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Understanding rejected messages

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Rejected messages in your detailed reports indicate that a message did not reach the intended recipient, even though it was passed to the messaging gateway. Most rejections occur at the gateway level, though some may come from the recipient’s carrier. This article explains why messages are marked as Rejected and provides practical troubleshooting steps to help resolve common issues.

Reporting on Rejected messages

  1. Navigate to Reports > Detailed Reports.

  2. Set the status field to Rejected and in the column selector, check Reason Code and Reason Description to get more details about the rejected message. You can review the Delivery Status Codes article for additional information.

    Reporting on rejected messages - navigation screenshot

Troubleshooting rejected messages

Here are some examples of common reasons for messages being rejected alongside some possible solutions and basic troubleshooting steps you can try:

Issue Description Solutions/ troubleshooting steps
Invalid or Incorrect Phone Number The recipient’s number may be incorrect, deactivated, or formatted improperly.
  • Ensure that the recipient's phone number is correctly formatted, including the country code.
  • Verify that the number is still active and capable of receiving messages.
Carrier Restrictions Some carriers may block messages due to local regulations, spam filters, or if the message is perceived as unsolicited.
  • Contact the recipient to see if their carrier has any restrictions on SMS, or check with your SMS provider to confirm if there are known restrictions for the carrier.
  • Confirm if local regulations could be impacting message delivery (e.g., DND lists).
Content Filtering The message content might contain prohibited words or phrases, triggering filters set by carriers or the platform.
  • Review your message content to ensure there are no prohibited keywords, spam-like language, or links that might trigger carrier filters.
  • Try sending a simplified version of the message without links or special characters to see if it goes through.
Opt-Out Status The recipient may have opted out of receiving SMS from your service, causing automatic rejection.
  • Verify if the recipient has opted out of receiving messages by checking your SMS platform's opt-out list.
  • Ensure compliance with local opt-in/opt-out regulations to prevent further issues.
Insufficient Credits Your account may not have enough credits to send the message.
  • Check your Sinch Engage account balance to make sure you have enough credits to send messages.
  • If you're low on credits, top up the account and try sending the message again.
Sender ID Issues The use of an unregistered or unapproved sender ID may cause the message to be rejected by carriers.
  • Ensure the Sender ID you are using is registered and approved (especially in countries where this is mandatory).
  • Try using a standard or verified Sender ID to see if the issue resolves.

 

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