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Work through this page top to bottom: most SMS issues come down to compliance registration, number type, or a temporary connection problem.

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I can’t send any SMS

Sending SMS from a US number legally requires an approved 10DLC brand and campaign. Until it’s approved, carriers block every outbound text.
  • Register under Settings > Compliance (one-time $24 fee, about 5 minutes)
  • Approval typically takes a few business days
  • Once approved, texting is fully conversational, including images and files (MMS)
Set up texting
Canadian numbers can text other Canadian numbers without registration. To text US numbers, your 10DLC brand must be approved first. If your texts to the US are blocked, check your compliance status under Settings > Compliance.
French regulation doesn’t allow automated SMS from a mobile number. For notification-style messages under your company name, register a Sender ID, approved in about 48 hours. Daily sending limits are listed on SMS & messaging. See Set up texting and SMS in France.
The Starter plan receives SMS but cannot send. Sending requires the Business plan.

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Only one of my numbers can text

If you registered 10DLC as a Sole Proprietor, only one number can be linked to your campaign. That’s a carrier rule, not an Allo limit.
  • To enable texting on additional numbers, contact support: we reset your brand and campaign so you can re-submit as a Private Company, which supports multiple numbers
  • Adding a new number to an existing company campaign doesn’t require a new form: ask support to link it, SMS is enabled in 1 to 2 hours

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A message shows “Failed” in the app

A failed status usually means the message never reached our servers, most often because of a connection drop at the moment of sending.
  1. Check your internet connection
  2. Tap the message to see the error reason
  3. Send it again
If the recipient’s carrier rejected the message (for example a file too large), the error reason will say so.

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MMS (images and files) won’t send

  • MMS works on US and Canadian numbers once 10DLC is approved
  • Keep attachments under 1 MB: most carriers reject anything larger
  • PDFs are poorly supported by carriers: send a link (Google Drive, Dropbox) or convert to a JPG/PNG under 1 MB
  • French numbers can’t send or receive MMS: French telecom regulation blocks MMS on virtual numbers, whatever the provider

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I’m not receiving SMS

After a port, SMS can take up to 48 hours to flow normally. If your ported number still can’t receive texts after that, contact support: a routing adjustment on our side usually fixes it within hours.
That’s expected: Allo is a VoIP platform, so lookup tools classify Allo numbers as VoIP. It doesn’t prevent SMS. But some third-party services refuse to send verification codes to VoIP numbers, which is why Allo numbers can’t reliably receive OTP codes.
The SMS arrived but the push notification didn’t. Check notification permissions for Allo on your device, and see Common issues.

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Still stuck?

Contact support with the sending number, the recipient number, and the approximate time of the message. We can trace each message on the carrier side.