When sending an SMS, certain messages may not reach their recipients and may bounce. This document explains the different types of SMS bounces that can occur and their causes:
- Call barred by operator This message is usually given to us when there is some kind of restriction on the destination line that prevents the delivery of the SMS. For example, a prepaid user who has run out of credit and has the line temporarily blocked waiting for the recharge.
- Failed Message Delivery This is the generic error, when the operator doesn't give us more information about the reason for the error.
- Ported Number In fact this code is used for "Unknown or ported number", that is, when a number has been ported to another operator to whom the SMS cannot be delivered (not possible in Spain) or when the number has no active line (the number exists, has a correct format and is assigned to an operator, but does not correspond to any user).
- Validity Period Expired The message expires without being able to be delivered to the terminal due to a temporary problem in the terminal, such as being off, out of range or with a full inbox.
Below is a list of the different statuses returned by operators:
- Delivered to destination: The message has been delivered to the destination terminal.
- Sent: The operator is trying to deliver the message but the destination terminal has no network or is turned off for delivery. By default, the operator is trying to deliver the SMS for 48 hours.
- Terminal not available: After these 48 hours if the terminal hasn't recovered the network, the operator desists in its retry policy and returns this status.
- Undelivered message: In this case the operator hasn't been able to deliver the message, but doesn't give more details. It's usually because the phone is cancelled or with the incoming messages restricted, broken or with a full mailbox.
- Error: Invalid phone: The number has no valid format, for example 8 digits for Spain. The message has not been sent and there is no charge for it.
- Error: Error when sending: This status tells us that the operator has rejected the sending, usually because the number isn't valid.
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