Register your business for texting

Phone carriers require every business that texts to be registered first. It is one form, and it is free. We apply for a toll-free number for you and switch texting on when the carriers approve. There is no setup fee and no monthly fee. You pay only for the texts you send.

Until approval, no texts can go out. It usually takes a few business days, and sometimes a few weeks.

Texting is the one channel we cannot guarantee. A carrier can refuse a business, and we cannot override that.

#Before you start

Have these ready:

• Your legal company name and EIN, from your IRS letter. The name must match your tax records exactly, for example "Northwind Labs LLC", not "Northwind Labs".
• The registered business address.
• A real person at your company to name as the contact. Not a shared mailbox like info@ or support@, and not us.
• A live public website with a privacy policy that mentions texting.
• Only the owner or an admin can start the registration. If you are neither, the page says: Ask the account owner to start this.

#File the registration

1. In the sidebar, open Email & SMS, then SMS. The page is titled Text messages.

   On screenEmail & SMS › SMS

2. Read What you can text people and What the carriers will not carry. These are the carriers' rules. A text that breaks one can get your number switched off.

3. Press Register my business. Five steps follow.

   • Your business. Legal company name, Employer ID number (EIN), What kind of company is it? and Did you get your EIN in the last 90 days? A brand-new EIN takes 30 to 90 days to reach the databases the carriers check, so the filing will probably be refused. A sole proprietor is allowed but gets a much smaller daily limit.
   • Address & contact. Street address, Suite, unit or floor (optional), City, State, ZIP code, then the contact's First name, Last name, Their email and Their phone. Use an email and phone that have not been used to register another business for texting.
   • Your website. Website address, Privacy policy address and Terms page address. We check the site. If your privacy policy does not mention texting, the page gives you a paragraph to copy into it, headed Copy this into your privacy policy.
   • What you'll send. Choose Order and shipping updates only or Order updates and offers. If there is any chance you will send a sale, choose the second. Give a rough monthly volume. You see the three example texts we file for you. None names a product.
   • Review and file. Check the summary and press File my registration.

Nothing goes to the carriers until you press that button. We email you when it is filed, when the carriers approve it, and when your number goes live.

#The age check

On your WooCommerce shop, the Amino Engine plugin must show a date-of-birth check next to the text opt-in box before we file. A tick box saying "I am 21+" is not enough. Step 4 shows Live on your checkout or Not showing yet. If it is not showing, turn on the text opt-in box in the plugin's settings and press Re-check.

If your shop runs on Shopify, step 4 says Texts are not ready for Shopify yet. Email keeps working, and we write to you when texts are ready.

#Follow the review

Back on Text messages, Your registration shows four stages: Filed, Under review, Approved, Number live. A pill in the top corner says Filed, With the carriers, Live, Sent back or Switched off. There is nothing to do while the carriers review it.

Once your number is live, the page turns into your desk, with the tabs Inbox, Campaigns, Numbers and Settings. Numbers and Settings open Settings, then Text message.

#If it didn't work

• We stopped before filing. The last step lists problems that would have caused a rejection, each with a Fix this link. Fix them and press the button again.
• The carriers sent it back. The page shows what they said, in their own words. Press Fix and resubmit.
• The carriers said no. Some decisions cannot be fixed by resubmitting. The page offers Talk to us. You can also email support@aminoengine.com.
• Texting has been switched off. A carrier withdrew its approval, normally after a complaint about something that was sent. Contact support@aminoengine.com.
• You want to give up your number. Open Settings, then Text message, then Sender information. The owner can press Give up this number. You cannot get the same number back, and nothing can send until you have a number again.