQ
- Can Spun send SMS?
- How do I set up SMS?
- How do I connect my Twilio account?
- Why can't I send SMS to a group?
- What is TextBee?
- Can I send SMS without connecting Twilio?
- Do replies come back if I use the Spun number?
- If a contact replies STOP to an SMS, does it also stop their WhatsApp task reminders?
- Why can I not use Spun SMS?
- Who can connect an SMS provider?