Register your number for texting
Before your number can send text messages, it has to be registered with the mobile carriers. This is a one-time thing, and it’s not optional.
You’ll find it in Settings → Carrier registration.
Why this exists
Section titled “Why this exists”US and Canadian mobile carriers block business text messages from unregistered toll-free numbers. Not throttle — block. It’s how they’ve dealt with SMS spam.
Registration tells them who you are, what you’ll be texting about, and how your customers agreed to receive it. Once approved, your messages get delivered.
Calls, voicemail and receiving texts all work fine without it. Only sending is affected.
How long it takes
Section titled “How long it takes”Filling in the form: ten minutes, if you have your business details handy.
The carriers’ decision: a few business days. There’s no way to speed it up, so it’s worth submitting early even if texting isn’t your priority yet.
You can keep receiving texts while you wait.
The four statuses
Section titled “The four statuses”Not registered — you haven’t submitted yet. Sending is blocked.
Under review — submitted, waiting on the carriers. Sending is still blocked.
Verified — approved. You can send texts.
Rejected — the carriers said no, with a reason. Fix and resubmit.
The status shows on the Messages page too, so you’re not hunting for it.
What the form asks for
Section titled “What the form asks for”Your business
Section titled “Your business”Your legal business name, website, and street address — the real registered details, not a trading name or a PO box. Carriers check these.
Business type — how the business is registered:
- Sole proprietor — only if it isn’t registered as a company.
- Private company — most incorporated businesses.
- Publicly traded company
- Non-profit
- Government
Registration number — unless you’re a sole proprietor, the carriers want your registration identifier. In the US that’s usually your EIN; in Canada, your business number.
Registration authority — who issued it. IRS, Secretary of State, or the
equivalent.
Country of registration.
Who the carriers should contact
Section titled “Who the carriers should contact”A name, email and phone for whoever can answer questions about the submission. The decision is emailed to this address, so use one you actually read.
What you’ll send
Section titled “What you’ll send”Type of messages — pick the closest:
- Customer care
- Order notifications
- Delivery notifications
- Marketing
- Two-factor authentication
- Polling and voting
Most stores using Callify are customer care — replying to questions about orders and store hours.
What you’ll text about — a sentence or two. “Replying to customer questions about orders and store hours” is a fine answer.
Sample message — a real example of something you’d send. Reviewers compare this against your actual traffic later, so make it representative:
“Hi Sam — your order #1043 is packed and ships today. Reply here if you need anything. — Northside Coffee”
Expected messages per month — an estimate. Nobody holds you to it.
How customers opt in
Section titled “How customers opt in”This section decides your application. Read the next bit carefully.
How customers agree to be texted:
- A form on our website
- Verbally, in person or by phone
- A paper form
- By texting us first
- Scanning a QR code
Opt-in evidence — a link to the page, form or screenshot that shows how customers consent.
The reason applications get rejected
Section titled “The reason applications get rejected”Weak opt-in evidence. It’s the single most common rejection, by a distance.
Reviewers open your link and look for the actual wording a customer agrees to. A link to your homepage doesn’t show that. Neither does your privacy policy, or a contact page with just a phone number on it.
What works is a page they can see the consent on:
If you have a form — link straight to it, and make sure the page shows the checkbox and its label. Something like: “Yes, text me about my order. Message and data rates may apply. Reply STOP to opt out.”
If people text you first — choose By texting us first and link to the page where your number is published, with the wording that invites people to text it.
If you collect consent in person — link to a photo or scan of the form or sign-in sheet, showing the sentence customers agree to.
Whatever you link to must be publicly reachable — reviewers can’t log in to your admin.
If you’re rejected
Section titled “If you’re rejected”It happens, and it’s routine on a first attempt. It isn’t a black mark.
The rejection reason is shown on the registration page, and your answers are kept — you’re correcting a filled-in form, not starting over.
Fix what they flagged (usually the opt-in evidence), then Resubmit. There’s no limit on attempts.
If the reason is unclear, email support@callify.co with what it said — we’ve seen most of them.
What if I already have a number?
Section titled “What if I already have a number?”Registration is tied to the specific number, so it doesn’t transfer. Only toll-free numbers register this way — if you see “Not a toll-free number”, that route doesn’t apply to your number.