Sending messages

Phone numbers

Always send numbers in international format with a plus sign and country code: +254712345678, not 0712 345 678.

SMS segments

One SMS segment holds 160 standard characters, or 70 if the message has emoji or special characters. Longer messages are split, and each segment uses credits. Every send response tells you segments and credits_used.

Scheduling

Add scheduled_at with an ISO 8601 time to send later. Credits are reserved until then, and you can cancel with DELETE /v1/sms/{message_id} before it goes.

{
  "to": "+254712345678",
  "message": "Your appointment is tomorrow at 10am",
  "scheduled_at": "2026-11-20T07:00:00+03:00"
}

Sender IDs

A sender ID is the name people see instead of a number. Register one with POST /v1/sms/sender-ids. Approval takes a few days per country, and the response gives an estimate.