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Unsubscribe and resubscribe to SMS campaigns

Contacts can opt-out of or opt back in to your SMS campaigns.

Gareth Burroughes avatar
Written by Gareth Burroughes
Updated yesterday

In most countries, it's a requirement to allow contacts to opt-out of marketing SMS messages. If your contact changes their mind, they can opt back in.

Premium rate numbers

Some service providers or mobile devices see short codes as premium rate numbers. If a contact tries to send an opt-out SMS message and they have a network block for premium numbers, the opt-out won’t work. This appears as not sent for the contact who's trying to opt-out.

For Android users, they might see a message that says This may cause charges to your mobile account when sending SMS messages to five digit numbers.


Opt-out with a shared short code

To unsubscribe with a shared short code, contacts can reply or send an SMS to your short code with the keyword, followed by a space, followed by a designated word, such as STOP.

Learn more in the section Opt-out words.

For example, if your keyword is COMPANY, a contact needs to send COMPANY STOP to your short code to opt-out.

Your contacts are only opted out if the opt-out word follows directly after the space and after the keyword, that is KEYWORD OPTOUTWORD.

For example, if the keyword is COMPANY, your contact needs to be instructed to reply with COMPANY STOP. If any other characters are added before the opt-out word then the opt-out won’t work.


Opt-out with a long number

A long number is dedicated to your company, so you don't need a keyword to allow contacts to unsubscribe from your SMS campaigns.

To opt-out with a long number, contacts must send an SMS message to your long number with an opt-out word. The opt-out word must be the first word in the response from the contact for the opt-out to work.


SMS click to unsubscribe

Instead of contacts having to send an SMS message to you in order to unsubscribe, in certain regions it’s possible to allow them to unsubscribe simply by clicking a personalised link in a message you have sent to them.


Opt-out through a signup form

You can create a customised unsubscribe form to allow contacts to opt-out of your SMS marketing.


Opt-out words

STOP is the most common opt-out word, but there are six possible opt-out options:

  • CANCEL

  • END

  • QUIT

  • REMOVE

  • STOP

  • UNSUBSCRIBE


Opt back in with a shared short code

To resubscribe to your SMS campaigns with a shared short code:

  • Your contact can reply to an older SMS campaign you sent before they opted-out.

  • The contact can send a new SMS message to your shared short code with the keyword, followed by a space, followed by either the word START or UNSTOP.

    For example, if your keyword is COMPANY, a contact must send COMPANY START or COMPANY UNSTOP to opt back into your SMS campaigns.


Opt back in with a long number

Since a long number is dedicated to your company, you don't need a keyword for contacts to opt back in.

To resubscribe to your SMS campaigns with a long number, your contact can reply to an older SMS campaign you sent before they opted-out.

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