Service availability & messaging rules
Where you can use Protention’s agent numbers, iMessage and SMS, and the rules for communicating with other people.
Regions and eligibility
A country code identifies a number; it does not by itself establish permission to use a service or contact its owner. Your location, the destination, the line type and applicable law all matter.
Communications are not permitted where use would violate local law, U.S. embargoes or restricted-party rules. Location, citizenship and residency can affect eligibility. Do not bypass geographic or account restrictions.
| Region | Numbers and routes | Consent requirements |
|---|---|---|
| United States | Standard local agent-number provisioning uses U.S. numbers. SMS and calling depend on an enabled line and destination. | SMS requires a recorded opt-in. On the standard setup, text START to your agent’s number before it can text you. |
| U.S. territories | Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands follow the U.S. SMS opt-in rule. | The U.S. opt-in requirement applies even when a territory has a different dialing prefix. |
| Canada | U.S. and Canadian destinations are covered by standard SMS and calling arrangements, subject to the line’s capabilities. | A prior START message is not the same technical prerequisite as in the U.S. Consent and Canada’s Anti-Spam Legislation (CASL) still apply. |
| Other international destinations | International numbers and routes require country-specific activation and pricing. Use only destinations enabled for your account. | Non-U.S. destinations, including the United Kingdom, France, Australia, the Bahamas and Jamaica, do not use the U.S. START prerequisite. Local consent rules and route restrictions still apply. |
Your agent’s number
A local phone number belongs to one agent identity. iMessage may use a separate shared or dedicated line.
Use the number and connection instructions shown for your agent. Standard local provisioning supplies U.S. numbers; international numbers require a separately enabled arrangement.
A VoIP number supports calling and SMS/MMS where enabled. It does not automatically provide iMessage or RCS. Those capabilities require an enabled iMessage line and a compatible destination.
Shared iMessage numbers are not exclusive to one agent and may be reused. Check the agent identified in the connection confirmation, especially when an existing number-based conversation is reused.
SMS and MMS rules
For U.S. and U.S.-territory recipients, an SMS opt-in must be recorded before your agent sends a text. START is the standard opt-in method. Other documented consent methods require an approved business-messaging configuration.
Reply STOP to opt out of SMS from any country. The SMS opt-out applies across our sending numbers, so changing numbers does not bypass it. START can request a new opt-in; fresh consent must be valid and documented.
A +1 prefix does not always mean the United States: Canada, the Bahamas and Jamaica have different regional opt-in treatment. If a destination’s country cannot be identified, the U.S. opt-in rule applies.
Where group MMS is enabled, every recipient must have a U.S. or Canadian phone number and satisfy consent and contact-permission checks. One ineligible participant can prevent the whole send. Carrier support for group MMS varies.
- Carrier registration must be active before a U.S. business number can send SMS. Registration and throughput approval do not replace recipient consent.
- Use international phone-number format: a plus sign, country code and number (E.164).
- Message and data rates may apply. Message frequency depends on your conversations and enabled workflows. Cookie consent on this website is separate from SMS consent.
iMessage connections
With standard shared service, you start the connection using the instructions in your account. The agent cannot treat a shared number as permission to contact a new person. A dedicated line can start permitted conversations, subject to consent and sending limits.
Until the recipient’s first qualifying reply, a permitted one-to-one conversation allows at most three messages in total. Each must be 159 characters or fewer and contain no links, phone numbers or media. A connection can require a reply sooner; the three-message ceiling does not grant extra permission.
Standard shared connections may expire once they are at least 14 days old and have had no recorded incoming or outgoing messages for 14 days. Reconnect using the current instructions, then resend your message. A message sent to an expired connection is not automatically forwarded to the agent.
Dedicated iMessage lines can support groups with 2–8 other participants when group messaging is enabled. Standard shared iMessage connections are one-to-one.
- Reply STOP to opt out of messages on an iMessage connection.
- Outbound replies require a phone number in international format. A message addressed from an email-only iMessage identity can be receive-only.
- A message may use SMS or RCS when iMessage is unavailable and the line supports a fallback. The actual transport, carrier charges and destination rules still apply.
- iMessage availability depends on the destination’s current messaging capability and the enabled line. A phone number or an earlier successful conversation does not guarantee current delivery.
Consent and responsible use
Before asking your agent to contact another person, obtain the permissions and lawful basis required for the message, destination and purpose. A technical ability to send, an address-book entry or an inbound message is not blanket consent to further contact.
Do not use agent communications for spam, unlawful bulk outreach, phishing, impersonation, fraud, harassment or deceptive marketing. Do not falsely present AI-generated communications as being solely from a human.
For calls that are recorded, transcribed, monitored or analyzed, provide the notices and obtain the consent required by the laws that apply to the participants.
Agent numbers and messaging are not for emergency calls, life-safety use or other mission-critical communications. Use your usual emergency calling service when urgent help is needed.
Messaging data and privacy
We process messages and call content to operate your agent, deliver communications and provide enabled features such as transcription. Communications processors and carriers may handle information needed for delivery.
Mobile opt-in data and SMS consent records are not sold or shared for third-party promotional or marketing purposes. Your number’s country code does not determine where data is processed; processing may take place in the United States and other countries where our services operate.
Limits, charges and delivery
Sending limits depend on your account, line and carrier registration. A standard shared SMS campaign allows 100 recipient sends per number in a rolling 24-hour window; a registered business campaign uses its carrier-assigned tier. A group message counts once for each recipient.
Dedicated iMessage lines limit agent-initiated first contacts to 10 new recipients per rolling hour and 40 per rolling 24 hours. Existing recipients and people who message the line first do not consume those first-contact slots. Other account and message limits still apply.
International routing can carry country-specific charges. Your Protention plan determines your allowances and charges; do not assume international destinations are included in a domestic allowance.
Accepting or queuing a message is not confirmation that it reached the recipient. Carrier filtering, recipient settings, opt-outs, usage limits and network availability can delay or prevent delivery. We may restrict communications to enforce applicable law, safety requirements and network rules.