My web app sends an SMS text message to users in the US when they enter their phone number, using the Nexmo API. When the SMS contains a link, it does not get delivered to users if their carrier is Verizon or T-Mobile. For other carriers, such as Sprint and AT&T, it does get delivered. It does not generate error messages in any case with Nexmo and I still get charged for the text even if it gets blocked by the carrier.
I contacted Nexmo and they replied:
I would say it is very likely that the link in this sms caused a spam
filter to block this message, especially if other plain content
messages have been delivered to this number successfully. So the issue
with US LVNs is that they are intended for pure P2P traffic and this
is why sending a link might be suspicious and seen as a message
originated from an application. Unfortunately there is nothing we can
do about this as it is set by the US carriers.
These are not definitely not spam or marketing messages. How can I send a link in an SMS message and not get blocked?
Best Answer
I had the same issue recently. All major carriers have some basic checks in place which blocks the SMS from getting delivered if you use short links (e.g.http://abc.gl/1432). The SMS will get delivered as long as you have a .com in the URL (e.g. http://abc.gl.com/1432)