> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.brilo.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Text messages

> Turn on text messaging for a Brilo number, what verification and registration are needed first, and why the option to enable SMS may not appear.

Your agent can answer and send text messages on a number that has texting switched on. In the US there
are two things to do first: verify your identity, then register your business with the carriers, which
takes a week or two. Once approved, you switch texting on per number.

## Before you start

* Your identity verified. See [Verify your identity](/account/verify-your-identity).
* For US numbers, your business registered and approved. See
  [Register your business](/phone-numbers/register-your-business).
* A phone number that supports texting. See [Buy a phone number](/phone-numbers/buy-a-phone-number).
* Owner or admin access to change number settings.

## Steps

1. Go to **Settings** and confirm your identity is verified in **Trust Center**.
2. Register your business in **Trust Center**, then **Register Brand**, if your number is a US number.
3. Wait for the registration to be approved, which usually takes a week or two.
4. Open **Phone numbers** and select the number you want to text from.
5. Switch texting on for that number.
6. Choose which agent handles texts for the number. It can be the same agent that takes your calls, or
   a different one.

## You will know it worked when

* The number shows texting as enabled.
* A text you send to the number gets a reply from your agent.
* Text conversations appear alongside calls in your inbox.

## Why there is no option to enable SMS

The option to switch texting on appears once the number can legally text. Three things hide it, and they
are worth checking in this order.

**Your identity is not verified.** Verification comes before everything else. See
[Verify your identity](/account/verify-your-identity).

**Your business is not registered, or is still under review.** A verified identity is not enough on its
own for a US number. Registration is a separate 11 step form with a \$49 carrier fee, and approval takes
a week or two. This is the step that catches most people out, because verifying an identity takes
minutes and feels like the finish line. See
[Register your business](/phone-numbers/register-your-business).

**The number itself does not support texting.** Not every number can text. A number that takes calls
perfectly well can be voice only, and toll free numbers follow a different carrier process from local
numbers. Check the number in **Phone numbers**, and buy a texting capable number if it is not.

If all three are in order and the option is still missing, contact
[support@brilo.ai](mailto:support@brilo.ai) with the number and your workspace name.

## What your agent can do with texts

Your agent uses the same instructions and the same knowledge on texts as it does on calls, so you do not
write a second agent for messaging.

* Reply to texts people send to your number.
* Send a text during a call, for example a booking confirmation or a payment link.
* Text a list of contacts as part of a campaign. See
  [Text message step](/campaigns/text-message-step).

## What else you can do here

* [Send texts to a list of contacts](/campaigns/text-message-step) as a campaign step.
* [Send a text or email during a call](/actions/send-a-text-or-email) as an action.
* [Point calls and texts at different agents](/phone-numbers/assign-a-number-to-an-agent).
* [Let people unsubscribe](/campaigns/let-people-unsubscribe) from your messages.
* [Fix messages that are not sending](/channels/my-messages-arent-sending).

## If it did not work

**Texts are not delivered and there is no error.** In the US this is almost always registration. An
unregistered number fails quietly rather than reporting an error. See
[Register your business](/phone-numbers/register-your-business).

**Texts send but replies never reach my agent.** No agent is set to handle texts for that number.
Calls and texts are set separately, so this is easy to half configure. See
[Assign a number to an agent](/phone-numbers/assign-a-number-to-an-agent).

**Some recipients never get anything.** They may have replied STOP at some point, which blocks further
messages to them. See [Let people unsubscribe](/campaigns/let-people-unsubscribe).

## FAQ

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Why is there no option to enable SMS on my number?">
    Usually because your business is not registered yet. A US number cannot text until registration is
    approved, which takes a week or two, and a verified identity alone is not enough. Check that the
    number supports texting too. See
    [Register your business](/phone-numbers/register-your-business).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="I verified my identity, so why can't I text yet?">
    Because verification is the first of two steps. Identity verification unlocks outbound calling and
    lets you start business registration, and registration is what carriers require before a US number
    can send texts. Allow a week or two for approval.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can my agent answer texts as well as calls?">
    Yes. One agent handles both, using the same instructions and the same knowledge, so there is no
    second agent to write. If you want a different style for texts, you can point texts at a different
    agent on the same number.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do I need to register my business to text outside the US?">
    No. Registration is a US carrier requirement. Numbers in other countries have their own local rules
    for business texting, so check what applies where your number is before you rely on it.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can my agent start a text conversation, or only reply?">
    Both. Your agent replies to incoming texts, can send a text during a call such as a confirmation or
    payment link, and can text a list of contacts as a campaign step. See
    [Text message step](/campaigns/text-message-step).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do texts use my call minutes?">
    No. Call minutes are for calls. Texts are counted separately from minutes and from your email
    allowance, so running out of minutes does not stop your texts. See [Limits](/supported/limits).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I text from the same number that takes my calls?">
    Yes, and that is the usual setup, because customers reply to the number that rang them. One number
    handles both, and you can send its calls and its texts to different agents if you want a different
    style on each.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What happens when someone replies STOP?">
    That contact is unsubscribed and no further messages go to them. This is required by the carrier
    rules and is not something to switch off. See
    [Let people unsubscribe](/campaigns/let-people-unsubscribe).
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related

* [Register your business](/phone-numbers/register-your-business) the step texting depends on
* [Verify your identity](/account/verify-your-identity) which comes before registration
* [My messages are not sending](/channels/my-messages-arent-sending) for delivery problems
* [Ways people can reach your agent](/channels/overview) for the other channels
* [Text message step](/campaigns/text-message-step) for texting a list of contacts