Why are my business text messages not being delivered?

The most common causes are unregistered traffic, messages that don't match the registered campaign, public link shorteners, sudden volume spikes, stale contact lists and ignored opt-outs. Delivery reports usually show these as failed or undelivered without a reply.

What is a good delivery rate for SMS?

Registered traffic to clean, recent, opted-in lists typically delivers in the high nineties. If yours is well below that, check registration, list quality and message content first.

Can carriers block my text messages?

Yes. Carriers filter and block business messages that look like spam or that come from unregistered numbers. Filtering is automated and reacts to sending patterns, so it can start or stop without notice.

Topic guide

SMS Deliverability: Getting Your Texts Delivered

Why business texts get filtered or blocked, the signals carriers watch, and how sales teams keep delivery rates high: registration, list quality, volume, content and opt-out handling.

A text that isn't delivered fails silently: no bounce, no reply, no deal. Deliverability is the share of your messages that actually reach a phone, and for business texting it's decided mostly by automated carrier filtering that reacts to patterns in how you send.

Filtering looks at a few things. Whether your traffic is registered and matches what you registered. Whether your volume ramps steadily or spikes like a spam run. Whether your lists are recent and permission-based, or old enough to be full of disconnected numbers and people who don't remember you. Whether your content identifies your business and avoids known spam signals such as public link shorteners. And whether recipients complain or opt out at unusual rates.

The good news is that every one of those is within your control. Teams with the best delivery rates aren't using tricks; they register properly, text people who asked to hear from them, warm up new numbers, keep messages consistent with their campaign, and honor every opt-out.

The guides below cover how to diagnose delivery problems and prevent them.

Deliverability guides

The first guide on this topic publishes soon. In the meantime, try the SMS cost calculator.

Common questions

Why are my business text messages not being delivered?: The most common causes are unregistered traffic, messages that don't match the registered campaign, public link shorteners, sudden volume spikes, stale contact lists and ignored opt-outs. Delivery reports usually show these as failed or undelivered without a reply.
What is a good delivery rate for SMS?: Registered traffic to clean, recent, opted-in lists typically delivers in the high nineties. If yours is well below that, check registration, list quality and message content first.
Can carriers block my text messages?: Yes. Carriers filter and block business messages that look like spam or that come from unregistered numbers. Filtering is automated and reacts to sending patterns, so it can start or stop without notice.