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Messaging Policy

Version 2026-11-06 · Effective 2026-11-06

This Messaging Policy forms part of the Terms of Service and supplements the Acceptable Use Policy. It applies to all SMS, MMS and WhatsApp Business messages sent or received through the Services. Carriers and messaging channels set many of these rules, and they can change at short notice.

1.1 You must have the recipient’s consent before sending a message, and the consent must meet the requirements of the law and of the carrier or channel for the type of message:

  • Conversational: a message replying to a message the recipient sent first, within the context of that conversation.
  • Informational / transactional: messages the recipient asked for, such as appointment reminders, order updates or one-time passcodes. The recipient must have provided their number for that purpose.
  • Promotional / marketing: messages that promote goods or services. These require express, and in many jurisdictions written, consent that clearly identifies the sender and the type of messages.

1.2 Consent must be given by the recipient, not obtained from a third party, purchased list, lead-generation marketplace or scraped source. Consent to one brand does not extend to another.

1.3 At opt-in you must clearly disclose who is sending, what the messages will be about, the expected frequency, that message and data rates may apply, and how to opt out and get help.

1.4 You must keep records of consent, including the date, time, source and the disclosure shown, for at least as long as the law and carrier rules require, and provide them to us on request within five business days.

2. Opt-out and help

2.1 You must honour opt-out requests made by any reasonable means. Standard keywords such as STOP, END, CANCEL, UNSUBSCRIBE, QUIT and STOPALL, and their local-language equivalents, must stop further messages from that sender to that number. You may send one confirmation message that confirms the opt-out and contains no marketing.

2.2 You must respond to HELP (and local equivalents) with your business name and a contact method.

2.3 We may process standard opt-out keywords automatically and block further messages to a number that has opted out. You must also maintain your own opt-out list and apply it across all your senders and channels.

2.4 You must not send messages to a number after an opt-out unless the recipient opts back in.

3. Sender registration

3.1 US 10DLC. Application-to-person messages from standard US local numbers require brand and campaign registration with The Campaign Registry and approval by carriers. Your registered use case, sample messages and opt-in description must accurately reflect your traffic.

3.2 US and Canada toll-free. Messages from toll-free numbers require toll-free verification before sending, or will be blocked or filtered.

3.3 Short codes. Short codes require a separate application and carrier approval, and must follow the applicable short code programme rules.

3.4 Alphanumeric sender IDs. Some countries allow alphanumeric sender IDs, some require them to be pre-registered, and some prohibit them. Sender IDs must identify you or your brand and must not impersonate others. Country rules are summarised in Country Requirements.

3.5 Pass-through fees. Registration, vetting and carrier fees, and fines imposed by carriers for non-compliant traffic, are charged to you.

4. Prohibited content

4.1 In addition to the content prohibited by the Acceptable Use Policy, you must not send messages, on any channel, that relate to the following categories where carriers or law prohibit or restrict them:

  • SHAFT content: sex or adult content, hate speech, alcohol, firearms and tobacco (including e-cigarettes and vaping), unless permitted by carrier rules with age-gating and the law;
  • cannabis and CBD, and illegal or prescription drugs without a prescription;
  • high-risk financial services, including payday and short-term high-interest loans, debt relief or consolidation, credit repair, cryptocurrency promotions, and get-rich-quick or investment schemes;
  • third-party lead generation, affiliate marketing, and sharing or selling of consent;
  • gambling, sweepstakes and lotteries, unless licensed and permitted in the recipient’s location and by the carrier;
  • phishing and smishing, fraudulent links, malware, and impersonation of banks, carriers, delivery companies or government bodies; and
  • deceptive content, including messages hiding the sender’s identity or using public URL shorteners to disguise destinations.

4.2 Carrier codes of conduct (including CTIA guidelines in the US) and channel policies may restrict additional categories. Where they do, they apply to you.

5. WhatsApp Business

5.1 WhatsApp messaging is provided through the WhatsApp Business Platform operated by Meta. By using it, you agree to comply with the WhatsApp Business Terms of Service, the WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy, the WhatsApp Commerce Policy and other Meta terms that apply to businesses, as updated by Meta.

5.2 You must use approved message templates for business-initiated messages outside the customer service window, obtain opt-in as WhatsApp requires, and respect WhatsApp’s rules on quality, messaging limits and prohibited businesses.

5.3 Meta may reject templates, restrict or ban your WhatsApp Business account or phone number, or change prices and rules. We are not responsible for Meta’s decisions and cannot override them. Meta’s fees are passed through to you.

6. Message retention

6.1 Message content and conversation history are retained for 365 days by default and then deleted. You can configure a shorter or longer retention period within the limits shown in the console. Message metadata needed for billing, fraud prevention and legal obligations may be kept longer, as described in the Privacy Policy.

6.2 You are the controller of message content and we process it as your processor under the Data Processing Addendum.

7. Delivery and carrier filtering

7.1 Carriers and channels apply their own filtering, spam detection, throughput limits and blocking, which are outside our control. Messages may be delayed, filtered or blocked without notice, even when sent in compliance with this Policy.

7.2 Delivery receipts depend on the carrier and may be unavailable, delayed or inaccurate. We do not guarantee delivery of any message.

7.3 Charges apply to messages accepted by the Services for delivery, whether or not they are delivered, unless we state otherwise.

8. Throughput and limits

Messaging throughput depends on the sender type, registration status, carrier allocation and your Account limits. You must not attempt to circumvent throughput limits, for example by rotating numbers.

9. Monitoring and enforcement

We may review message content and metadata to detect and investigate abuse, as permitted by law. We may block messages, suspend senders or campaigns, and take any other action described in the Acceptable Use Policy. Carriers may also require us to suspend senders or campaigns, and we will comply.

10. Reporting

To report unwanted messages from a sip.io number, use the Report Abuse page or email abuse@sip.io.