What if my recipients have no reception, how long are SMS kept before they expire and can I set this retention/validity period myself?
In this help article we will talk about the questions:
- What happens if my recipients cannot receive my SMS?
- What is the default validity period for SMS?
- Can I set the validity period myself?
What happens if my recipients cannot receive my SMS?
The short answer is: The network will try to deliver your SMS until the recipient is available or the validity period is exceeded.
If you send an SMS and the receiving device cannot receive the message because it is switched off, has no network reception or the memory is full, the SMS is temporarily stored in the SMSC (Short Message Service Center) of the respective network operator. Several delivery attempts follow until the SMS has reached the respective recipient or the validity period is exceeded. If the validity period is exceeded, the SMS expires and is deleted from the SMSC.
What is the default validity period for SMS?
How long an attempt is made to deliver an SMS depends on the network operator. In most German networks, attempts are made to deliver the SMS for 48 hours. After that, the message expires.
This duration (48 hours) is also the default setting for SMS you send through us.
In international networks, there is no uniform regulation. In most networks, however, the validity is also between 48 and 72 hours. In some cases, however, only 24 hours can pass before the message expires.
Can I set the validity period myself?
When sending via our HTTP API, you can use the TTL (time to live) parameter to set how long your SMS are valid. For example, if you do not want any further delivery attempts after two hours in which your recipient is not reachable, specify this in minutes. The value in this case is 120.
Your question
Do you have any further questions about the validity period or do you need help?
Our support will be happy to help you.