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My web app sends an SMS text message to users in the US when they enter their phone number, using the Nexmo API. When the SMS contains a link, it does not get delivered to users if their carrier is Verizon or T-Mobile. For other carriers, such as Sprint and AT&T, it does get delivered. It does not generate error messages in any case with Nexmo and I still get charged for the text even if it gets blocked by the carrier.

I contacted Nexmo and they replied:

I would say it is very likely that the link in this sms caused a spam filter to block this message, especially if other plain content messages have been delivered to this number successfully. So the issue with US LVNs is that they are intended for pure P2P traffic and this is why sending a link might be suspicious and seen as a message originated from an application. Unfortunately there is nothing we can do about this as it is set by the US carriers.

These are not definitely not spam or marketing messages. How can I send a link in an SMS message and not get blocked?

koanima
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    Talk to Tmobil and Verizon, then. We can't help you, since we have no idea how their spam filters are working. and note that just because YOU don't think it's spam doesn't mean anyone else thinks the same way. – Marc B Mar 13 '14 at 15:13
  • @MarcB thanks for the comment. Would you suggest how best to contact them? The 'contact us' page on Verizon for support requires login. Also, note that in this case it is very certainly NOT spam, since it is a one time message, initiated by the user, with no sales intent, and doesn't fit any definition of spam that I've seen. – koanima Mar 13 '14 at 15:22
  • yes, but you're using an sms service. if verizon has decided they're a spam source, there's NOTHING you can do about it, because you're sending your "nonspam" from a place that verizon has blacklisted. – Marc B Mar 13 '14 at 15:23
  • I don't believe my account and numbers are blacklisted because it's only individual SMSs containing links that are not getting delivered, and SMSs without links are delivered. – koanima Mar 13 '14 at 15:25
  • I am encountering this same problem, it seems that the message is triggering block rules, long, short, .com or not. I had to opt away from links all together. – Joseph Dattilo Nov 13 '19 at 20:46

4 Answers4

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I had the same issue recently. All major carriers have some basic checks in place which blocks the SMS from getting delivered if you use short links (e.g.http://abc.gl/1432). The SMS will get delivered as long as you have a .com in the URL (e.g. http://abc.gl.com/1432)

Rohan Rayarikar
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  • Your answer just saved me a lot of heartburn as to why my domain was being filtered. I tested with another domain (sending to a T-Mobile number) that was a `.com` and everything worked just fine. The fact that this kind of arbitrary filtering is still a thing in 2022 has to be one of the most boneheaded things I've seen in a while. The `.com`, `.net`, and `.org` spaces are getting increasingly crowded with more TLDs coming online. Yet the phone companies still have this simplistic and hardly even secure view on it. – Jem Jul 21 '22 at 13:28
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Well, I observed that some carriers mark it as spam if have "Some Message. Click Here http://example/somelink" format. Removing "Click here" part worked for me. i.e. "Some Message. http://example/somelink"

Ninad Desai
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Got the same issue. I have been using twilio to a t-mobile phone in the US.

SMS Hello Alan, your code is: 146945 for website.com is not working but

SMS Hello Alan, your code is: 146945 is working fine.

Alan
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I got the same issue,

SMS: HI, have you heard about this and the at the end of the message is https://somethingsomething.something.link/param=123 is not delivered

Change the url to https://somethingsomething.something.com/param=123 it works

Change the url to https://somethingsomething.something.yeah/param=123 it also works

NOT_A_PROGRAMMER
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