Setting up an SMS Channel

This article details the steps required to set up an SMS channel for use with the Sinch Conversation API.

Before you can set up an SMS channel on the Conversation API, you need to do the following:

1. Sign up for the Sinch Build Dashboard.
2. Either complete the first step of the Conversation API getting started guide to automatically create a Conversation API app or follow our guide to manually create a Conversation API app.

You must ensure that you have at least one SMS channel associated with your Sinch account. You must also have a virtual number assigned to that SMS channel.

• If you completed the Conversation API getting started guide, you'll already have a Conversation API app with a corresponding SMS channel and virtual number configured.

• If you'd like to create a new SMS channel (for example, if you have created a new Conversation API app and need to add a new SMS channel to it), see How do I create a new SMS channel?.

• For more information on assigning a virtual number to an SMS channel see How do I assign a virtual number to an SMS channel?.

Each SMS channel must be assigned to the appropriate Conversation API app. You can do so using the Sinch Build Dashboard.

• When you create a new Conversation API app and SMS channel, the Sinch Build Dashboard guides you through connecting that SMS channel to the corresponding Conversation API app.

• If you have an unassigned SMS channel (for example, an SMS channel that you unlinked from its original Conversation API app) that you'd like to assign to a Conversation API app, see How do I configure Conversation API's SMS channel?.

You must also configure at least one Conversation API webhook which will trigger POST callbacks to the given URL. For more information on how to do this using the Sinch Build Dashboard, see How to add a webhook to a Conversation API app.

After configuring the channel, you need to set the channel priority in your app. Then, it's time to send your first message.

You must know your contact's channel/identity pair or contact_id prior to sending a message. For SMS, the channel is SMS and the identity is just the contact's phone number. To get a list of any existing contact_id values, you can make a GET request to the contact endpoint. For more information, see the API reference.

If you already know how to set channel priority, or your channel priority is already established, you can use our getting started guide to begin sending and receiving messages.