Customers aren't getting SMS

What you see: a customer says they didn’t get an SMS from your shop. For example, for a new job, a job status update, an invoice or an OTP.

Before you start

• To open the message log, your shop owner must let you view business settings.

First, look at the message log

The message log lists every message BytePhase sends to customers and staff: email, SMS, WhatsApp and app messages. It also shows whether each one went out.

1. Open Settings › Customers & messaging › Message logs. On a phone, tap More › System › Settings › Customers & messaging › Message logs.
2. Set the message type filter to SMS.
3. Search for the customer, or set the status filter to Failed or Skipped.
4. Tap or click the message to see its full text and who it went to.

Desktop

What the log shows	What it means
Sent	BytePhase passed the SMS to the SMS service
Pending	Still on its way. Check again in a minute
Failed	The SMS service didn’t accept it. See fixes 2 and 3
Skipped	Not sent on purpose: no SMS credits, or the customer turned off SMS. See fixes 1 and 4

If there’s no SMS at all for that message, see fix 5.

Try these fixes

1. Top up your SMS credits (India)

In India, BytePhase sends your SMS and each SMS uses credits. When credits run out, SMS isn’t sent until you top up. Email, app and WhatsApp messages keep working.

1. Open your profile menu. At the top, next to your plan, look for “SMS: 0 credits left” (the number is your credits). Don’t see it? Ask your shop owner to check.
2. Tap it to buy an SMS pack. Credits don’t expire.

2. Connect an SMS provider (outside India)

Outside India, BytePhase sends SMS only through your own SMS provider. Without one, every SMS fails. The SMS checkbox on forms is also turned off, with the note “Connect an SMS gateway”.

1. Open Settings › Integrations.
2. Pick Twilio or BulkGate.
3. Add your account details and sender ID, and save.
4. Make sure the provider is switched on. SMS starts working straight away.

3. Check the mobile number

A missing country code, a typo or a landline number makes the SMS service refuse the message. Outside India, your provider can refuse it too: low balance, an unverified sender ID, or a country your account can’t send to.

1. Correct the customer’s mobile number.
2. Outside India, check your Twilio or BulkGate account for the error and your balance.

SMS in India uses approved templates

In India, every SMS uses a fixed, pre-approved template. You can’t change the wording, and test SMS is turned off for these templates. This is what lets the SMS reach your customers’ phones.

4. Check if the customer turned off SMS

Customers can choose which messages they get. If they turned off SMS, the message shows as Skipped.

1. Open the customer and look at the Notification preferences tab.
2. Ask the customer before you change it.

5. Tick SMS when you save

Messages only go out by the message types ticked when you save a job, invoice, payment or other record. If SMS wasn’t ticked, no SMS is sent and nothing shows in the log for SMS. A customer with no mobile number can’t get SMS either.

1. Tick SMS next time you save.
2. To choose which message types start ticked, open Settings › Customers & messaging › Default notification settings.

Still not working?

Contact support and send:

• the customer’s name and mobile number as saved in BytePhase
• what the SMS was for (for example the job number) and the time it was sent
• a screenshot of the SMS in Message logs, showing its status
• outside India: which SMS provider you use (Twilio or BulkGate)