SMS Messages Being Blocked That Contain Certain Text

Greetings, let's get to the bottom of your domain SMS concerns @Mammarelli.

We understand the importance of staying connected through messaging.  

A few steps to try if your email did not go through, but you don’t receive an domain error?

It’s possible that your email or SMS wasn’t delivered. Read the error message for more info. Think your email was blocked? Meet us back here to review your email or SMS settings in a DM. Thank you for contacting AT&T Community Forums.

Alasani, AT&T Community Specialist 

This is not an email issue.  I am sending purchase receipts via sms for people that make purchases, on the same number sending the text, through their phone.  Let’s say the url I am listing on the SMS receipt is abc.io which forwards to abcdefg.com.  When I use the .io address in the message you are not delivering the messages, but when I use the .com you are.  I have tried multiple variations of my short url and they are all undeceived.  They were going through for months  and suddenly stopped.  I need to know how to get my short url delivering again.  Do I simply need to have the url resolve directly rather than having it resolve to my long .com?

Hi @Mammarelli! What you are encountering is SMS Carrier Filtering. Here is how you can get around that restriction.

To prevent a carrier from mistaking your message for spam, send content to small lists. In addition to preventing carrier filtering, small lists empower your teams to send targeted messages, which will likely elicit a favorable response from recipients.

Also, make sure your messages have an opt-out notice. Any subscription messages that don’t use opt-out notices (example: reply STOP to unsubscribe) are likely to be blocked.

Carrier filtering is the practice of carriers to block the delivery of some or all of the messaging from a specific number or business. To provide the best messaging solution for your customers, you must understand how and when carrier filtering occurs. The following are some of the main reasons for filtering:

1. To comply with the carrier's policies, or with state, local, or country-specific regulations. Compliance can relate to the message’s content or frequency.
2. To enforce rules and regulations that protect mobile subscribers from unwanted or unsolicited messaging, such as SPAM and messages that are abusive, fraudulent, or of questionable content.
3. To prevent P2P messages from being sent through A2P streams, and to prevent A2P messages from using P2P routes. Incorrect routing can affect the line of business (carrier and subscriber) indicated by number type.
4. To reduce the potential for dissatisfied customers who file complaints, take legal action, seek damages, or switch to another carrier for loss of business.

We hope this info helps. If you still need support reach back out and let us know if you are an AT&T Business customer so that we can provide adequate support for your experience.

Lar, AT&T Community Specialist

This is not what is happening.  The messages are not advertising.  They are sales receipts and are sent out one-by-one directly from the phone number they called to make the purchase.

The messages are being shadow blocked when the short url is used, but not the full url.

Thank you for the reply, @Mammarelli!

It is likely that the SMS messages containing the shortened URL are being blocked/filtered due to messaging regulations. Our system is likely blocking/filtering any text messages that include public URL shorteners.

Reach back and let us know if you are receiving any error messages when sending out those SMS messages. Make sure to include whether you are an AT&T Business customer and if this experience occurs with AT&T customers only or if it occurs with all customers regardless of their cellular wireless carrier. This information will be important for us to provide adequate support regarding your experience.

Lar, AT&T Community Specialist

The issue is only happening with Att.  I am using TSG to send the messages and the url shortener is my own, private domain.  Frlcf.one.  This is a shortened version of frolicphone.com.

the full domain senda without an issue.  Is there a way to get my domain removed from the filter list?  These messages are double opt-in and are sent one at a time, on-demand.

If I resolve frlcf.one directly instead of substituting the domain, would that resolve the issue?

And no, there are no errors being returned to my text messaging provider.  You are simply shadow-blocking these messages.  I wouldn’t have even known except customers were complaining they weren’t receiving receipts.  I am being billed for messages that should be delivered with no noticeable path to know that something is wrong or to remedy the situation.

We appreciate the update, @Mammarelli!

We recommend that you have an affected user contact us with specific details about their experience, including any error messages they have received, so that we can provide support.

Let us know if you have any other questions. Thank you for reaching out to AT&T Community Forums.

Lar, AT&T Community Specialist

I am an affected user.  I am an ATT mobile account holder and can confirm firsthand that you are simply not delivering the sms messages congaing the frlcf.one url in the text.  When I use the full domain you allow the text to go through.  You used to send the texts with the shortened url.

please look at my sms logs from yesterday.

Is anyone going to respond and actually read what I have written?