Sinch Community

With 2024 being a pivotal election year, many brands are leveraging A2P (Application-to-Person) MMS messaging to engage voters, disseminate critical updates, and share key information, leading to an increase in messaging volumes. In addition to the surge driven by political messaging, the upcoming holiday shopping events of Black Friday and Cyber Monday will further contribute to the overall rise in messaging. The spike in message volume from political outreach and holiday retail campaigns will lead to increased demand on carrier networks, potentially resulting in message delivery delays.   To help you prepare for these peak messaging periods, we've outlined important tips and guidance below on what to expect and how to optimize your messaging campaigns for best results. Why Delays Happen Increased Messaging Volume: During these peak periods, millions of businesses and organizations use SMS and MMS messaging to communicate with their customers and audiences. With 2024 being a pivotal election year, many clients are leveraging MMS messaging for voter engagement and information dissemination. This sudden surge in activity can cause temporary congestion in carrier networks, affecting message delivery times. Internal Queuing: The messaging capacity to carriers is a shared resource among all customers and operates on a best-effort basis. The committed throughput rate at which we accept messages does not always translate to the rate at which they are transmitted to carriers. Factors such as network conditions, MMS content type, size of MMS payload, and multiple customers sending at the same time can affect the actual delivery rate to carriers. These factors may result in messages being queued internally during periods of high demand. Carrier Network Capacity: The messaging capacity available to carriers is a shared resource among all aggregator partners. While carriers strive to handle high volumes effectively, there is a slight chance that simultaneous high-volume campaigns across different aggregators could potentially lead to temporary congestion, which may affect message delivery times. What to Expect Potential Delays: Some messages may take longer to deliver, particularly during high-traffic hours. In the event of severe degradation or significant delays, please check our status page for updates. Actions We're Taking System Optimization: We’ve increased our system capacity to handle higher traffic loads and are working closely with carriers to maintain adequate throughput during peak times. Recommendations for Customers Plan Ahead: If possible, schedule your messages to go out earlier in the day or ahead of peak dates to reduce the likelihood of delays. Stagger Campaign Messaging: For large campaigns, especially political messaging and during holiday shopping events of Black Friday and Cyber Monday, stagger the messages throughout the day to avoid late arrivals. Optimize MMS Content: Larger MMS content, such as high-resolution images or videos, can require more processing time, contributing to longer queues. We recommend keeping MMS content optimized in size to help mitigate delays, ideally below 100KB. This helps in reducing transmission time and avoids network congestion. Avoid Large Files: Limit the use of large video files and opt for smaller images or GIFs. By working together, we can ensure a smooth and successful holiday season for our MMS services. Use JSON MMS API for Efficiency: For large MMS campaigns, consider utilizing the saveMMS API followed by the sendSavedMMS API for efficient delivery. This approach allows for preloading content, ensuring faster and more reliable sending to multiple recipients. API Limitations: You may have a throughput limit set on the number of API requests allowed per second. While we will accept messages at the rate configured on your account, exceeding these limits will cause your messages to be rejected and you will be required to retry the request. For high-volume campaigns, we recommend adding a buffer and planning sends according to the total volume and max throughput limit. Proper planning will help mitigate delays. Retrying Messages with Backoff: Use a retry strategy with an exponential backoff for failed messages. This approach helps prevent overwhelming carrier networks by spacing out retries progressively over time, which reduces the likelihood of contributing to congestion. Our Commitment We remain committed to providing the highest possible service during these peak seasons and will keep you updated on any issues or disruptions. Our team is continuously monitoring the situation to ensure timely delivery to the greatest extent possible. In the event of severe degradation or significant delays, please check our status page for updates. Contact Us If you have any questions or concerns regarding your messaging campaigns during peak seasons, please feel free to contact our support team at support@sinch.com for more information. ... View more

The latest Sinch A2P 10DLC Carrier Reach List includes the SMS and MMS 10DLC reach lists for Sinch services. It includes relevant details about supported carriers, message capabilities and coverage.   Please use this resource to understand where and how A2P (Application-to-Person) 10DLC messaging can be utilized for your campaigns. ... View more

As you know public URL shorteners are at high risk of being identified as spam quickly, thus they should never be used on 10DLC. Sinch recommends you use a customer owned domain/ULR shortener. Read below for best practices to ensure your custom URL shortener doesn’t get blocked by carrier network filtering.   If you have customers sending out unwanted messages to a list of contacts that did not provide proper consent and the messages include your custom URL shortener, it is at risk of being reported as spam by the end users and getting blocked by the carriers. This will affect delivery of all messaging for customers utilizing your URL shortener.   It's important to make sure your customers are gaining proper consent from their clients, especially if you allow the ability for your customers to freely upload contacts into your CRM/messaging platform.   Some key items to review with your customers before they start sending messages: Does your customer have proper consent mechanisms? Is your customer collecting written signatures on a sign-up sheet, specifically for SMS? Are they opting in through a webform, that has the proper call to action and disclosures for SMS? Does your SMS program provide a double opt in feature as an extra layer of consent? (Optional) Example: Are you sending a confirmation MT to the handset and asking them to reply back with a keyword? Do all of the messages identify your brand? Do the messages  include an opt out statement? Ex. “Cut Loose Salon, VIPs! don’t forget to schedule your appointments on our website here: {custom shortened URL link}. Reply STOP to stop. Reply HELP for help. Msg&Data rates may apply” If you are not reviewing these with your customers when you onboard them, especially when it comes to uploading contacts, it may be best to advise your customers to utilize their full URL in their messaging until their opt in methods are properly vetted by your team and confirmed fully compliant. This will reduce the chance of your custom URL shortener getting blocked by the carriers, which will affect any customer utilizing your shortened link in their messaging.  Don’t let your URL shortener get blocked.  Follow these best practice to help prevent your domain from being blocked. ... View more

Overview: MMS group chat messaging refers to the capability of sending text messages, multimedia content (such as pictures, videos, audio clips), and other data to multiple recipients simultaneously within a single message thread.   Unlike SMS, which typically only supports plain text messages limited to 160 characters, MMS allows for the transmission of richer multimedia content and longer messages. Group chat messaging extends this capability to multiple recipients, enabling users to create group conversations where everyone can participate and view the messages sent by others in the group.   Group chat messaging is commonly supported by modern smartphones and messaging apps, allowing users to engage in group conversations with friends, family, or colleagues, and share various types of multimedia content in a single thread.   Availability and Reach: Group chat messaging is available on the 10DLC product for US Wireless carriers: AT&T, T-Mobile US, Verizon Wireless, U.S. Cellular, and Google Voice. Currently supported on the Sinch MM7 API.  Up to 20 message recipients supported. Please review our MM7 API developer documentation for detailed instructions on sending and receiving group chat messages, as well as information on the error codes introduced for group chat.   Compliance Concerns:   Honoring User Opt-Out In accordance with Messaging Principles and Best Practices, content providers must establish systems that allow consumers to opt out of A2P messaging. Users should be able to unsubscribe using keywords such as STOP, END, UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL, QUIT, or phrases like "Please remove me" or "Stop sending messages." Once opted out, users must be quickly removed from the messaging list, and the content provider should cease all communications, sending only a final confirmation message of the opt-out.   Person-to-Person Messaging In group chat messaging, if a user wishes to be removed from a group chat, they may still receive unwanted messages from other participants who continue to respond to the old thread. This means that even after a user has opted out of receiving messages from the content provider, they might still receive replies from other group members. Since P2P messaging involves a direct route through carrier networks with minimal intermediate handling, the ability to impose additional restrictions specific to A2P communications, like blocking or content filters, does not exist in the P2P model.   Use-Case: Group chat messaging, while an essential communication tool, presents unique challenges, particularly in larger groups. The high volume of messages can overwhelm users, causing important information to get lost in the clutter. Moreover, not every messaging need is well-suited for group chat messaging. However, there are several use-cases where group messaging excels:   Project Collaboration Enables team members to discuss projects and stay updated in real time, fostering a collaborative environment that enhances productivity and speeds up decision-making.   Real Estate Updates Realtors can efficiently keep potential buyers up-to-date with the latest listings, open house schedules, and other relevant news, streamlining the communication process in a dynamic market.   Home Security Security companies can instantly notify homeowners of security alerts, whether at their residence or place of business, ensuring rapid dissemination of critical information for immediate action.   Automotive Insurance In the event of an accident, insurance companies can use group messaging to coordinate communication between the driver of the vehicle, insurance agent, tow service, and interested family members, simplifying the management of the incident and support processes.   ... View more

Delivery reports are supported on 10DLC. A Forwarded status indicates that the message has been sent successfully to the mobile network. A Retrieved status indicates that the message was successfully sent to the handset. AT&T, T-Mobile, and Verizon Wireless support handset DR. ... View more

Message size limits vary according to the type of message content and by account type and contract and carrier max allowed size and API used.   The table below shows you the maximum MMS API upload sizes for the various supported content types:   With Transcoding - The below Limits applies to MMS accounts that support transcoding on the JSON and MM7 API. Transcoding is only supported on Short Code senders MMS Image 3000 KB MMS GIF Image 1024 KB MMS Audio 10000 KB MMS Video 50000 KB MMS Text size  5000 characters MMS Object  2048 KB - saveMMS/sendMMS API No Transcoding - The below Limits applies to MMS accounts that do not support transcoding on the JSON and MM7 API. This is supported on Short Code and Toll-Free senders. MMS Image 1000 KB MMS Audio 1000 KB MMS Video 1000 KB   Transcoding is not supported on 10DLC. The following are the published maximum size limits for 10DLC MMS by operator:   Operator base64 encoded Binary in Bytes AT&T 2 MB ~1.46 MB 1530843 bytes T-Mobile USA 2 MB ~1.46 MB 1530843 bytes Verizon Wireless 1.65 MB ~ 1.25 MB  1200000 bytes U.S. Cellular 2 MB ~1.46 MB 1530843 bytes * Sizes are subjected to change in future based on provider MMSC size updates    Click here for list of supported file types.   Important Notes: The final size of Base64-encoded binary data is equal to 1.37 time the original data size. Binary content encoded with Base64 produces a larger file size.  May change based on future changes by the carriers.  Transcoding is only supported on Short Code sender types. The sendMMS action of the JSON API only supports transcoding for image content. The saveMMS action of the JSON API supports transcoding for all content types. The SubmitReq action of the MM7 API also supports transcoding for all content types. Visit the Sinch MMS product page to learn more about the Sinch MMS API. ... View more

Multimedia Message Service, or MMS messaging is a richer form of SMS (text messaging), which enables you to send audio, video, vCard and images  to customers to improve user experience, heighten integration of marketing campaigns and increase engagement.   Benefits of MMS MMS holds many advantages for your business when it comes to communicating with customers. From confirming appointments to advising when packages will be delivered, inviting customers to events and helping with technical support, MMS can deliver an improved customer experience over the purely text-based SMS. With options to send videos, images and audio, all of which enables you to put your brand in front of customers using a medium they are very familiar with – the ubiquitous mobile phone, MMS offers the opportunity to grab attention and increase engagement.   MMS Use Cases MMS has many use cases, some of which are highlighted below: Shopping coupons Dinner coupons Event brochures Short video Tutorials Airline Ticket Passbook Movie ticket wallet Event reminders Invoices Picture Proof for Insurance claims. Visit the Sinch MMS product page to learn more. ... View more

Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) is an extension to the Short Message Service (SMS) or text message. Both MMS and SMS enable the sending of messages between mobile devices but there are several differences: SMS limits the amount of text characters you can use per message to 160 characters – you can of course use more than 160 characters in SMS if you wish, but you will be charged for more than one message if you do. MMS messages can include more than 160 characters as well as image, video and audio files. MMS supports non-standard GSM characters, such as emojis and Unicode.  Take a look at the Sinch SMS and MMS product pages for more information on how these types of messaging can be used. ... View more

Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) supports the following Content Types:   Image Includes static images and animated GIF’s. Audio Files Media used for storing digital audio. Video Media used to display moving visual media.  Long text Messages that exceed the 160-character limit restricted to SMS. We support up to 5,000 characters per slide.   PDF Electronic documents saved with .pdf file extension. ICal Calendars contain meeting or scheduling information. vCard Virtual business cards contain contact information for an individual or business.   Note: Support for these content types varies by carrier and Device Type.   MMS is an extension to the more commonly used text message or Short Message Service (SMS) and gives the user increased opportunities to put their brand in front of customers and to use more integrated marketing campaigns to build brand awareness and increase engagement.   Visit the Sinch MMS product page to learn more. ... View more

Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) works by allowing organisations to send text, images, video clips and audio clips to their customer’s MMS compatible mobile phones. Like SMS, MMS uses telecom operator controlled and protected channels and servers to relay content from server to handset.   Visit the Sinch MMS product page to learn more. ... View more

When faced with a choice between SMS (short message service / text message) and MMS (multimedia message service), it depends what kind of message you are planning to send. If you are planning on only sending simple text messages, then SMS is the way to go.   If you plan to send images, video, or audio files then MMS is a better choice. MMS messaging provides advantages over SMS messaging when you want to enjoy increased opportunities to communicate your brand and send more interactive content to your customers. MMS is ideal for sending Images, Audio and video files. In addition, MMS messages can support text-only messages that exceed 160 characters (the limit of regular SMS messages).   With the ability to send audio, images and short video clips, MMS can become part of an integrated marketing campaign to help raise awareness of and trust in your brand, ultimately resulting in increased engagement and a higher return on investment.   Take a look at the Sinch SMS and MMS product pages for more information on how these types of messaging can be used. ... View more

Visit our Sinch Documentation site to view: MMS status code and Delivery Report Statuses. ... View more

Visit our Sinch Documentation site to view: XML API error codes and postback notification codes. ... View more

Sinch supports the following MMS APIs that will allow you to add MMS capabilities to your campaigns:   MM7 API The MMS industry standard protocol for applications to submit MMS messages to an MMSC. MM7 is an XML/SOAP based API where the MMS message is formatted in a MIME encoded XML document and posted to the server using an HTTP POST. View MM7 API Documentation JSON API Simple yet resourceful Sinch API where you can send MMS by simply making HTTP POST request to our API URL. Allows you to send your Multimedia content as Media URL in the Slide Parameter. Provides the option to upload and save MMS content which is more powerful and better suited for sending large campaign blasts.  View JSON API Documentation   Sinch only offers MMS in select countries. Please contact Sinch if you are interested in this service to ensure coverage in your market.   For more information, look at the Sinch MMS product page. ... View more