Connect your Meta business number, send approved templates, and manage customer replies in SavaraFlow’s team inbox.
Explore WhatsApp← Platform
Delivery channel
Send business SMS from your app or workspace.
Use SMS for reminders, pickup alerts, and other messages that need to reach a phone number. SavaraFlow quotes the destination and segment count before a live send.
SMS
What you get with SMS
SMS reaches any phone, with no app required. SavaraFlow prices each message by destination and segment count before anything is charged, then follows it to the carrier’s delivery receipt.
Priced per segment, up front
Length and character set decide the number of segments. You see both, and the price, before you send.
Branded sender IDs
Send as your business name in Uganda once the sender is approved by the networks. Until then, the shared sender is used.
Carrier delivery receipts
Provider acceptance and carrier delivery are tracked as separate states, so you know what actually reached the handset.
Automatic opt-outs
STOP and UNSUBSCRIBE replies block that number on that channel. Resubscribing needs fresh, verified consent.
Two shared routes
Africa’s Talking and Sendchamp are available on the shared route, with dedicated connections for workspaces that bring their own.
Two-way where supported
Replies need a two-way number or shortcode. They arrive in the team inbox against the right contact.
Try it
Check the price for your message
Type a message to see its encoding, segments and estimated cost by destination.
- SMS live
- SMS on request
- WhatsApp and email everywhere
Channel
- Encoding
- GSM-7
- Characters
- 83
- Segments
- 1
Estimated cost to send$0.0392
$0.0392 per message · includes the 12% service fee
SMS is live in Uganda on MTN and Airtel, with branded sender IDs.
Estimate based on public example rates. The console shows a live quote for your workspace before every send.
SMS setup
How it works
Enable SMS
Turn on SMS for the workspace and include it in the scope of any API key that will send.
Choose a sender
Use the configured sender or request a branded sender ID for an eligible route. Approval and fees vary by route.
Quote and send
Use an international phone number such as +256770123456. Review the destination rate and the number of SMS segments before queueing.
Review the outcome
Check Delivery logs for the message and its provider attempt. A carrier delivery receipt is separate from provider acceptance.
request.sh1curl -X POST "$SAVARA_HOST/api/v1/messages" \
2 -H "Authorization: Bearer $SAVARA_API_KEY" \
3 -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
4 -H "Idempotency-Key: $(uuidgen)" \
5 -d '{
6 "channel": "SMS",
7 "to": "+256770123456",
8 "body": "Order 1842 is ready for pickup.",
9 "consent": true
10 }'
Send a scoped key from your server and a stable Idempotency-Key for each distinct send. API reference
{
"id": "8c1f6a20-73b9-4e0d-a2f4-5c9e11d03b77",
"status": "queued",
"costMicros": 39200,
"currency": "USD",
"units": 1,
"replayed": false
}Specifications
Limits and details
The exact rules your messages follow, so there are no surprises in production.
- Encoding
- GSM-7 (160 characters, 153 per part) or UCS-2 for emoji and other scripts (70, 67 per part)
- Message body
- Up to 3,000 characters per API request
- Recipient format
- International E.164, for example +256770123456
- Branded senders
- Uganda (+256) on this release, after network approval
- Statuses
- queued → sending → sent → delivered or failed
- Billing
- Per segment, quoted and reserved before queueing
Use cases
Where teams use SMS
Questions about SMS
What affects the price?
SMS is billed per segment. The message’s length and character set can change the number of segments. The live quote is the source for the actual charge.
Can recipients reply?
Inbound replies require a supported two-way provider number or shortcode. A branded alphanumeric sender is not a reply inbox.
Why did my message become two segments?
A single SMS holds 160 GSM-7 characters. Longer messages are split into parts of 153. One emoji or non-Latin character switches the whole message to UCS-2, which holds 70 characters per message and 67 per part.
Am I charged if an SMS fails?
If the provider rejects the message before accepting it, the charge is refunded. Once a provider has accepted it, the attempt can remain billable even if the carrier later reports a failure.
Can I use my own sender name?
In Uganda, yes. Request a sender in the workspace. It is registered with MTN, Airtel and the other networks on the route, and becomes available once approved.
Explore related tools
Use SavaraMail to send receipts, account notices, and other transactional emails. Set a recognizable From name and address for your business.
Explore EmailCSV bulk sending
Upload a CSV, choose the right phone or email column, and review duplicates, invalid entries, and the batch quote before committing wallet credit.
Explore CSV bulk sendingCheck the cost before you send.
Estimate your usage, then use the live quote for your workspace and destination.