Text Message Vendor Tracking Status

Text message vendors in ACE manage the delivery of messages to recipients through mobile carriers. After a message is sent, the carrier reports its tracking status to the text vendor, which then relays it to ACE. This status is displayed in the Vendor Tracking Status column of the Text Logs section.

Please Note

Message handling on a consumer's device (e.g., spam filtering) may not be reported to the text vendor. The status displayed in ACE reflects the last update provided by the vendor.

Vendor Result vs. Vendor Tracking Status

• Vendor Result: The initial response from ITMS confirming whether ACE’s text request was accepted or rejected. Think of this as a "receipt" for the request.

• Vendor Tracking Status: Updates from ITMS after the message is sent, indicating the final outcome (e.g., DELIVERED, BOUNCED). Initially, it matches the Vendor Result but may change as updates are received.

Message Delivery and Status Update Process

1. Initial Status:

   ITMS provides an initial status (e.g., SUCCESSFUL for SMS or OK for MMS) when the message is accepted for delivery.

2. Status Update:

   ITMS updates the status (e.g., DELIVERED, BOUNCED, BLOCKED), which is reflected in ACE with the Vendor Tracking Status Time.

3. Final Status:

   The final status allows agencies to determine delivery results. For instance, a message initially marked SUCCESSFUL may update to DELIVERED or BOUNCED.

Understanding Vendor Tracking Status Time

• When Vendor Tracking Status Time is empty, it means ACE has not received any tracking updates from ITMS. In this case:

  • The Vendor Tracking Status reflects the response we received from ITMS when the text request was sent.

  • For SMS, the response is typically SUCCESSFUL, while for MMS, it is OK. Both indicate that ITMS accepted the request to send the message.

• Once ITMS provides a tracking update (e.g., DELIVERED, SPAM, BLOCKED):

  • The Vendor Tracking Status Time is set in ACE.

  • This update confirms the final outcome of the message, such as whether it was delivered or flagged by the recipient's carrier.

Note

The difference between OK and SUCCESSFUL for MMS vs. SMS likely reflects ITMS's internal handling of message types. However, both indicate the same initial result—that ITMS agreed to send the message. ITMS is expected to eventually update the status for MMS messages to a final result, such as DELIVERED or SUCCESSFUL.

ITMS Vendor Tracking Status

The following ITMS vendor tracking status codes are reported by carriers:

• SUCCESSFUL: The message was successfully delivered to the recipient's device.

• DELIVERED: The message has been successfully delivered (often synonymous with SUCCESSFUL).

• OK: For MMS, this initial status indicates ITMS accepted the message for delivery. It is equivalent to "SUCCESSFUL" for SMS.

• PENDING: The message hasn't been delivered yet and is awaiting further action.

• INVALID: The destination phone number is invalid, preventing delivery.

• UNREACHABLE: The recipient's device is currently unreachable, possibly due to being powered off or disconnected from the network. Delivery may be retried later.

• UNKNOWN: An unspecified error occurred, preventing delivery. This error is usually transient, and retrying may succeed.

• BLOCKED: The recipient's device is blocking SMS messages from the sender's number.

• CARRIER_UNREACHABLE: An issue with the recipient's mobile network prevented message delivery. This error is often transient and may resolve with a retry.

• SPAM: The message content was flagged as spam by the recipient's mobile carrier, resulting in blocked delivery.

• INVALID_MESSAGE: The SMS message body is invalid, making delivery impossible.

• CARRIER_BLOCKED: The recipient's carrier has blocked the message, often due to identifying the content as unsolicited or malicious.

• TTL_EXPIRED: The message could not be delivered within a specified time frame. This error is usually transient, and the message can be retried.

• OPTED_OUT: The message wasn't sent because the recipient opted out of receiving messages from the sender.

SBT Vendor Tracking Status

The following SBT vendor tracking status codes are reported by carriers:

• MESSAGE QUEUED, UNKNOWN CARRIER: Your message has been queued in the platform.

• DELIVERED: The message was successfully delivered.

• SENT TO CARRIER: The message was successfully delivered to the carrier.

• QUEUED TO CARRIER: The message has been queued for delivery to the carrier.

• UNDELIVERABLE: The message was undeliverable, and no explanation was provided by the carrier.

• BLOCKED NUMBER: The carrier has blocked SMS traffic to the handset.

• DEACTIVATED NUMBER: The phone number is no longer in service.

• INVALID CONTENT: No message content was provided, the message was too long, or the message contained invalid characters.