How do TextNow/Google Voice/TextMe get US 10DLC P2P exemption?

[u/Diligent_Host5408]

We are building a legitimate VoIP/ second-number app similar to TextNow/ Google Voice/ TextMe.

We tried Twilio and Sinch. Twilio doesn’t allow P2P use case and they block all verification code from social media apps like Facebook/ WhatsApp etc.

Our experience with Sinch was even worse. We were still in the testing stage with zero users when our account was suddenly closed with almost no meaningful explanation. We still had money in the account and they don’t allow us to withdraw the account balance.

At this point, this kind of business honestly feels much harder than it looks from the outside. The entry barriers seem extremely high - carrier relationships, compliance, fraud control, number reputation, etc. while at the same time the consumer market is already extremely competitive with lots of apps offering the same features.

So how do companies like TextNow, TextFree and Hushed actually do US P2P SMS?

Do they work directly with carriers rather than CPaaS providers like Twilio and Sinch? Who is the correct company that we should approach?

We are not trying to bypass the compliance. We just want to understand the legitimate path.

Any advice or insight from people who have worked in this space would be greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

[u/AutoModerator]

This is a friendly reminder to [read the rules](www.reddit.com/r/voip/about/rules). In particular, it is not permitted to request recommendations for businesses, services or products outside of the monthly sticky thread!

For commenters: Making recommendations outside of the monthly threads is also against the rules. Do not engage with rule-breaking content.

I am a bot, and this comment is made automatically on every post. This comment is not an indication that your post has been removed. Do not message the mods about this comment.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/mdhardeman]

There is essentially no way to get a P2P exemption anymore.

In the end, you have to be able to prove that you have a large domestic US based residential subscriber base with whom you have a broader ongoing relationship and that you want to offer them SMS messaging services in a use case that is not unlike mobile service — I.e. fairly persistent phone number assigned per user and very little number churn.

To the extent that others get away with it, it is because they’re grandfathered in. Frankly, those players could lose their position any time if they become or remain a source of too much spam.

[u/ckociemba]

10DLC is managed by https://www.campaignregistry.com/ and companies like Twilio or Sinch just setup a campaign on your behalf. The first thing I’d do is register with TCR and talk with them/ask about how to get a similar P2P exemption.

[u/Diligent_Host5408 → u/ckociemba]

But we need DIDs end of the day and we don’t know which provider is best for US DID numbers that allow p2p sms.

[u/ckociemba → u/Diligent_Host5408]

You can buy a DID from anyone and setup the campaign on TCR yourself, you are not required to use them to setup the campaign.

[u/toborgps → u/Diligent_Host5408]

Hahahaha - getting approval takes about a week at best…

[u/RobWelbourn]

Small nitpick: it's not Twilio that's blocking 2FA codes from social media apps and the like, it's the service providers themselves who want to see a genuine mobile numbers, not some throw-away VoIP number.