Understanding the Delivery Status of an SMS
Every message you send through touchSMS is given a delivery status, which updates as the message moves from your account, to the carrier, and on to the recipient’s handset. This article explains where to find those statuses, how to filter for them, and what each one means.
WHERE TO FIND DELIVERY STATUSES
Go to Reports for an overview of your account usage, then open the Detailed Report to see individual messages. The Detailed Report lists the date and time each message was sent, the recipient’s number, the message content and its current delivery status.
FILTERING THE DETAILED REPORT
The filters at the top of the Detailed Report make it easy to narrow the list down and find specific messages. You can filter by:
- Date Range – limit results to a specific period.
- Status – show only messages with a particular delivery status.
- Sources – show only messages sent from a particular source, such as the web app, an integration or the API.
- Phone – search for a specific mobile number or contact.
The Status dropdown offers three options: Sent, Delivered and Failed. Filtering by Failed returns every message that did not reach the handset, including those marked Error, Expired, Cancelled and Filtered.
NOTE: The visibility and update of delivery statuses are dependent on the local carrier dispatching your message. Results of delivery are reflected live in online reports. Depending on your region, some of the below statuses may not be available.
STATUSES
SCHEDULED
The message has been saved to send at a later date and time. It has not been submitted to the carrier yet and can still be cancelled.
SENDING
The message is queued and in the process of being submitted for delivery.
SENT
The message has been submitted from touchSMS to the carrier and is awaiting a returned confirmation of delivery.
It can take up to 24 hours for a Sent status to be updated by the carrier to Delivered or Failed. In some cases the carrier does not return an updated status at all. There are a number of reasons a status remains as Sent:
- The number is disconnected or no longer in use.
- The number is active but the handset is switched off or out of range for an extended period.
- The recipient is experiencing network problems.
- The message was delivered successfully, but the carrier has simply not returned a confirmation – most often the case.
DELIVERED
The message has reached the recipient’s handset and the carrier has returned a delivery receipt confirming it.
FAILED
The handset did not receive the message. The most common reasons are:
- The SIM card is not in a handset.
- The handset has been out of network range for more than 72 hours.
- The number is disconnected.
- The recipient is travelling overseas or has connected to another network.
- The number is invalid – you can safely remove it from your list.
Messages marked Error, Expired, Cancelled and Filtered are also returned when you filter by Failed. See what to do about failed messages below.
EXPIRED
The message was submitted to the carrier, but the recipient’s number is either out of service or the handset has not been switched on. The carrier reattempts delivery over a 48 hour period and, if still unsuccessful, returns the message as Expired.
ERROR
A server issue prevented the message from being submitted for delivery.
CANCELLED
The message was scheduled for delivery but was cancelled before its send date and time.
FILTERED
Carriers require us to review message content to maintain the credibility of messages sent across their networks. Several filters are in place that flag content based on sentiment, the inclusion of opt out instructions, and messages sent from new accounts.
A Filtered status means the message is under review. It will either be released for delivery shortly or declined, and you will be notified of the outcome by email.
CREDITS
If you are using an automation or integration, or have pre-scheduled a message, and you do not have enough credits in your account at the time the messages are submitted for sending, those messages are given a status of CREDITS. You can resubmit them once you have topped up your account – see resending messages.
WHAT TO DO ABOUT FAILED MESSAGES
Failed messages are not resent automatically. This applies to every message returned under the Failed filter, including those marked Error, Expired, Cancelled and Filtered. If you want the recipient to receive the message, you will need to send it again.
Before you do, we recommend the following:
- Call the number first. This is usually the quickest way to tell whether the failure is permanent.
- If the number is incorrect or disconnected, remove it from your database. A message is charged once it has been submitted for delivery, whether or not it reaches the handset, and a failure can only be identified by attempting delivery. Sending to the same number again will incur another charge.
- If the number is active, contact us. Email the details of the failed message to support@touchsms.com.au and our support team will investigate with the carrier directly.