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Introduction

Messaging lets you create a personal contact that users can call and text. Use the same phone numbers for voice and SMS (and RCS when enabled), with one place to manage conversations and pathways.
Enterprise feature — Messaging (SMS and RCS) is available on Enterprise plans. Contact your Account Executive or reach out to sales for access.
  • Pathway-driven replies — Prompts with backchanneling and pauses are automatically stripped from messages so replies stay clean and professional.
  • Conversation lifecycle — When a conversation ends, the agent stops responding. Restart by deleting the conversation or its messages in the messaging dashboard, then start a new thread.
  • Pricing — Each SMS message is billed at $0.02 (inbound and outbound).

Inbound + pathways

Attach a pathway (or prompt) to any number. Inbound messages are handled by your agent using the same logic as voice.

Outbound via API

Send messages and manage conversations with the same Send SMS and Create conversation endpoints for SMS and RCS.

RCS support

When your number has an RCS profile, Bland automatically uses rich messaging (verified profile, quick replies, cards) for supported recipients.

Sync with voice

Clone voice pathways for SMS and keep them in sync with the pathway merge tool so one flow powers both channels.

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RCS (Rich Communication Services)

Bland supports RCS so you can deliver rich, interactive messages—verified business profiles, suggested replies, action buttons, cards, and media—using the same APIs and endpoints as SMS. No separate integration is required.
  • Same endpoints as SMS — Use the same send/receive and conversation endpoints; if your number has an RCS profile set up (via your Messaging Service), Bland automatically defaults to RCS when the recipient supports it.
  • Automatic content templates — We generate RCS content templates from your pathways and conversation flow: quick replies, action buttons, and rich cards are derived from your node logic and messaging context so replies stay on-brand and on-path.
If you’re interested in enabling RCS for your numbers, contact your Account Executive to get set up. What RCS looks like An RCS conversation can show a verified business profile, structured messages, and tap-to-reply options; your business profile can display verification and contact details.
RCS conversation with suggested replies and action buttons
RCS business profile verified by Google

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Quick start

Attach a pathway

On the Messaging dashboard, configure a number with a pathway (or clone from a voice pathway). Inbound messages follow your pathway logic and your agent replies automatically.

Send via API

Use Send SMS to send a message or start a conversation, or Create conversation to create or resume with a specific pathway. Same endpoints for SMS and RCS.

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How to create a messaging contact

Visit the Messaging page and click Configure SMS for Phone Numbers. Messaging dashboard with Configure SMS for Phone Numbers Click any phone number you own, then click Setup SMS. Phone number Setup SMS option You can set up a number with either a prompt or a pathway, similar to configuring your phone number for inbound calls. Once saved, a toast appears so you can receive a test SMS from the number.
First-time setup — New numbers can take a few minutes to be added to the carrier’s registry. If you don’t receive a test SMS right away, wait a few minutes and try again.
You can manage your messaging conversations from the dashboard. Messaging conversation view

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Using an existing voice pathway for messaging

If you have an existing voice pathway and want a similar setup for messaging, create an SMS pathway by cloning from that pathway’s page: click Clone current pathway. Clone current pathway for SMS To link an inbound number to your SMS pathway, click Set Inbound Number to SMS Pathway. Set Inbound Number to SMS Pathway When testing your SMS pathway, send a test SMS to the number and view pathway logs from the pathway page—iterate the same way you would for a voice pathway. Pathway logs for SMS testing

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Merging changes between voice and SMS pathways

If you change your voice pathway and want those changes in your SMS pathway (or the other way around), you can merge them. Click the Sync button. Sync button to merge pathways A modal opens so you can select the pathway to merge from. Compare pathways to merge You can see the differences between the two pathways and choose the SMS pathway, the voice pathway, or a custom edit for the node, pathway label, or global prompt. You can resolve conflicts for: Global prompts Merge global prompt conflict Nodes Merge node conflict Pathway labels Merge pathway label conflict Finally, review the summary of changes that will be applied. Merge summary After you confirm, the changes are applied so you can keep your SMS and voice pathways in sync.

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BYOT & A2P

In the United States, all phone numbers used for SMS must be registered with an A2P (Application to Person) campaign. Each number must be linked to a Twilio Messaging Service SID to send and receive SMS. Numbers purchased from Bland are linked to a Messaging Service SID automatically. For bring-your-own (BYOT) numbers, the ability to set up your own A2P campaign in Bland is coming soon. Until then, set up your A2P campaign with Twilio and pass the Messaging Service SID when configuring your SMS number in Bland.

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API reference

Use these endpoints to send messages, manage conversations, and configure numbers. All work for both SMS and RCS.

Send SMS

Send a message or start a conversation. Optionally pass a pathway ID to drive the reply.

Create conversation

Create or resume a conversation with a specific pathway, node, and version.

Conversations

List and retrieve conversations; patch or delete as needed.

SMS numbers

List numbers with SMS (or WhatsApp) configuration for your org.
For webhooks, delivery status, and number updates, see the Messaging section in the API Reference.

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Coming up

  • A Transfer Chat node for messaging, replacing Transfer Call so you can transfer to an agent from an SMS conversation.
  • A2P campaign setup within Bland.
  • Batch sending for SMS.
  • Messaging-specific analytics.
  • Conversational Pathways — Build the flows that power your messaging and voice agents.
  • Memory — Cross-channel memory so the same contact is recognized across calls and SMS.
  • Billing — SMS pricing and usage.