Set up texting

Before a number can send its first text, some countries ask for a one-time registration. Which one depends on where your number is, and Allo files the paperwork either way. You answer a few questions.

Sending texts requires the Business plan. Every plan receives them, and receiving is always free.

What your number needs

Your number	Registration	Fee	Approval
United States	10DLC	$24 once, whole company	3 to 7 business days
Canada	10DLC, only to text US numbers	$24 once, whole company	3 to 7 business days
France	Sender name, known as a Sender ID, only for automated messages	None	1 to 5 business days
United Kingdom	Nothing	None	None
Belgium	Nothing	None	None

Register

US & Canada (10DLC)
France (sender name)
UK & Belgium

Carriers require a 10DLC registration before you can text a US number. Without it, every outbound message is blocked at the network, so start early.Texting only Canadian numbers? No registration is needed. 10DLC applies the moment you text a US number.

Go to Settings > Register for SMS (10DLC)

Open Settings > Register for SMS (10DLC) in your Allo dashboard.

Verify your business

Your legal details, contact and address. A one-time $24 for your entire company, covering every seat and every number.

Explain your messaging use case

What you send, and how people agreed to hear from you. You submit it together with your business details, and one registration covers up to 50 phone numbers.Allo asks how people agree to get your texts. When in doubt, select Verbal Opt-In: it only needs your phone number published on your website. Before you submit, go through the SMS registration checklist.

Sole Proprietor? You’ll also get a text with a PIN code to confirm your mobile number. Enter it before your registration reaches the carriers.

Approval takes 3 to 7 business days. Once it lands, the SMS composer appears in your inbox and automatic replies are unlocked. Allo emails you when texting is on, and if anything is rejected.

I'm not based in the US. Do I still need to register?

Yes. 10DLC is required for any US number, wherever your business is.

I'm porting a number that already has 10DLC. Do I re-register?

Yes. 10DLC registrations don’t transfer between providers, so you verify your business again with Allo and describe your messaging use case again.

My registration was rejected. What now?

The rejection email says which step failed. A failed business verification usually means your details do not match your official records. A rejected use case usually comes from an opt-in method you cannot show. The SMS registration checklist covers both. Fix what it points to, then submit again from Settings > Register for SMS (10DLC).

Only one of my numbers can text

You registered as a Sole Proprietor, and that carrier tier allows one number per registration. Contact support to re-submit as a Private Company, which supports several numbers.

Texts you type yourself work straight away, with nothing to register. Anything Allo sends on your behalf needs a registered sender name, what French operators call an alphanumeric Sender ID. It is the name your customer sees at the top of the thread, instead of a number they do not recognise.

The walkthrough is narrated in French, with English subtitles.

The automatic texts page in Allo, with the phone showing the sender name at the top of the thread

The page only appears when the selected line is French. Allo shows the registration that matches the number you have in hand: a French number gives you Automatic texts, a US number gives you Register for SMS (10DLC), and a number from any other country gives you neither. If you cannot see the entry, switch to your French line in the line selector at the bottom left, then reopen settings.The name itself belongs to your account, not to that number: once registered, it covers everything Allo sends for you.

Select your French line

The line selector is at the bottom left of the app. It is what decides which settings you are shown.

Go to Settings > Automatic texts

Open Settings > Automatic texts in your Allo dashboard, on desktop or on the web. The entry sits in the Calls and texts group.

Letters and digits, no spaces or accents, 11 characters maximum. Add a sample message: we check that the name and the message match your business. For example “MOBILEFIRST”, with “Hi, thanks for your call. We’ll get back to you shortly.”The screen shows the result on a phone as you type.

Wait for approval

It takes 1 to 5 business days. You get an email as soon as the name is live.

There is no setup fee.What the name unlocks. Three things, set up afterwards number by number:

The missed-call reply. The moment you miss a call, your customer gets a text: your opening hours, a booking link, or when you will call back.
The out-of-hours message. A customer calls on a Sunday: send them your reopening hours, a booking link, or what to do in an emergency.
Texts sent through the API. Order confirmations, appointment reminders, payment follow-ups, all going out under your name. See Send an SMS in France.

The first two are Send SMS steps in each line’s call flow. From the Automatic texts page, the button beside each row takes you straight there.

What names are not allowed?

Generic terms like “Alert”, “Bank” or “Delivery”, and names impersonating public institutions or major brands, are blocked by AF2M. Your name has to represent your actual business.

Can recipients reply?

No. A sender name is one-way. For a two-way conversation, write from the inbox, or get a short code, covered in SMS in France.

Do I need it to text by hand?

No. Typing a text yourself works without any registration, and goes out from your number. The sender name covers what Allo sends for you: automatic replies, call flows, the API.

How many names can I register?

Up to three per account, for instance one per brand or per hosted company. The name belongs to the account, not to a number.

My name was refused, what now?

Register another one from the same page. Refusals almost always come from a generic name, or one that borrows another brand.

SMS rates

What a text costs, and how segments are counted

SMS troubleshooting

Texts that won’t send, arrive, or deliver

SMS registration checklist

What carriers check before they approve your number

SMS in France

ARCEP, CNIL and AF2M rules, and short codes

SMS & messaging

What texting does on Allo

Get started

Calling

Incoming calls

After a call

Phone numbers

SMS

Team and account

Integrations

Billing

Security and compliance

Partners

Support

What your number needs

Register

Next

SMS rates

SMS troubleshooting

SMS registration checklist

SMS in France

SMS & messaging