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A2P 10DLC

A2P 10DLC means application-to-person texting over a regular ten-digit number. US carriers require the business to register its brand and what it will text about before they deliver the messages.

By Ariel Tarayants, founder · Updated

What A2P 10DLC Means

A2P means a business sends texts to people, using software. 10DLC means "10-digit long code": an ordinary local phone number, not a short code like 12345. Carriers want to know who is behind such texts, to cut spam. So they ask each business to register through a shared registry called The Campaign Registry. You register a brand (who you are) and a campaign (what you will text, to whom, and how they agree). Unregistered traffic can be blocked or filtered.

A Worked Example

Example: Dan runs a plumbing shop and gets a local number for texts. He wants to text appointment reminders. He registers the business name and address as a brand. He registers a campaign: "Appointment reminders and service updates for customers who booked a job." He gives two sample messages and shows how a customer agrees to texts. Carriers review it. After approval, his texts are delivered. If he later starts sending coupons, that is outside what he registered.

How It Is Usually Misunderstood

  • "It is a fee from my texting tool." The rules come from the carriers. Tools pass along the registration and its fees.
  • "One registration covers everything." A campaign covers the use you described. Texts to your own team and texts to customers are different uses, and carriers judge them as such.
  • "Approval is instant." It can take days, and a vague description or missing opt-in proof can get it rejected.
  • "A STOP line is optional." People must be able to opt out, and a reply of STOP must be honored.

Opt-in: the customer saying yes to texts. Opt-out: STOP. Brand and campaign: the two things you register. Short code: a five or six digit number that follows different rules. See also How To Get More Google Reviews, where asking by text meets these rules.

How Messages Reach Your TechsTexting your own team. How To Get More Google ReviewsWhere the rules bite.
Under five minutes, all in. No credit card required.See it with my jobs