Frequently asked questions
Getting started
What do I need to start?
An Android phone (8.0+) with a SIM, and five minutes to pair it.
How fast can I send my first SMS?
Sign up, pair a phone, send — typically under five minutes.
Deliverability
Why is deliverability better than an aggregator?
You send from a real SIM and a real local number. Carriers treat it as person-to-person and don't filter it like shared short codes.
How fast do messages arrive?
Our target is ≤15s typical OTP delivery and >95% delivery rate.
Cost
How much does it cost?
KES 10 per phone per month, unlimited messages. Free tier covers 1 phone.
Do you charge per message?
No.
Compliance & registration
Do I need A2P 10DLC registration?
No — it's your own SIM, so no carrier registration or vetting.
Can I send marketing blasts?
SMSKit is built for your own controlled volume (OTP, alerts, two-way). Consumer SIMs are rate-limited by carriers, so it is not a route for unsolicited mass marketing. Always follow local consent and opt-out laws; STOP handling is built in.
Phones & SIMs
What phones work?
Any Android 8.0+. Cheap and used phones are fine. Dual-SIM supported.
How many can I connect?
As many as you have phone slots (KES 10 each). The engine load-balances across them.
How much can one device send?
A per-device hourly limit (default 200/hr) keeps carriers happy.
App & Play Store
Why isn't it on Google Play?
Google restricts SMS-permission apps. We distribute a signed APK for now; a Play listing is on the roadmap.
Is sideloading safe?
Yes — the APK is signed and you can verify its SHA-256. See the Download page.
Why does it need battery-optimization exemption?
So Android does not sleep the app and miss sends.
Reliability & data
What if a phone goes offline?
Jobs auto-failover to a healthy phone.
What happens to failed messages?
They retry across devices; exhausted jobs land in a dead-letter queue you can inspect.
Where is my data stored?
On our managed platform, in a database dedicated to your account — never pooled with other customers'. We host and operate it; you don't run any servers.
Features
Can I receive replies?
Yes — two-way messaging, threading, and sms:received webhooks.
Do you support WhatsApp / MMS / voice?
Not in v1. MMS and a dedicated OTP endpoint are on the roadmap; WhatsApp/voice are longer-term.
Start sending in five minutes.
Pair a phone, grab an API key, send your first SMS — free.