Aircall's SMS feature allows teams to send and receive business text messages directly from the Aircall app. This feature is currently available in select regions and comes with certain limitations and requirements that you should be aware of.

Availability and coverage

SMS is available for numbers in the following countries: the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Australia, Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, and Sweden.

  • Domestic only: SMS works within the same country, except for US ↔ Canada, which is supported.
    • Example: A UK number can only send and receive messages with other UK numbers.
  • Number types: In the UK, France, Australia, and Germany, only mobile numbers support SMS. Geographic or local numbers cannot be used for text messaging.
  • Limited availability: Domestic SMS in Germany, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, the Netherlands, Sweden, Ireland, and Poland for mobile lines is subject to limited availability. 
    • Requests must be submitted to our Customer Support team (under the “Number porting, purchasing, and compliance” section), and approval is not guaranteed. 
    • For existing numbers, ask our Customer Success team to request activation (they may not be compatible, in which case a new number might be required).
Important: SMS is enabled at the company level. All eligible numbers will have SMS activated. IVR numbers are not eligible for SMS.

You can confirm which numbers support SMS in the Aircall Dashboard.

Aircall Admin Dashboard with opened Number section to see which numbers are SMS capable.png

Features

Aircall SMS includes the following features:

  • Send and receive messages
  • View message history
  • Call directly from the messaging window
  • Add contacts from the messaging window
  • Notifications (badge and push)
  • Automatic logging with integrations: Salesforce, HubSpot, Zendesk, Gorgias, Front, Intercom, Pipedrive, and Zoho CRM
Note: SMS is supported on the Aircall Desktop and Web app (including CTI), iOS, and Android.

Notifications

Push notifications

Push notifications are small alerts that appear when a new message is received. They show up if the Aircall app is in the background or if the user is on another screen. Notifications provide a quick link to the conversation and allow replies directly from the notification.

How to configure push notifications on MaCbook.png
Tip: To configure push notifications on MacOS, go to System Settings → Notifications → Aircall.

Badge notifications

Badge notifications display a red circle with the count of unread messages. These counts are individual to each agent. If one agent reads a message, the notification remains unread for others until they view it.

Logging SMS in HubSpot

If your account has SMS-enabled numbers and the HubSpot integration installed, messages can be logged as timeline events on a Contact or Company. Learn more here: How SMS messages are logged in HubSpot.

Requesting SMS activation

If you would like to enable SMS on your eligible SMS-capable numbers (in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Australia, and Germany, or on demand in other geolocations), please contact our Customer Support team.

FAQs

How is text messaging priced?

Pricing is based on segments (1 segment = 160 characters). Outbound SMS is charged per segment at competitive industry rates. Contact our Customer Success team. 

Will SMS be enabled for all eligible numbers?

If the SMS feature is activated for your company. All eligible SMS-capable numbers (the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, France, Australia, and Germany) will have SMS enabled. For ported numbers or special number purchase requests, please contact our Customer Support team to confirm eligibility.

Can I choose which number to send a message from?

Yes. Just as with calling, users can select the sending number from a drop-down menu.

Can SMS be restricted to specific users?

Yes, you will need to request activation of this feature from our Customer Support team. You can also ask to set an agent’s SMS limit to zero. The agent will still have access to SMS conversations for numbers included in their call distribution.

Can I send international SMS?

No. SMS is domestic only, with the exception of US ↔ Canada.

Can I send messages to Puerto Rico?

No. Puerto Rico is not included in domestic messaging.

Can I receive verification codes (OTP/2FA)?

Receiving short-code texts (e.g., 1234 instead of a full phone number) is not supported. Some services may work, but Aircall does not guarantee or support SMS for authentication. Use an alternative verification method. More details: Multi-Factor Authentication and VoIP number limitations.

Can I send automated SMS via CRM workflows?

Yes, with HubSpot workflows. More info here: Send SMS from HubSpot workflows with Aircall numbers.

Does sending a text to a new contact create a HubSpot record?

Yes, a new contact will be created automatically.

Can Aircall SMS be used for bulk messaging?

Not natively. Aircall SMS is designed for one-to-one conversations. However, third-party integrations such as Heymarket, Sakari, Salesmsg, and Textline support bulk messaging with Aircall numbers. Please note that bulk messaging is subject to local and regulatory rules, which may vary by country. In most cases, bulk messaging is not allowed on mobile lines.

Note: Bulk messaging cannot be enabled on the same number as native Aircall SMS.

Are there analytics for SMS?

Yes. The Overview Dashboard provides message activity by period.

Can I send emojis?

Yes.

Can I send images or files?

Yes. For the US, Canada, and Australia numbers, MMS is supported for PNG, JPEG, GIF, and PDF. Learn more here: MMS (Business Multimedia Messaging).

Can I send URLs?

Yes.

Can I receive contact cards?

No.

Can I delete SMS threads?

No. Only our Customer Support team can remove messages or threads.

What restrictions should I know about?

Please review:

Can I export SMS?

No. SMS export is not supported via Aircall Dashboard or API.

Can SMS be enabled only on specific numbers?

No. Once activated, SMS is enabled on all eligible numbers.

Can I send texts to toll-free numbers?

Not at this time.

What is the character limit?

  • French numbers: 670 characters
  • All other numbers: 1600 characters

How do I know if an SMS was delivered?

  • Double checkmarks: Delivered.
  • Single grey checkmark: Sent by provider, but not yet delivered.