Help Center SMS Messages

SMS Messages

Send standard text messages using SMSBAT API. SMS is the most universal messaging channel with the highest delivery rates across all mobile devices.

Overview

SMS (Short Message Service) is ideal for:

Time-critical notifications
Fallback for Viber/RCS messages
Reaching users without smartphones
Universal compatibility across all mobile networks
High delivery rates (95%+)

Basic SMS Message

Request

{
  "from": "YourSender",
  "to": "+380XXXXXXXXX",
  "type": "sms",
  "text": "Your SMS message text"
}

Parameters

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
`from`	string	Yes	Alphanumeric sender ID (up to 11 characters)
`to`	string	Yes	Recipient phone number in E.164 format
`type`	string	Yes	Set to `"sms"`
`text`	string	Yes	Message content
`customerMessageId`	string	No	Your internal tracking ID
`ttl`	integer	No	Time-to-live in seconds

Examples

Simple SMS

curl -X POST https://restapi.smsbat.com/bat/messagelist \
  -H "X-Authorization-Key: your-api-key" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "messages": [{
      "from": "YourBrand",
      "to": "+380XXXXXXXXX",
      "type": "sms",
      "text": "Hello! This is a test SMS message."
    }]
  }'

SMS with Customer ID

{
  "messages": [{
    "from": "YourStore",
    "to": "+380XXXXXXXXX",
    "type": "sms",
    "text": "Your order #12345 has been shipped.",
    "customerMessageId": "order-12345-notification"
  }]
}

SMS with TTL

{
  "messages": [{
    "from": "YourApp",
    "to": "+380XXXXXXXXX",
    "type": "sms",
    "text": "Your verification code is: 123456",
    "ttl": 300
  }]
}

Character Encoding

GSM 7-bit Encoding

Standard GSM alphabet (160 characters per SMS):

A-Z a-z 0-9
@ £ $ ¥ è é ù ì ò Ç Ø ø Å å
Δ _ Φ Γ Λ Ω Π Ψ Σ Θ Ξ
! " # % & ' ( ) * + , - . / : ; < = > ?

Extended GSM Characters

These characters count as 2 characters:

| ^ € { } [ ] ~ \

Unicode (UCS-2) Encoding

Messages with special characters use Unicode encoding (70 characters per SMS):

Emoji: 😀 🎉 ❤️
Cyrillic: А Б В Г Д Е Ж
Special symbols: ✓ ✗ ★ ♥

Message Length

Single SMS

GSM 7-bit: 160 characters
Unicode: 70 characters

Multi-part SMS

When your message exceeds the limit, it’s split into multiple parts:

GSM 7-bit: 153 characters per part
Unicode: 67 characters per part

Example

{
  "messages": [{
    "from": "YourBrand",
    "to": "+380XXXXXXXXX",
    "type": "sms",
    "text": "This is a very long message that will be split into multiple parts. Each part will be delivered separately but will appear as a single message on the recipient's phone. The system automatically handles the splitting and reassembly."
  }]
}

This message (201 characters) will be split into 2 parts.

Response

Success Response

{
  "messagelistId": 123456,
  "messages": [
    {
      "messageId": "abc123def456",
      "status": "accepted",
      "parts": 2,
      "customerMessageId": "order-12345-notification",
      "to": "+380XXXXXXXXX"
    }
  ]
}

Response Fields

Field	Description
`messageId`	Unique identifier for tracking
`status`	Message status (`accepted`, `rejected`)
`parts`	Number of SMS parts
`to`	Recipient phone number

Sender ID

Alphanumeric Sender

Use your brand name as sender (up to 11 characters):

{
  "from": "YourBrand",
  "to": "+380XXXXXXXXX",
  "type": "sms",
  "text": "Hello from YourBrand!"
}

Restrictions:

Maximum 11 characters
Letters and numbers only
No spaces or special characters
Recipient cannot reply to alphanumeric senders

Numeric Sender

Use a phone number as sender (for two-way SMS):

{
  "from": "+380123456789",
  "to": "+380XXXXXXXXX",
  "type": "sms",
  "text": "Hello! You can reply to this message."
}

Use Cases

OTP Verification

{
  "from": "YourApp",
  "to": "+380XXXXXXXXX",
  "type": "sms",
  "text": "Your verification code is: 123456. Valid for 5 minutes.",
  "ttl": 300
}

Order Notifications

{
  "from": "YourStore",
  "to": "+380XXXXXXXXX",
  "type": "sms",
  "text": "Your order #12345 has been delivered. Thank you for shopping with us!"
}

Appointment Reminders

{
  "from": "YourClinic",
  "to": "+380XXXXXXXXX",
  "type": "sms",
  "text": "Reminder: Your appointment is scheduled for tomorrow at 2:00 PM."
}

Payment Confirmations

{
  "from": "YourBank",
  "to": "+380XXXXXXXXX",
  "type": "sms",
  "text": "Payment of 100 USD to Merchant ABC was successful. Transaction ID: 789xyz"
}

Best Practices

Message Content

✅ Keep messages concise and clear
✅ Include sender identification
✅ Add call-to-action if needed
✅ Use proper grammar and spelling
❌ Avoid excessive punctuation!!!
❌ Don’t use all CAPS
❌ Avoid URL shorteners that look suspicious

Character Usage

Check character count before sending
Be aware of extended GSM characters (count as 2)
Test with special characters before bulk sending
Consider using GSM encoding for longer messages

Phone Numbers

Always use E.164 format: +380XXXXXXXXX
Validate phone numbers before sending
Remove invalid numbers from your list
Keep your contact list updated

Timing

Respect local time zones
Avoid sending at night (10 PM - 8 AM)
Consider business hours for commercial messages
Set appropriate TTL for time-sensitive messages

Compliance

Obtain consent before sending marketing messages
Include opt-out instructions for promotional SMS
Follow local regulations (GDPR, etc.)
Respect “Do Not Disturb” lists

Error Handling

Common Errors

Error	Cause	Solution
`INVALID_RECIPIENT`	Wrong phone format	Use E.164 format
`INVALID_SENDER`	Invalid sender ID	Check sender ID rules
`MESSAGE_TOO_LONG`	Exceeds max length	Split or shorten message
`INVALID_ENCODING`	Unsupported characters	Use GSM or Unicode

Cost Optimization

Reduce Message Parts

Keep messages under 160 characters (GSM) or 70 (Unicode)
Avoid special characters that trigger Unicode
Use abbreviations when appropriate
Remove unnecessary spaces

Example Optimization

❌ Before (171 characters, 2 SMS):

Hello John! Your order #12345 has been successfully delivered to your address at 123 Main Street. Thank you for shopping with us! We hope to see you again soon.

✅ After (156 characters, 1 SMS):

Hi John! Order #12345 delivered to 123 Main St. Thanks for shopping with us! Visit example.com/order/12345 for details.

Bulk Sending

Send multiple messages in one request:

{
  "messages": [
    {
      "from": "YourBrand",
      "to": "+380111111111",
      "type": "sms",
      "text": "Message 1"
    },
    {
      "from": "YourBrand",
      "to": "+380222222222",
      "type": "sms",
      "text": "Message 2"
    },
    {
      "from": "YourBrand",
      "to": "+380333333333",
      "type": "sms",
      "text": "Message 3"
    }
  ]
}

Next Steps

Viber Messages - Rich media messaging
RCS Messages - Rich Communication Services
Check Status - Track delivery status
Fallback Strategies - Configure fallbacks

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