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Delivery agent
API key · Customer operations teamALAlex Lee AdminPermissions updated
Your brand name
in the from field.
An alphanumeric sender ID puts your brand name in the message's "from" field instead of a number. It's one-way: recipients see the name but can't reply. Many countries support it, and many require you to pre-register the sender string before it will deliver.
Put your name in the sender field
Sender example
FIELDNOTES
01
Claim the identity
Choose the brand string your customers know.
02
Check the destination
Register where the country requires it.
03
Use the right reply path
A brand sender cannot receive an SMS reply.
Illustrative sender ID. A claimed name and an approved destination are separate checks.
When a name beats a number.
An alphanumeric sender ID is one of the four sender types on Bird SMS numbers, part of the broader Bird SMS API. Reach for it when recipients should see your brand rather than a phone number and you don't need them to reply: notifications, OTP, and one-off alerts where the message is the whole conversation.
What an alphanumeric sender gives you.
Brand in the from field, with real constraints.
- 01
Your brand, not a number.
Recipients see the brand name in the sender field. Use an identity they recognize and keep the message consistent with the relationship they have with you.
- 02
One-way only.
There's no number behind the name for replies to route to. Recipients cannot reply to an alphanumeric sender ID. Plan for a different channel or a separate number when you need an answer.
- 03
Support depends on the country.
Some destinations accept alphanumeric senders freely, some restrict them, and some don't allow them at all. The right sender for a route is a per-country decision.
- 04
Often needs pre-registration.
In many countries the sender string has to be registered before it delivers, and unregistered IDs get rewritten or dropped. Register ahead of the send rather than at send time.
- 05
Keep the string short.
An alphanumeric sender is a short label, typically up to 11 characters on GSM networks. Pick something close to the brand name recipients already know.
Set the sender per send.
Where the destination permits it, you set the sender string on the send itself: pass your brand in the from field instead of a number. The send shape is the same one you use for every sender type; only the from value changes.
alphanumeric.ts
202 · accepted
// "from" is your alphanumeric sender, not a number.
// Permitted per country; often pre-registered first, and never for the US,
// which delivers only from a number you hold.
const { data: message, error } = await bird.sms.send({
from: "Bird",
to: "+31612345678",
text: "Your verification code is 481920.",
category: "authentication",
}).safe();
if (error) throw error;
// text reads back as "**REDACTED**": an authentication body is not retained.
console.log(message.status, message.text); // → "accepted" "**REDACTED**"
Country rules decide what delivers.
Whether an alphanumeric sender works, and whether it has to be registered first, is set by each destination country and its carriers. Bird handles sender ID registration per country so the string you send is the string recipients see. When you need recipients to reply, use a long code, short code, or toll-free number instead.
Questions about this sender
What is an alphanumeric sender ID?
A short brand string shown in the SMS sender field instead of a phone number. It is an identity you claim and register where required, rather than a reply-capable number.
Can recipients reply to the brand name?
No. Use a number with SMS capability when the workflow needs replies. Prepare the appropriate opt-out mechanism for the campaign and destination.
Is claiming a sender ID enough to start sending?
Only where the destination permits that sender and no required registration remains. Enable the destination and inspect the sender’s country requirements before launch.
Other ways to send
An alphanumeric sender is one of four sender types. Compare the rest.
Long codesSMS-capable local numbers, with 10DLC registration for US application traffic.Short codesShort national numbers for a reviewed, high-volume messaging program.Toll-freeVerified toll-free numbers for US and Canada traffic without 10DLC.All SMS numbersCompare every sender type: reach, throughput, and registration.SMS API overviewThe full SMS API: sending, numbers, two-way, compliance, routing, and analytics.
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Team Customer operationsActor role AdminOutcome SucceededTime 22 Sep, 09:42:18 UTC
Succeeded