Message Resource
A Message resource represents an inbound or outbound message. Twilio creates a Message when any of the following occur:
- You send an SMS, WhatsApp, or Channels message via the REST API
- You use the <Message> verb in TwiML
- You originate a message from a Programmable Wireless SIM
- Someone sends a message to one of your Twilio numbers
With this REST API, you can:
Are you looking for step-by-step instructions for sending your first SMS with Twilio using the helper libraries? Check out one of our SMS quickstarts in your programming language of choice: C#/.NET, Java, Node.js, PHP, Python, or Ruby.
Or, if you're looking to get up and running with the Twilio API for WhatsApp Quickstart: C#/.NET, Java, Node.js, PHP, Python, or Ruby.
Message properties
| Resource Properties in REST API format | |
|---|---|
body
|
The message text. Can be up to 1,600 characters long. |
num_segments
|
The number of segments that make up the complete message. A message body that is too large to be sent in a single SMS message is segmented and charged as multiple messages. Inbound messages over 160 characters are reassembled when the message is received. Note: When using a Messaging Service to send messages, |
direction
|
The direction of the message. Can be: |
from
|
The phone number (in E.164 format), alphanumeric sender ID, or Wireless SIM that initiated the message. For incoming messages, this will be the number of the sending phone. For outgoing messages, this value will be one of your Twilio phone numbers or the alphanumeric sender ID used. |
to
|
The phone number in E.164 format that received the message. For incoming messages, this will be one of your Twilio phone numbers. For outgoing messages, this will be the sending phone. |
date_updated
|
The date and time in GMT that the resource was last updated specified in RFC 2822 format. |
price
|
The amount billed for the message, in the currency specified by |
error_message
|
The description of the |
uri
|
The URI of the resource, relative to |
account_sid
|
The SID of the Account that sent the message that created the resource. |
num_media
|
The number of media files associated with the message. A message can send up to 10 media files. |
status
|
The status of the message. Can be: |
messaging_service_sid
|
The SID of the Messaging Service used with the message. The value is null if a Messaging Service was not used. |
sid
|
The unique string that that we created to identify the Message resource. |
date_sent
|
The date and time in GMT that the resource was sent specified in RFC 2822 format. For outgoing messages, this is when we sent the message. For incoming messages, this is when we made the HTTP request to your application. |
date_created
|
The date and time in GMT that the resource was created specified in RFC 2822 format. |
error_code
|
The error code returned if your message |
price_unit
|
The currency in which |
api_version
|
The API version used to process the message. |
subresource_uris
|
A list of related resources identified by their URIs relative to |
Create a Message resource
https://api.twilio.com/2010-04-01/Accounts/{AccountSid}/Messages.json
To send a new outgoing message, make an HTTP POST to this Messages list resource URI.
If you want to send messages while in trial mode, you must first verify your 'To' phone number with Twilio. You can verify your phone number by adding it to your Verified Caller IDs in the console.
When creating a new message via the API, you must include the To parameter. This value should be either a destination phone number or a Channel address. You also need to pass a Body or MediaUrl containing the message's content.
A WhatsApp media message can only contain one media object. Additional MediaURL parameters will be ignored.
You must also include either the From parameter or MessagingServiceSid parameter. You may use MessagingServiceSid if sending your message with a messaging service. Alternatively, you can choose a specific number in a messaging service to set as the From.
There is a slight difference in how Twilio's API responds based on the parameter you include:
From: Twilio will validate the phone numbers or Channel addresses synchronously. The API returns either aqueuedstatus or an error.MessagingServiceSid: the API will first return a status ofaccepted. Twilio then determines the optimalFromphone number. Any delivery errors will be sent asynchronously to your StatusCallback URL.
Parameters
| Parameters in REST API format | |
|---|---|
account_sid
Path
|
The SID of the Account that will create the resource. |
to
Required
|
The destination phone number in E.164 format for SMS/MMS or Channel user address for other 3rd-party channels. |
status_callback
Optional
|
The URL we should call using the |
application_sid
Optional
|
The SID of the application that should receive message status. We POST a |
max_price
Optional
|
The maximum total price in US dollars that you will pay for the message to be delivered. Can be a decimal value that has up to 4 decimal places. All messages are queued for delivery and the message cost is checked before the message is sent. If the cost exceeds |
provide_feedback
Optional
|
Whether to confirm delivery of the message. Set this value to |
attempt
Optional
|
Total number of attempts made ( including this ) to send out the message regardless of the provider used |
validity_period
Optional
|
How long in seconds the message can remain in our outgoing message queue. After this period elapses, the message fails and we call your status callback. Can be between 1 and the default value of 14,400 seconds. After a message has been accepted by a carrier, however, we cannot guarantee that the message will not be queued after this period. We recommend that this value be at least 5 seconds. |
force_delivery
Optional
|
Reserved |
content_retention
Optional
|
Determines if the message content can be stored or redacted based on privacy settings |
address_retention
Optional
|
Determines if the address can be stored or obfuscated based on privacy settings |
smart_encoded
Optional
|
Whether to detect Unicode characters that have a similar GSM-7 character and replace them. Can be: |
persistent_action
Optional
|
Rich actions for Channels Messages. |
shorten_urls
Optional
|
Determines the usage of Click Tracking. Setting it to |
schedule_type
Optional
|
Indicates your intent to schedule a message. Pass the value |
send_at
Optional
|
The time that Twilio will send the message. Must be in ISO 8601 format. |
send_as_mms
Optional
|
If set to True, Twilio will deliver the message as a single MMS message, regardless of the presence of media. |
content_sid
Optional
|
The SID of the Content object returned at Content API content create time (https://www.twilio.com/docs/content-api/create-and-send-your-first-content-api-template#create-a-template). If this parameter is not specified, then the Content API will not be utilized. |
content_variables
Optional
|
Key-value pairs of variable names to substitution values, used alongside a content_sid. If not specified, Content API will default to the default variables defined at create time. |
from
Required if
messaging_service_sid
is not passed
|
A Twilio phone number in E.164 format, an alphanumeric sender ID, or a Channel Endpoint address that is enabled for the type of message you want to send. Phone numbers or short codes purchased from Twilio also work here. You cannot, for example, spoof messages from a private cell phone number. If you are using |
messaging_service_sid
Required if
from
is not passed
|
The SID of the Messaging Service you want to associate with the Message. Set this parameter to use the Messaging Service Settings and Copilot Features you have configured and leave the |
body
Required if
media_url
is not passed
|
The text of the message you want to send. Can be up to 1,600 characters in length. |
media_url
Required if
body
is not passed
|
The URL of the media to send with the message. The media can be of type |
Example 1
Example 2
Example 3
A note on message rate limiting
As you send more messages via the API, Twilio will queue them up for delivery at your prescribed rate limit. API requests for messages that exceed the specified rates will be queued and executed as capacity is available.
If your application tries to enqueue more than 4 hours worth of outbound traffic (e.g., enqueuing more than 14,400 messages to Canada over one long code phone number), the API will start returning 429 errors.
If you need to enqueue a large volume of messages, you may find that it's helpful to leverage Twilio's Messaging Services. See our guide on how to set up and send messages from a messaging service in your language of choice for more tips.
Schedule a Message resource
If you'd like to cancel scheduled messages, navigate to the Cancel a Scheduled Message section to learn more.
Message scheduling functionality gives you the ability to schedule an SMS, MMS or WhatsApp message for a fixed time in the future.
POST https://api.twilio.com/2010-04-01/Accounts/{AccountSid}/Messages.json
To schedule a new outgoing message, make an HTTP POST to the Messages list resource URI shown above with the following two required parameters:
ScheduleType: This parameter indicates your intent to schedule a message. You should pass the value "fixed" to schedule a message to be sent at a fixed time.SendAt: This parameter indicates when Twilio will send a message. Your datetime should be in ISO-8601 format.
In addition to the two scheduling parameters, you must still include the regular parameters to send a message as described in the Create a Message Resource section: To, Body, MediaUrl (if sending an MMS), and MessageServiceSid (you can pass the MessagingServiceSid in either the MessagingServiceSid parameter or the From parameter).
Important Considerations when using Message Scheduling
For the full list of Message Scheduling limitations, please see the Message Scheduling FAQ support article. If any of these limitations are blockers, please reach out to us via support@twilio.com:
Please note that message scheduling has the following limitations as of now:
- Message Scheduling is only accessible on Messaging Services. You need to pass a
MessagingServiceSidusing either theMessagingServiceSidparameter orFromparameter. - A message must be scheduled at least 15 min in advance of message send time and cannot be scheduled more than 7 days in advance of the request.
- If you plan to use message scheduling at scale, please review the limitations in the support article.
Example 4
Note: There is no status callback event for the scheduled status. You can continue to receive existing callback events by including the optional StatusCallBack parameter in the message request.
Response Status Codes
Valid Parameters: An HTTP 201 (scheduled) will be returned in the synchronous API response when your request parameters are valid. When a message is scheduled, you will see scheduled instead of accepted.
Invalid Parameters: An HTTP 400 code will be returned in the API response when your request parameters are invalid.
Example 5
Example 6
Note: Ensure that your approved WhatsApp sender is added to the number pool of your Messaging Service you intend to use for scheduling a WhatsApp message.
WhatsApp requires that business-initiated notifications sent by your application be templated and pre-registered, with the exception of messages sent as a reply to a user-initiated message. (See Conversational Messaging on WhatsApp for more details).
When scheduling a WhatsApp message, the check for pre-registered templates will only be done at the time of sending the message and not at the time of scheduling the message. If your message does not adhere to the pre-approved WhatsApp templates in your account, the message will be scheduled and fail at send time.
Canceling Scheduled Messages
Once a message is scheduled, you can cancel it from being sent. See the "Cancel a Scheduled Message" section to learn how to cancel scheduled messages.
Create a Message resource with Shortened Link
Link Shortening is currently in Public Beta. Take a look at Link Shortening & Click Tracking for more information. Link Shortening with click tracking functionality is free for users during our Public Beta. For more information, please reference Twilio Terms of Service.
You will need to set up your domain and Messaging Services to use Link Shortening. Get started here.
Link Shortening gives you the functionality to attach shortened links with your own company branded domain without any extra API calls. You can also set up your webhook to receive click events when recipients of the messages click on the shortened link.
To shorten the long links in your messages with your custom domain, make an HTTP POST to the Messages list resource URI with the following required parameter:
- ShortenUrls=true: This parameter indicates your intent to shorten links in a message. You should pass the value
trueto enable Link Shortening. - In addition to the extra parameter, you must still include the regular parameters to send a message as described in the Create a Message Resource section:
To,Body,MediaUrl(if sending an MMS), andMessageServiceSid.
Link Shortening is only accessible on Messaging Services. You need to pass a MessagingServiceSid using the MessagingServiceSid parameter.
Example 7
Example 8
Example 9
Fetch a Message resource
https://api.twilio.com/2010-04-01/Accounts/{AccountSid}/Messages/{Sid}.json
Returns a single message specified by the provided Message <SID>.
Parameters
| Parameters in REST API format | |
|---|---|
account_sid
Path
|
The SID of the Account that created the Message resource to fetch. |
sid
Path
|
The Twilio-provided string that uniquely identifies the Message resource to fetch. |
Example 1
Read multiple Message resources
https://api.twilio.com/2010-04-01/Accounts/{AccountSid}/Messages.json
Returns a list of messages associated with your account. If you are using the Twilio REST API or the Twilio-CLI, the list includes paging information. If you use one of Twilio's Server-Side Helper Libraries, paging happens under the hood.
When getting the list of all messages, results will be sorted on the DateSent field with the most recent messages appearing first.
If you are using the Twilio REST API and plan on requesting more records than will fit on a single page, you may want to use the provided nextpageuri. This method ensures that your next request picks up where it left off and can prevent you from retrieving duplicate data if you are actively sending or receiving messages.
This is not necessary if you are using a Twilio Helper Library, which will automatically handle paging. Take a look at the Helper Library documentation for more information.
You may also filter the list by providing the following query string parameters to the listing resource:
Parameters
| Parameters in REST API format | |
|---|---|
account_sid
Path
|
The SID of the Account that created the Message resources to read. |
to
Optional
|
Read messages sent to only this phone number. |
from
Optional
|
Read messages sent from only this phone number or alphanumeric sender ID. |
date_sent
Optional
|
The date of the messages to show. Specify a date as |
Example 1
Example 2
Example 3
Example 4
Update a Message resource
https://api.twilio.com/2010-04-01/Accounts/{AccountSid}/Messages/{Sid}.json
Updates the body of a Message resource.
This action is primarily used to redact messages: to do so, POST to the above URI and set the Body parameter as an empty string: "". This will allow you to effectively redact the text of a message while keeping the other message resource properties intact.
Parameters
| Parameters in REST API format | |
|---|---|
account_sid
Path
|
The SID of the Account that created the Message resources to update. |
sid
Path
|
The Twilio-provided string that uniquely identifies the Message resource to update. |
body
Optional
|
The text of the message you want to send. Can be up to 1,600 characters long. |
status
Optional
|
When set as |
Example 1
Cancel a Scheduled Message
Before you use this functionality:
- Ensure the status value of canceled is spelled with one "l", (canceled) and not two (cancelled).
- Ensure that you store the
MessageSidof the messages you schedule. You need to reference theMessageSidfor each message cancelation request - There is no bulk cancelation. If you’d like to cancel multiple messages, you must send in a cancelation request for each message and reference the
MessageSid. - There is a new status callback event for
Canceled. You can continue to receive existing callback events by including the optionalStatusCallBackparameter in the message request.
Note: We make the best attempt to cancel a scheduled message when we receive your request.
Example 2
Delete a Message resource
https://api.twilio.com/2010-04-01/Accounts/{AccountSid}/Messages/{Sid}.json
Deletes a message record from your account. Once the record is deleted, it will no longer appear in the API and Account Portal logs.
If successful, returns HTTP 204 (No Content) with no body.
Attempting to delete an in-progress message record will result in an error.
Parameters
| Parameters in REST API format | |
|---|---|
account_sid
Path
|
The SID of the Account that created the Message resources to delete. |
sid
Path
|
The Twilio-provided string that uniquely identifies the Message resource to delete. |
Note: Deleting a message will also delete any media associated with the message, unless the same media object is associated with another message on your account that has not been deleted. For example, if you sent 1000 media messages with the same media attachment, that media object would remain accessible until the 1000 message records associated with it were deleted.
Example 1
Message Media Subresources
Media List Subresource
Message instance resources have a Media list resource for the set of media elements included with a given Message:
/2010-04-01/Accounts/{AccountSid}/Messages/{MessageSid}/Media
Media Instance Subresource
Message instance resources have Media instance subresources. If media exists on a given message, you can retrieve information about images and other media.
/2010-04-01/Accounts/{AccountSid}/Messages/{MessageSid}/Media/{MediaSid}
Appendix
Message Status Values
The following are the possible values for the Status parameter:
| Status | Description |
|---|---|
| accepted | Twilio has received your API request to send a message with a Messaging Service and a From number is being dynamically selected. This will be the initial status when sending with a Messaging Service and the From parameter. |
| scheduled | The message is scheduled to be sent. This will be the initial status when scheduling a message with a Messaging Service |
| queued | The API request to send a message was successful and the message is queued to be sent out. This will be the initial status when you are not using a Messaging Service |
| sending | Twilio is in the process of dispatching your message to the nearest upstream carrier in the network. |
| sent | The nearest upstream carrier accepted the message. |
| receiving | The inbound message has been received by Twilio and is currently being processed. |
| received | On inbound messages only. The inbound message was received by one of your Twilio numbers. |
| delivered | Twilio has received confirmation of message delivery from the upstream carrier, and, where available, the destination handset. |
| undelivered | Twilio has received a delivery receipt indicating that the message was not delivered. This can happen for many reasons including carrier content filtering and the availability of the destination handset. |
| failed | The message could not be sent. This can happen for various reasons including queue overflows, account suspensions and media errors (in the case of MMS). Twilio does not charge you for failed messages. |
| read | On WhatsApp messages only. The message has been delivered and opened by the recipient in the conversation. The recipient must have enabled read receipts. |
| canceled | The message has been canceled. This status is only accessible when using a Messaging Service |
Minimum library values that support "READ" receipts for WhatsApp messages
- C#: 5.30.0
- Java: 7.39.0
- Node: 3.32.0
- PHP: 5.33.0
- Python: 6.28.0
- Ruby: 5.24.0
Back to the Message properties list.
Delivery Related Errors
When a message's status is failed or undelivered, the ErrorCode and ErrorMessage properties will contain one of the following.
Note that the ErrorMessage is meant to be a human-readable description – the values returned are subject to change in the future. A full list of Twilio Error Codes and troubleshooting tips can help you troubleshoot delivery issues.
| Error Code | Error Message | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 30001 | Queue overflow | You tried to send too many messages too quickly, and your message queue overflowed. Try sending your message again after waiting for some time. |
| 30002 | Account suspended | Your account was suspended between the time of message send and delivery. Please contact Twilio. |
| 30003 | Unreachable destination handset | The destination handset you are trying to reach is switched off or otherwise unavailable. |
| 30004 | Message blocked | The destination number you are trying to reach is blocked from receiving this message (e.g., due to blacklisting). |
| 30005 | Unknown destination handset | The destination number you are trying to reach is unknown and may no longer exist. |
| 30006 | Landline or unreachable carrier | The destination number is unable to receive this message. Potential reasons could include trying to reach a landline or, in the case of short codes, an unreachable carrier. |
| 30007 | Carrier violation | Your message was flagged as objectionable by the carrier. To protect their subscribers, many carriers have implemented content or spam filtering. Learn more about carrier filtering |
| 30008 | Unknown error | The error does not fit into any of the above categories. |
| 30009 | Missing segment | One or more segments associated with your multi-part inbound message was not received. |
| 30010 | Message price exceeds max price. | The price of your message exceeds the max price parameter. |
The following ErrorCodes apply only when you are sending a message via WhatsApp or a Channel.
| ErrorCode | ErrorMessage | Description |
|---|---|---|
| 63001 | Channel could not authenticate the request | Channel authentication credentials are incorrect. Please check the credentials in Channel page in Console or re-authenticate with the Channel. |
| 63002 | Channel could not find From address | The From address does not map to any configured Channels. Check that you are using the correct Channel endpoint address from the Channel page. |
| 63003 | Channel could not find To address | The To address is incorrect. |
| 63005 | Channel did not accept given content | |
| 63006 | Could not format given content for the channel | |
| 63007 | Twilio could not find a Channel with the specified From address |
The From address does not map to any configured Channels. Check that you are using the correct Channel endpoint address from the Channel page. |
| 63008 | Could not execute the request because the channel module is misconfigured | Please check the Channel configuration in Twilio. |
| 63009 | Channel returned an error when executing the request | Please see Channel specific error message for more information. |
| 63010 | Channels - Twilio Internal error | |
| 63012 | Channel returned an internal error that prevented it from completing the request | |
| 63013 | This message send failed because it violates Channel provider's policy. | Please see Channel specific error message for more information. |
| 63014 | This message failed to be delivered to the user because it was blocked by a user action. | Please see Channel specific error message for more information. |
Back to the Message properties list.
NumSegments Property
For outbound messages, this property indicates the number of SMS messages it took to deliver the body of the message.
If the body of a message is more than 160 GSM-7 characters (or 70 UCS-2 characters), Twilio will segment and annotate your messages to attempt proper reassembly on the recipient's handset (not supported by all carriers and handsets). This ensures your body text transmits with the highest fidelity.
On inbound messages, this property indicates the number of SMS messages that make up the message received.
If the body of a message is more than 160 GSM-7 characters (or 70 UCS-2 characters), Twilio will attempt to reassemble the message received by your Twilio phone number. All carriers and handsets do not necessarily support this.
Your account will be charged for each segment sent or received.
Back to the Message properties list.
StatusCallback Request Parameters
The parameters Twilio passes to your application in its request to the StatusCallback URL include a subset of the standard request parameters and these additional parameters:
| Parameter | Description |
|---|---|
| MessageStatus | The status of the message. Message delivery information is reflected in message status. The possible values are listed in the Message resource. |
| ErrorCode | The error code (if any) associated with your message. If your message status is failed or undelivered, the ErrorCode can give you more information about the failure. If the message was delivered successfully, no ErrorCode will be present. Find the possible values here. |
| ChannelInstallSid | The Installed Channel SID (found on the Channel detail page) that was used to send this message. Only present if the message was sent using a Channel. |
| ChannelStatusMessage | The Error message returned by the underlying Channel if Message delivery failed. Only present if the message was sent using a Channel and message delivery failed. |
| ChannelPrefix | Channel specific prefix that allows you to identify which channel this message was sent over. |
| EventType | Contains post-delivery events. If the Channel supports Read receipts, this parameter will be included with a value of READ after the user has read the message. Currently supported only for WhatsApp. |
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