Sendo is not responsible for actions taken against a business due to messaging complaints.

Various U.S. regulations and telecom industry rules govern organizations’ use of SMS to communicate with users. The central goal is to ensure that people do not receive unwanted messages, and that SMS messaging stays free of abuse and fraud.

The information on this page is for informational purposes only. It is not intended as legal advice or a comprehensive summary of the law. We recommend consulting with legal counsel to review the rules and ensure your messaging use case is compliant.

The most important regulations and guidelines for SMS/MMS messaging are:

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Best practices

It is important to obtain express consent before texting any consumer. This means that you must clearly disclose that you will be sending SMS messages to the user, and they must explicitly agree to receive them. Simply entering a phone number does not necessarily constitute a compliant opt-in. You must always tell consumers exactly what they are signing up for. This can be done via a web form, mobile app, or other means.

Example: [Checkbox] By submitting, I authorize [Name] to send me SMS messages with account notifications. Msg & data rates may apply. Text STOP to unsubscribe.

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2. Send an opt-in message

After a consumer grants permission to receive messages from your organization, you should immediately follow up with a comprehensive disclosure message. This should include your business name, the purpose of messaging, and instructions for opting out.

Example: [Business Name] Alerts: We’ll send you important account notifications and other service updates. Text STOP to unsubscribe or text HELP for more information.

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3. Honor all opt-outs

The user must also be able to easily opt-out of receiving messages at any time. The CTIA guidelines require that the user be able to opt-out by replying with the word STOP to any message. Any subsequent messages sent to that user must be blocked. You can also provide additional opt-out options, such as a link to a web form or a phone number to call.

Sendo automatically handles the processing of STOP keywords, so you don’t have to worry about this. When a campaign is created, we set default keywords for STOP, START and HELP requests. You can customize these keywords, and the message that is sent back to a consumer in response, at any time from your campaign settings page.