If your users are not receiving their codes this can be caused by a few things. We will discuss some troubleshooting steps you can take below.
Checking your API request
To make sure everything is ok on your side, you can check a few things:
- Are you using a test or a live key?
- When using a test key, the API connection will be tested and you will receive a successful or unsuccessful API response, but the system will not send out any live messages. In order to send codes to your end users, make sure you are using a live key. You can check your API keys on this page.
- Was there an issue with your request?
- If your request is unsuccessful, then MessageBird was not able to process your API call and you will receive an API response with an error code. You can check this page to see more information about the different codes and what they mean. You can also see all API responses in your dashboard in your API logs.
SMS
If your SMS did not arrive, there are a few places where this can go wrong. It can be that there is an issue with the number itself, or with the network. There are a few things we should check with the customer, before our team can troubleshoot further:
- Did the customer enter their number correctly, and in the right format?
- Phone numbers must be entered with country code, without a + and 0. Please see precise instructions on formatting your numbers here: Formatting your contact numbers
- Was their phone switched on, and within network coverage?
- If there are issues with the phone’s availability, we will not be able to deliver your SMS in a timely manner. If you are experiencing delivery issues, please make sure that the phone is switched on and has network coverage. It helps to switch off the phone, leave it for 10 seconds, and switch it on again. This will restart the connection to the network.
- Was the phone roaming?
- Although our smart routing engine provides the best configurations to ensure delivery, we cannot always guarantee delivery to roaming numbers. Whether or not we can deliver to a roaming number depends on the agreement between the home network and the roaming network which is out of our control.
- Is your SMS being blocked by local restrictions?
- Operators in various countries have local restrictions in place which may affect your SMS deliverability. If your SMS are not arriving, please check that there are no restrictions in your destination country that can cause this: Country Restrictions and Regulations
Voice
If your Voice Message did not arrive, there are a few places where this can go wrong. It can be that there is an issue with the number itself, or with the network. There are a few things we should check with the customer, before our team can troubleshoot further:
- Did the customer enter their number correctly, and in the right format?
- Phone numbers must be entered with country code, without a + and 0. Please see precise instructions on formatting your numbers here: Formatting your contact numbers
- Was their phone switched on, and within network coverage?
- If there are issues with the phone’s availability, we will not be able to reach the number to deliver your code. Please make sure that the phone is switched on and has network coverage. It helps to switch off the phone, leave it for 10 seconds, and switch it on again. This will restart the connection to the network
If your emails are not arriving, it is possible that they are getting caught by a filter on the end-users side. If you are new to Inbox in particular, your users may experience this because the IP requires some time to warm up. It can take up to 24 hours for your domain to be accepted by most email providers. You can read more here: My OTP codes sent via Email are getting in the spam folder
Please check with the end user that your emails are not getting caught in a spam or junk folder. If this is the case, retry after 24 h of configuring your email domain and please also make sure that the end-user whitelists future emails from you.
Still no luck?
If you have followed the above troubleshooting steps, but you are still having issues receiving your OTP code, our Support team can help you. Please reach out to us via this form with the following information:
- The recipient phone number or email address
- The date and time of sending