SMS API for developers

Send updates. Receive replies. From your app or agent. Build with Bird MCP, CLI, and SDKs.

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From prompt to delivered.

Send an SMS from your app or agent. Follow the carrier receipt. Send messages and inspect delivery with MCP, CLI, and SDKs.

Your sender.
Ready for its destination.

See where your sender can send, which registrations are in review, and what needs your attention before the first message.

Make every
character count.

SMS is billed per segment. Resolve your template, check the final text, and use smart encoding when typographic characters add an unnecessary segment.

Receive the reply.
Build what happens next.

Receive texts on a reply-capable number. Pass the incoming event to your app, update the appointment, and send an acknowledgement through the SMS API.

Honor the next STOP.

In supported countries, Bird recognizes opt-out keywords and blocks subsequent sends for that sender and subscriber. Workspace-wide preferences provide broader opt-out control.

Ready to build?

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Every message. A clearer picture.

Follow delivery over time. Find the carrier, outcome, and message behind a failure.

See what kept a message from arriving.

Separate unreachable handsets, permanent failures, and expired messages.

Customer story

Built for the next market.

Airwallex expanded SMS into 30 new countries in two months with Bird, bringing its authentication messages to more customers.

Read the customer story

Less debugging. More building.

Test requests, trace delivery, and recover from errors with clear feedback at every step.

Inspect before you send.

Preview the CLI request locally. Check the sender, recipient, and category before making the API call.

Retry with confidence.

Retry with the same key and body to retrieve the original response.

Handle delivery events.

Verify webhook signatures with the SDK, then act on delivery events.

Know what needs fixing.

A destination that is switched off is rejected before delivery. Enable the intended country and check sender requirements before retrying.

Scale without losing control.

Organize teams in workspaces, control API access, and trace changes through audit logs.

Go further.
With SMS API.

Everything from your first send to delivery at scale.

Sending API

Send updates and track each message.

Numbers

Choose a number or brand-name sender.

Destinations

Check coverage and country requirements.

Two-way messaging

Turn incoming replies into app events.

Routing

Understand the path to the carrier.

Marketing

Send campaigns to opted-in audiences.

Templates

Reuse content with recipient variables.

Compliance

Manage registrations and opt-outs.

10DLC registration

Register your US brand and campaign.

Before your
first message.

Can I send from my business name?

In supported countries, an alphanumeric sender puts your business name on the message. These senders are one-way, and some destinations require registration. For replies, use an SMS-capable number that supports inbound messages in that country.

What determines the cost of an SMS?

The destination, carrier, and number of segments affect the cost. GSM-7 fits up to 160 characters in a single segment; UCS-2 fits up to 70. Longer messages use smaller concatenated segments. Check the final message after variables are resolved, then use the current destination pricing.

Does accepted mean delivered?

No. A 202 response means Bird accepted the request for processing. Delivery is asynchronous: inspect the message or subscribe to SMS events for carrier-reported outcomes. A delivery receipt is not a read receipt.

How do replies and opt-outs reach my application?

Subscribe to sms.received for inbound messages on an eligible number. Your application handles the reply and decides what happens next. In countries where Bird supports default STOP handling, the reply suppresses further messages from that sender to that subscriber. Workspace SMS preferences can apply broader suppression.

Should I use SMS API or Verify for login codes?

Use SMS API when your application owns code generation and validation. Use Verify when you want Bird to manage verification codes, checks, and the verification lifecycle across supported channels.

Start with one. Build across channels.

Bring your next customer conversation into the same workspace.

Email

Send, receive, and track email.

SMS

Send updates. Keep replies connected.

WhatsApp

Rich messages and conversations.

Apple Messages

Help customers in Messages.

Voice

Connect calls and guide conversations.

Verify

Confirm access with a code.

Lookup

Check contact details before sending.

Mailbox

Give your application an inbox.

eSIM

Build mobile connectivity into your product.

Realtime

Keep your applications in sync.

Your next idea. Ready to connect.

Get StartedContact Sales

Your next idea. Ready to connect.

Get StartedContact Sales