Set up SMS and buy a number
Open SMS → Setup and click Set up SMS. This creates your sending profile, which your numbers attach to and which receives delivery reports and STOP replies. It is free; you are only charged when you buy a number or send a message.
When it is done you see Your SMS account is ready. and the Numbers, Sender registration and Credits tabs appear.
If you see SMS is not available on this deployment yet., contact support.
Buy a number
- Open Numbers.
- Under Find a number, choose the country (United States, Canada or United Kingdom) and the type. Add an Area code (optional) if you want a local one.
- Click Search. Results show the Monthly and Setup cost for each number.
- Click Buy.
Only an owner or admin can buy a number. The monthly rental is taken from your SMS credit.
If the number shows as ordered and being activated, wait a moment and click Refresh status.
Choose Local unless you know you need toll-free. Toll-free numbers cannot send yet: they need a separate carrier verification that can't be submitted from Brainito, but they still bill monthly.
What the number's status means
Under Your numbers each number shows a status:
- Ready — can send. Numbers outside the US and Canada need no registration.
- Not registered — a US or Canadian number that must be registered before it can text. See Register your business to text US numbers.
- Registering — registration is in progress.
- Registered — cleared to send.
- Waiting on documents — the order is still being completed.
- Needs verification, In review, Verified, Action needed or Rejected — toll-free verification states.
Click the pencil next to a number to give it a name you'll recognise.
Release a number
Click the bin icon, type the number to confirm, then Release.
Releasing cannot be undone. The number goes back to the public pool and you almost certainly cannot get it back. Any carrier registration on it is lost, and anyone replying to an old message will not reach you.
Next: buy a Local number, then open Sender registration if it is a US or Canadian number.
Related articles
Ask Agent PK in your dashboard
Agent PK answers from these same articles, looks at your own account, and can do the task for you once you confirm. Open it from the top bar in the dashboard.