FAQ
Quick answers to the questions we get most often. For deeper coverage, follow the linked guides.
Basics
Do I really have to register just to text people from my agent?
Yes, if you're texting US recipients from a standard 10-digit number on behalf of a business. US carriers block unregistered business (A2P) traffic, the choice is register or don't deliver. AgentMessage handles the registration with the registry for you. See What 10DLC is.
Does this apply to Canadian recipients?
Canada-to-Canada traffic isn't 10DLC. But any messaging that touches US carrier networks, including Canada-to-US, needs 10DLC.
Does this cover MMS as well as SMS?
Yes, both. Group messaging too.
What about toll-free numbers or short codes?
Those are separate systems. Toll-free numbers use Toll-Free Verification, and short codes use their own program. 10DLC is specifically for standard 10-digit local numbers. Toll-free SMS through AgentMessage is on the roadmap.
Can I send to landlines?
You can try, but landlines mostly don't receive SMS. That isn't specific to 10DLC.
Do I need 10DLC for in-app messaging?
No. 10DLC only governs traffic that travels over the cellular SMS/MMS network. In-app push notifications and chat aren't subject to it.
Can I send international SMS through 10DLC?
No. 10DLC is US-only. International messaging uses different paths.
Costs
What does it cost to register and send?
Brand and campaign filing fees are included in your plan, there's no separate itemized brand or per-campaign charge on your bill. Sending is priced per message segment, and carrier surcharges are passed through at cost with no markup. One thing worth knowing: registered traffic is much cheaper than unregistered, so getting registered is the biggest lever you have on per-message cost. For the current numbers and the live carrier-fee table, see agentmessage.io/pricing and What it costs.
Does AgentMessage mark up the carrier fees?
No. Carrier surcharges pass through at cost.
Will I see a 10DLC fee breakdown in the dashboard?
No, because there isn't one, filing fees are part of what your plan buys, not a separate line item.
Timing
How long until I can start sending?
Often a few hours; figure on one to three business days for the common path. Specialty use cases that go through support can take longer. See How long it takes.
My brand is stuck in Pending. How long should I wait?
Usually under an hour, occasionally a few hours. Don't re-register the same brand, that creates duplicates. If it's much longer, contact support.
Brand registration
Do I need an EIN?
Yes. An EIN is required to register a brand on AgentMessage. If you don't have one, it's free and takes about ten minutes from the IRS, see I don't have an EIN.
My brand is showing Unverified. What do I do?
It's almost always a legal-name mismatch versus your CP-575 letter. See Fix an Unverified brand. Editing and re-filing a brand is handled by AgentMessage rather than a button you click, so reach out and we'll re-file the correction.
My EIN is brand new, will it work?
Maybe not right away. Very new EINs sometimes aren't in the IRS lookup yet. There's an appeal path we handle for you; see Fix an Unverified brand.
Do I register one brand per business, or one per use case?
One brand per business. The brand is who the messages come from; campaigns under it describe what kinds of message you send. Run several campaigns under a single brand.
Can I register one brand for all my clients?
No. If your agent messages on behalf of other companies, each of those businesses is its own brand with its own EIN. (This "reseller" mode requires a higher-tier plan.) Contact us if you're setting up several brands this way.
Campaigns
Should I pick Dedicated or Mixed?
Mixed bundles 2-5 standard use cases under one campaign and suits most agents that send a few message types. A Dedicated, single-use-case campaign is worth it to isolate time-critical traffic like 2FA. See Pick a use case.
My use case isn't in the dropdown (charity, political, emergency, proxy, etc.).
The use-case list is fixed by the carriers, so the form only offers the standard set. For a specialty category, contact us, it's a support-mediated path today.
Can I edit my campaign after submitting?
Editing a campaign isn't a self-serve flow today. Tell us what needs to change and AgentMessage makes the edit and re-files. See Contact support.
My campaign got rejected. What now?
Start with How rejections work and Common rejection reasons. Most rejections trace to a vague description, samples that don't match the use case, a missing opt-in flow, or a privacy policy without the SMS-sharing clause, all fixable.
My campaign got rejected for banned content. Can I appeal?
For genuinely banned categories (the Sex/Hate side of SHAFT, cannabis/CBD, and similar), no, carriers won't approve them. For age-gated categories where you've now added a proper age gate, fix it and we re-file. See Common rejection reasons.
Privacy policy and terms
Why did my privacy policy get rejected?
Usually because it doesn't clearly state that SMS opt-in data isn't shared with third parties for marketing, or it includes a "with consent" exception carriers don't accept. The policy also has to be live at the URL you provide; reviewers visit it. See Common rejection reasons.
Phone numbers
Why can't I attach a phone number to my campaign?
The most common reason is that the campaign isn't fully approved yet, attaching too early fails. Wait for full approval, then attach. See Phone number problems and Attach phone numbers.
How many numbers can I have?
The practical ceiling is the number of phone numbers your plan includes; more are available per your plan. You attach one number to one approved campaign at a time, on the number's detail page. If you need a large pool of numbers on a single campaign, that's a support path.
Will adding more numbers make me faster?
No. Throughput is enforced at the brand/campaign level, not per number, spreading the same traffic across more lines just splits the same throughput. See How throughput works.
Throughput
What sets my throughput?
Two things, and you get the lower of them: AgentMessage's per-account send-rate tier (which rises automatically as your usage grows, you don't apply for it) and the carriers' caps on your brand. See How throughput works.
How do I get higher throughput?
For most builders it lifts on its own as your sending grows. For genuinely high-volume needs or carrier-level escalations, contact us, there's no self-serve vetting button to buy.
My messages are queuing during sends.
That's a ceiling. Work out whether the whole account is queuing (your send-rate tier) or one carrier is failing late in a batch (a carrier cap), and separate time-critical traffic onto its own campaign. See How throughput works.
Suspensions and migrations
My campaign was working, then got suspended. Why?
Usually high spam-complaint rates, content violations, or phishing-like patterns. Resolving or appealing a suspension goes through AgentMessage, see Suspensions.
Can I move my existing registration to AgentMessage?
In most cases, yes. Migration is coordinated by our team rather than self-serve. See Move from another provider.
When to contact support
When you've worked through the guides and still have an account-specific question, or need something that's handled by our team, edits, re-verification, appeals, higher throughput, large number pools, specialty use cases, suspensions, or migrations. See When to contact support for what to include.