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AT&T In-App Messaging API FAQs

Questions in this section

Is it possible to get a higher transaction rate for my app?

Does the message index have to be explicitly created?

What do I need to do to ensure that my message is sent as an SMS message?

Do I have to use the send and retrieve functionality of the In-App Messaging API?

Do roaming customers receive messages transmitted by the In-App Messaging API?

What is the message index, and why is it needed?

How quickly are messages delivered?

When I send a message, who does the user see as the source of the message?

Is there a charge for using the In-App Messaging API?

What is the difference between IMMN and MIM?

What information is able to be retrieved about a message using the In-App Messaging API?

What do the recipients need in order to receive my message?

Why am I only getting incoming messages (not incoming and outgoing)?

Will my customer's phone show or display messages sent from my application?

Where do I add the AT&T Wireless phone number in the Send Message method?

Will any customer be able to use my application when I use the In-App Messaging API in order to enable messaging?

Can applications using the In-App Messaging API use interfaces other than the phone to send messages?

Will my customer's phone show messages received by my app?

Are my customers able to send messages to international addresses?

Can the In-App Messaging API be used from my proprietary mobile device?

In App Messaging API FAQs

Is it possible to get a higher transaction rate for my app?

See the transaction limits for the various environments. If these limits do not meet your needs, please enter a developer support ticket requesting a revised limit. Depending on your business case, the Support Team may be able to customize the transaction limits.

Updated: 03/14/2017
Created: 02/10/2017
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Does the message index have to be explicitly created?

Yes. For each user, an index for the user's message inbox has to be created. However, it is recommended to always check the status of the index before trying to create it. Please refer to the In-App Messaging documentation page for more details.

Updated: 02/09/2017
Created: 02/09/2017
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What do I need to do to ensure that my message is sent as an SMS message?

When your message includes the following, then AT&T sends it as an SMS message.

  • Text only using the ISO-8859-1 character set.
  • No more than 160 characters.
  • Is not set up as a group message or 'Reply All' message.
Updated: 02/09/2017
Created: 02/09/2017
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Do I have to use the send and retrieve functionality of the In-App Messaging API?

You are able to choose to use either the send or retrieve capabilities depending on which combination best fits the needs for your application.

Updated: 02/09/2017
Created: 02/09/2017
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Do roaming customers receive messages transmitted by the In-App Messaging API?

The In-App Messaging API delivers messages to the customers' messaging system. However, whether messages are delivered to the customer's mobile device is dependent on the customer's selected roaming plan.

Updated: 02/09/2017
Created: 02/09/2017
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What is the message index, and why is it needed?

An index for each user must exist so that your application can interact with the message store for that user. It is an index into a user's message inbox, which adds additional filtering capabilities for message retrieval.

Updated: 02/09/2017
Created: 02/09/2017
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How quickly are messages delivered?

While the delivery time needed for individual messages varies upon factors such as network load and user location; most messages sent to mobile devices that are turned on are delivered quickly, often in seconds.

Updated: 02/09/2017
Created: 02/09/2017
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When I send a message, who does the user see as the source of the message?

Messages sent using the Send Message method will appear to be sent from your customer's AT&T phone number.

Updated: 02/09/2017
Created: 02/09/2017
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Is there a charge for using the In-App Messaging API?

No, there is no charge for developers to use the In-App Messaging API. At the same time, this API is not meant for Enterprise use.

Updated: 03/14/2017
Created: 02/10/2017
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What is the difference between IMMN and MIM?

The In-App Messaging API has two API scopes (IMMN and MIM) that you must select for your application in order to use the full functionality of the API.

  • The IMMN scope is applicable if the application is trying to use the Send Message method.
  • The MIM scope is used to retrieve messages and/or sync message status updates from an AT&T customer’s Cloud Message inbox (which can be newly provisioned when a user grants consent to the Application).
Updated: 02/10/2017
Created: 02/10/2017
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What information is able to be retrieved about a message using the In-App Messaging API?

The Get Message method provides important metadata about the message in addition to the message contents. For a complete list of the parameters and metadata, please refer to the documentation for the Get Message method.

Updated: 02/10/2017
Created: 02/10/2017
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What do the recipients need in order to receive my message?

The recipients must have a mobile plan with any US carrier that has an incoming messaging plan.

Updated: 02/10/2017
Created: 02/10/2017
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Why am I only getting incoming messages (not incoming and outgoing)?

You should receive both incoming and outgoing messages. If either incoming or outgoing messages aren’t working, please Submit A Ticket.

Updated: 02/10/2017
Created: 02/10/2017
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Will my customer's phone show or display messages sent from my application?

Messages sent from your application will appear on your customers' phone when they have installed the AT&T Messages app onto their device.

Updated: 02/09/2017
Created: 02/08/2017
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Where do I add the AT&T Wireless phone number in the Send Message method?

You can specify the destination number (the number the message is being sent to) in the addresses parameter. This parameter is an array that enables you to provide a maximum of 10 addresses in one method request. If any address is duplicated, then the message is sent only once to that address. The source number (the sender’s number) cannot be specified in any address.

Read the API documentation to learn more about the Send Message method.

Updated: 08/17/2017
Created: 02/09/2017
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Will any customer be able to use my application when I use the In-App Messaging API in order to enable messaging?

Yes, if all of the following are true:

  • The user is an AT&T postpaid or Smart-Limits mobile phone customer in good standing or Active status.
  • The user's AT&T Wireless account must have SMS messaging enabled.
  • The user gives permission for your application to send messages on behalf of the user's mobile device. This is accomplished when the application authenticates.
Updated: 02/10/2017
Created: 02/09/2017
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Can applications using the In-App Messaging API use interfaces other than the phone to send messages?

Yes, once consent is given on the AT&T phone, text messages and multimedia messages can be sent from any type of user interface (Web application, iOS or Android application, and so on) to any mobile phone in the USA.

Updated: 02/09/2017
Created: 02/09/2017
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Will my customer's phone show messages received by my app?

Yes.

Messages received by your app are also received by the customer's mobile device, so that your customer is able to respond from the interface that is most convenient for the customer.

Updated: 02/09/2017
Created: 02/09/2017
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Are my customers able to send messages to international addresses?

No.

At this time, your customer will only be capable of sending a message to U.S.A.-based phone numbers.

Updated: 02/09/2017
Created: 02/09/2017
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Can the In-App Messaging API be used from my proprietary mobile device?

Yes. The In-App Messaging API can be used by any device for which consent has been given.

Updated: 02/09/2017
Created: 02/09/2017
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