A2P 10DLC Campaign Approval Requirements

A2P 10DLC Registration is now required for SMS-enabled numbers in the United States. A2P 10DLC is a system in the United States that allows businesses to send Application-to-Person (A2P) messaging via standard 10-digit long code phone numbers (10DLC).

US carriers consider all UniFi Talk SMS traffic to be A2P, and will filter or block A2P SMS messages from unregistered phone numbers. To continue sending SMS messages from UniFi Talk, businesses must register for A2P 10DLC.

At this time, registration is only available to businesses with a valid business tax ID (EIN) due to identity verification requirements imposed by the major carriers in the United States.

Start registration by navigating to the Organization page within Talk and apply for a Business Profile using your business tax ID (EIN). Once approved, you can proceed with A2P 10DLC registration.

Note: This is not currently available for Sole Proprietorships; only public companies, private companies, non-profits or governmental entities can register at this time.

A2P 10DLC Registration Best Practices

To ensure your A2P 10DLC Registration is approved, follow these best practices when submitting your registration.

Note: Please do not consider the best practices as a guarantee of approval, but rather a baseline for a compliant, high-quality messaging campaign.

Campaign Description

Provide a clear, comprehensive overview of the campaign's objectives and what the end-user would experience after opting in.

The description should thoroughly explain the campaign’s objective or purpose, detailing the sender, the recipient, and reason for messaging.

Avoid including Personal Identifiable Information (PII) in campaign registration fields. Publicly available information like brand names and phone numbers are acceptable.

SMS Consent

The “How do SMS recipients consent to receive messages?” section ensures that the end user consents to receive text messages and understands the nature of the program. The Opt-in method must be accessible by a third-party reviewer so it can be verified.

Responses should include:

• Program or product description
• Telephone number(s) from which messaging will originate
• Identity of the organization or individual being represented in the initial message
• Clear and conspicuous language about opt-in and any associated fees or charges
• Compliant privacy policy
• Other applicable Terms and Conditions (e.g., opt-out instructions, customer care contact information)

Opt-In

Campaign opt-in methods must ensure end-user consent to receive text messages. Verbal opt-in, the most difficult method to verify, is acceptable as long as enough details are provided for a third-party reviewer to verify.

Responses to "How do SMS recipients consent to receive messages?" should follow these guidelines:

• Detail all opt-in methods, including electronic, paper, in-person verbal, or other means.
• Provide necessary links and documentation, such as a hosted link to an image of the opt-in or links to the opt-in website.
• Include Privacy Policy and Terms of Service on the opt-in website.
• Ensure opt-in is verifiable for manual review.

Explain if the opt-in is verbal, on paper, behind a login, or not yet published publicly. Provide a screenshot of the opt-in in such cases. Host the screenshot on a publicly accessible website (like OneDrive or Google Drive) and provide the URL in this section.

For in-person or verbal opt-ins, you must have records of people consenting and providing their numbers, even if you are not sending promotional texts. Considering this, add the records you have of the verbal opt-in (e.g., transcripts, photos of written lists, documents/excel files). Host the records on a publicly accessible website (like OneDrive or Google Drive) and provide the URL.

For paper form opt-ins, host a screenshot of the paper form on a publicly accessible website (like OneDrive or Google Drive) and provide the URL.

For web opt-ins, ensure you have a Compliant Privacy Policy and Terms of Service on the website. If the web opt-in is behind a login or not yet published, host a screenshot on a publicly accessible website (like OneDrive or Google Drive) and provide the URL.

For other opt-in methods, provide any publicly viewable links and documentation for third-party review.

Ensure Consent Before Messaging

Refer to the CTIA guidelines for detailed instructions on collecting end user consent.

• Collect end user opt-in appropriately:
  • If you’re claiming opt-in via text messages, but your sample messages lack appropriate consent (e.g., “Hi, is this the owner of 123 Market street? I’d like to discuss how I can help you sell your property.”), your campaign will be rejected.
• Make sure opt-in language is available on your website if you are using a web-based opt-in:
  • If your brand uses its website to collect phone numbers but your website does not contain opt-in language (e.g., “By providing your phone number, you agree to receive text messages from [Brand]. Message and data rates may apply. Message frequency varies.”), your campaign will be rejected.
• We recommend having opt-out language in at least one of your sample messages:
  • Consider adding language such as, “Please reply STOP to opt out” in one of your sample messages

Ensure Data Accuracy and Consistency

• Maintain consistency in brand registration, website and sample messages.
• Maintain consistency in email domain and company name.
• Submit real, working websites.
• Register the actual brand that you’re sending messages for.
• Create as few duplicative brands and campaigns as possible
• When sending templated messages, indicate the templated fields in sample messages with brackets, to help reviewers identify which parts are templated

Terms of Service

There may be additional compliance requirements under applicable law depending on the nature of your SMS messaging campaign. Consult legal counsel to ensure that your terms of service and privacy policy are compliant with applicable law and consistent with standards for your particular SMS campaign and industry.

Here is a copy of the boilerplate terms of service that cover minimum requirements from the carriers:

{Program name}

1. {brief description of messages users can expect to receive when they opt in.}
2. You can cancel the SMS service at any time. Just text "STOP" to the short code. After you send the SMS message "STOP" to us, we will send you an SMS message to confirm that you have been unsubscribed. After this, you will no longer receive SMS messages from us. If you want to join again, just sign up as you did the first time and we will start sending SMS messages to you again.
3. If you are experiencing issues with the messaging program you can reply with the keyword HELP for more assistance, or you can get help directly at {support email address or toll-free number}.
   Carriers are not liable for delayed or undelivered messages
4. As always, message and data rates may apply for any messages sent to you from us and to us from you. You will receive {message frequency}. If you have any questions about your text plan or data plan, it is best to contact your wireless provider.
5. If you have any questions regarding privacy, please read our privacy policy: {link to privacy policy}

Compliant Privacy Policy

A compliant Privacy Policy must state that no mobile information will be shared with third parties/affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes. Sharing to subcontractors for support services, such as customer service, is permitted. All other use case categories exclude text messaging originator opt-in data and consent; this information cannot be shared with any third parties.

Note: Any business with a terms of service or privacy policy that mentions sharing or selling consumer data/opt-in information is considered noncompliant.

Inbound Message Visibility & OTP

UniFi Talk does not generally allow inbound One Time Passcode (OTP) messages on UniFi Talk numbers. This prevents abuse of UniFi Talk numbers. Previously, these inbound messages were filtered before being processed onto your Talk account. Now, to provide better visibility for all inbound traffic, UniFi Talk will allow you to see these messages, but with the passcode redacted.

Registration Rejected?

For more information on why your A2P 10DLC registration was rejected, please contact support.