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An Application Programming Interface (API) enables developers to add functionality (such as sending an SMS) to their app that would be difficult to program themselves.  APIs consist of a group of methods and operations that can be accessed through endpoints, URLs that can be plugged into an application's code to send and receive information.   An example is the Sinch SMS API. It contains endpoints that enable applications to send and receive SMS messages.  Imagine that you want to build an appointment reminder or marketing app. An application like this needs the ability to send SMS messages at scheduled times. To do this, your app simply sends a Post request to the SMS send endpoint . This tells Sinch the message you want to send, the numbers you want to send it to, and when you want it to be sent. Our servers handle the rest, making your development easier, faster and more productive.   Endpoints can be a pain to use directly so many developers use APIs in the guise of an SDK.  In the case of the above example, let's say your app is written in Python. Instead of calling the SMS API send endpoint directly, it can call the send method of our Python SDK.   One of the most popular type of APIs is the REST API. This sends and receives data in the popular JSON format. Sinch uses REST APIs to provide integrations with SMS , WhatsApp, RCS and voice calling.   APIs, particularly REST APIs are an effective development tool that allows developers at all levels to integrate advanced functionality into their applications.   Sinch provides a wide range of programmable APIs to power all your communication needs:   Messaging APIs Reach any mobile phone on the planet with our powerful standalone messaging APIs for SMS, RCS, MMS, Rich SMS, WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook Messenger, Apple Messages, Viber, LINE, Telegram, KakaoTalk, WeChat and more Learn more about our Messaging APIs View Messaging API Documentation Conversation API Leverage a single API to send and receive messages over the most popular channels in the world. Learn more about Conversation API View Conversation API Documentation Voice Reach any mobile phone on the planet with our powerful calling APIs Learn more about our Voice APIs View Voice API Documentation Email Start sending transactional or marketing emails in minutes via API Learn more about our Email APIs View Email API Documentation Verification Verify users with SMS, voice, flash-calls, and data Learn more about Verification API View Verification API Documentation Numbers Get access to a complete range of carefully-tested phone numbers, to use with all your communication services  Learn more about our Numbers APIs View Numbers API Documentation Sinch Engage Your one platform for conversational care, marketing, and commerce Learn more about Sinch Engage View Sinch Engage API Documentation   To enable developers to use them effectively, APIs are normally extensively documented. The state of the art in documentation standards is the Open API Specification (OAS). Sinch uses OAS 3.0 to provide consistent and comprehensive API documentation.  OAS files can also be imported into Postman to create Postman Collections. Postman is a convenient tool for testing APIs and is often used for QA purposes.   Authenticating APIs   APIs almost always require some form of authentication.  This can come in a number of types:   Basic Authentication is an HTTP authentication scheme that requires a username and password. These are normally sent in the request header. Basic Auth is mainly used for testing purposes. OAuth 2.0 requires a short lived access token. The short lifetime of the token makes it more secure than Basic Auth JWT authentication combines the simplicity of Basic Auth with the security of OAuth 2.0. Like Basic Auth, it requires a username and password, but then it adds an extra stage. The API provider generates an encrypted token with the user's credentials, that is sent back to the consumer in response. API users can then use this token in subsequent API requests to authenticate themselves. API Key Authentication requires an API key called a bearer token, which is typically sent in the request header. It's used in the SMS API.   The first two types of authentication are used in the Sinch Conversation API, which allows you to leverage a single API to send and receive messages over the most popular channels in the world. ... View more

Alphanumeric sender IDs turn the sender ID of an SMS message into a company brand name. They are character strings composed of letters and numbers, and can be up to 11 characters long.  They are supported in many countries and you can read the full list here. Alphanumeric sender IDs are typically used for one way SMS traffic, such as B2C or B2B campaigns.   Below are some key benefits of alphanumeric sender IDs:   Build stronger customer relationships with improved communication - Customers are more likely to engage positively with messages from known and trusted sources.  By providing a validated identifier for your brand, alphanumeric sender IDs encourage customers to trust communications from your organisation. Once trust has been established in one medium, customers are more likely to engage in other ways, such as through email or face to face interaction. This could lead to customers being more receptive to new products. Increased brand recognition, trust and loyalty - Because alphanumeric sender IDs serve as your brand’s sender ID, they give SMS campaigns a unique brand identity that highlights the importance of your company to customers.  This brand identity enhances trust: customers know SMS campaigns are coming from you and they know your reputation. This increase in trust can also lead to an increase in loyalty: customers know who you are, they know you are trustworthy, and as a consequence they are more likely to stick with you. Better open rates thanks to improved message deliverability - Customers engage more positively with SMS campaigns from known and trusted sources. They are more likely to open messages and less likely to delete or ignore them. By providing your brand with its own sender ID, alphanumeric sender IDs let customers know that an SMS message originates from your company. This makes them more likely to open messages and much less likely to delete without reading them. Increasing SMS cost-effectiveness - SMS campaigns are one of the most cost-effective ways for an organisation to engage its customer base.  By increasing trust, loyalty and engagement, alphanumeric sender IDs enhance an already cost-effective medium, making SMS campaigns the primary tool for effective marketing.   Popular uses of alphanumeric sender IDs Because alphanumeric sender IDs allow organisations to brand the SMS messages they send, they are frequently used in situations that require the customer to trust the source of messages they receive. Below are 3 of the most popular use cases: 2FA - Two factor authentication (2FA) is a popular authentication method used everywhere from finance to IT.  It typically works by a user inputting their password and then receiving a code by SMS, which they input to confirm their identity.  Alphanumeric sender IDs enhance 2FA by providing a much needed element of trust. The user can see that the SMS they are receiving is from a trusted brand, providing a guarantee of security by reducing the possibility of fraud. Delivery updates - Many companies use SMS to provide updates on the progress of deliveries and packages the end user has ordered. Many customers value being informed of the progress of their order and want to trust the chosen courier to deliver it properly and promptly. By giving SMS updates a legitimate branded identity, an alphanumeric sender ID lets customers know that their orders are being handled by a scrupulous organisation. This means they can be confident they will receive the right package and it will not be broken or damaged. Notifications - Many organisations use SMS notifications to notify customers of key events, such as a subscription that is about to expire. Given the prevalence of phishing scams, customers need to know that the notifications they receive are from a legitimate source. Alphanumeric sender IDs can help with this, giving notifications a branded identity and letting recipients know that notifications are trustworthy.   For more information, you can read our article, What are alphanumeric sender IDs.  If you are a Sinch customer already, you can register your own alphanumeric sender ID. You may also learn how to register for your alphanumeric sender ID at Sinch here. ... View more

2 codes: A two letter code or three letter combination that identifies a country or region for example AUS is Australia, US is United States and FR is France. ... View more

Notifications, typically in the form of a text or multimedia message, containing time-sensitive information (event details, weather, news, services updates) that are pushed to a mobile subscriber who has opted-in to receive this information. Note: If the mobile subscriber has not opted in to receive said information, the notification would be considered SPAM. ... View more

An SMS aggregator is a company that supports sending a mobile message (SMS or MMS etc.) to any person, anywhere in the world, using a single connection possible. SMS aggregators typically buy from multiple MNOs around the world to ensure they can achieve global reach and because of their scale, they typically qualify for bulk discounts. The ability to “send” a message is sold to enterprises and small to medium businesses who then benefit from this simplicity and affordability. The value an SMS aggregator provides is making it easier and cheaper for enterprises to deliver a message anywhere in the world, without having to integrate technically or negotiate commercially with multiple suppliers. ... View more

A process whereby a Content Provider provides financial consideration to one or more persons or entities in exchange for their agreement to offer Content Providers’ products and/or services to users. ... View more

An advertisement impression transpires each time a consumer is exposed to an advertisement (either prepended or appended to an SMS message, on mobile web or web page, within a video clip, or related media). ... View more

Percentage of respondents who opted in to participate in a mobile initiative/campaign. Acquisition rate = total participants/total audience. ... View more

An acknowledgement is a confirmation received from the handset or SMSC. Conversely a notification is a confirmation used within the Hub when messages are sent to a customer. ... View more

Answered Call Event (ACE) is when a call is answered. ... View more

Automatic Call Distributor (ACD) is a system to handle large inbound call volumes. ACD automatically disperses calls to the specific group responsible for answering. ... View more

Account refers to your business account with Sinch. Accessing your account enables you to add and remove products and services, review current charges and credit availability, access web tools, review online reports and more. ... View more

Application to Person. A protocol that is used to facilitate the confirmation of a wireless subscriber’s intent to purchase multimedia from a VASP. ... View more

Application to Person SMS (A2P SMS) is a term used to describe an SMS message sent from a software application (run by an enterprise or business) to a person’s phone. Examples of A2P SMS messages are: receiving a text message with your account balance from your bank, or an appointment reminder from your doctor. Typically, this is a one-way only (traffic to the subscriber from the business); however, it can go both ways, if the “campaign’ or messaging program allows interactive responses from the mobile subscriber. ... View more

Fifth Generation mobile network. 5G defines the next generation of mobile networks beyond (4G) LTE and LTE-Advanced.  This is a 3GPP standard in Release 15 and beyond. ... View more