SMS is one of the most readily accessible forms of digital communication, and it’s not surprising that people often want to use it for purposes beyond its original intent. One of the exciting ways to short message is via SMS on Facebook.
This service covers various functions, like sending notifications through SMS or allowing message responses, updates, and more.
Today, we’re reviewing what SMS is on Facebook and why it is an imperative feature for many. Here’s what you can expect from this read:
Table of Contents
- Understand Facebook SMS notifications
- Steps to activate Facebook SMS notifications
- Additional information on Facebook SMS
- Telesign’s SMS API for user notifications
- Experiment with the Facebook SMS experience
Understand Facebook SMS notifications
As mentioned, Facebook SMS covers quite a few features. Someone might want to activate this feature mainly to receive notifications through SMS instead of the typical push notification method. Let’s break down the benefits of using Facebook SMS:
Works on any mobile phone
If you do not have access to a smartphone, Facebook SMS is handy. With Facebook SMS, you can receive all notifications as texts on your mobile phone, which supports full functionality for letting you know about direct messages, comments, tags, status updates, and even profile changes.
Easy responding
Facebook SMS allows you to respond via short message service to specified notifications, such as direct messages or comments. This function adds a layer of quality to the feature, since it makes responding easier. Typically, you would need to open the app on your phone before you can respond. With Facebook SMS, you can do it much faster.
Customizable notifications
You can customize your Facebook SMS notifications. Your options include receiving messages related to your account only or suggested notices. Here is a brief explanation of the difference:
- Related to your account only: This option limits notifications to activity from your account only. This activity includes account changes, privacy notifications, login attempts or password changes. You can see how this setting acts mainly as an additional layer of security, rather than an interactive SMS system.
- Include suggested notifications: This service provides all the notifications you would get from the “related to your account only” setting but adds more functionality. When you select this version, you can expect notices regarding comments on your posts, tags, direct messages, and status updates.
Steps to activate Facebook SMS notifications
Now that you understand what Facebook SMS can do for you, you might want to activate it. In this section, we’ll explain how to activate, configure, and disable it if you find it’s not to your liking. We will also explore some vital commands for Facebook SMS notifications.
Activating Facebook SMS
The process is quite simple. You can do it with the following steps:
1. Once logged into your Facebook account, navigate to your profile’s Account Settings.
2. Under Account Settings, look for the Mobile tab and click on it.
3. You should see the option to Add a Phone.
4. Click on Add a Phone, and it will prompt you to enter and confirm your phone number.
5. Once confirmed, you should get a text from Facebook to verify your phone number. Ensure you follow all steps in the SMS to verify the number and finalize the activation.
Customizing your Facebook SMS experience
It is worth noting that you cannot customize any settings for Facebook SMS until you activate it. So, if you have not, please follow the steps for activation above before you begin personalizing.
Once you confirm and verify your number, you can customize your Facebook account’s Mobile tab under Account Settings. You can change the following:
- Daily text limit: You can set how many texts Facebook can send you daily. Setting this limit helps prevent spam.
- Time of day: This feature allows you to set a time during which you want to receive Facebook texts. This feature will prevent you from receiving Facebook SMS notifications outside your preferred times to accommodate your lifestyle better.
- Notifications: You can set the messages you want to receive under the Notifications tab. These settings are for more than SMS notifications and include email and push notification options. You could, for example, set up your notices for direct messages so that they only arrive via SMS, while your messages for comments arrive only via email. The level of customization here is fantastic and allows you to tailor your SMS feed.
Disabling Facebook SMS notifications
If you have used the Facebook SMS feature only to find it not to your liking, you can easily deactivate it. Disabling these texts is as simple as following one of these steps:
- Text “STOP” to Facebook’s short code number: 32665.
- Access your Mobile tab under Account Settings and deactivate the listed mobile phone.
Once your SMS notifications are off, you will no longer receive texts from Facebook. This change is not permanent, and you can always turn it back on.
Noteworthy commands for Facebook SMS
To enable the function, Facebook SMS comes with a few commands, that you can send to the short code number 32665. Here are some prompts and their functionality:
- “OTP”: Sends a one-time password to your mobile device.
- “START”: Activates Facebook SMS to begin receiving text notifications.
- “STOP”: Deactivates Facebook SMS to stop text notifications.
- “HELP”: Receive assistance via SMS on assorted topics.
Additional information on Facebook SMS
While Facebook SMS is a straightforward feature, there are frequent questions online that we can answer here to provide additional clarity:
Is Facebook SMS a paid service?
No, it is not. Facebook SMS is an entirely free addition from Facebook that anyone with an account can use. However, it is worth noting that your phone provider will likely still charge you the usual amount for sending and receiving texts.
What is the fastest way to turn on Facebook SMS notifications?
Text “START” to Facebook’s short code: 32665. Alternatively, you can log in to your account, navigate to account settings, then the Mobile tab, and finally add a mobile number. After adding your phone number, you will receive a verification prompt via text to complete the process.
Can I still receive email and push notifications if I use Facebook SMS?
Yes, you can. By default, you will receive all notices. If you don’t want them all, you can customize what you receive as push, SMS, or email from the Mobile tab under Account Settings.
Can I respond to direct messages with Facebook SMS?
Yes, you can. One of the additions to Facebook SMS is that it allows users to respond to comments, direct messages, and more, all via SMS.
Telesign’s SMS API for user notifications
If you want to offer your customers a similar experience to Facebook, Telesign offers a comprehensive SMS API with several powerful features that allow you to interact globally and provide real-time notifications with reliable communication. Here are some benefits you can expect from choosing Telesign:
- Reliability: With Telesign, you can confidently reach customers with exceptional speed and accuracy. We provide more than 700 direct-to-carrier network operator routes.
- Scalability: Our services can manage any scale for small or large business communications. We operate in more than 200 countries and territories across the world for maximum convenience.
- Flexibility: Telesign enables adaptable business processes, so you can cater to the evolving needs of your clients.
Examples of what Telesign can do for you
Telesign’s powerful SMS API offers a range of possibilities. Consider the following examples of business integration:
- One-way communication: Not all messages to your clients will warrant responses. Telesign can cater to these requirements with reliable one-way communication options, from account alerts to purchase and appointment reminders.
- Two-way communication: When you want to allow customers to communicate with your systems, Telesign can do it. You can expect secure, private two-way communications, whether for customer service, opting in or out of specific channels, or booking confirmations.
Telesign’s SMS API lets you conveniently set up several ways to communicate with your clients.
Experiment with the Facebook SMS experience
Even if you’re unsure whether you want to use this feature, you can turn it on and customize it to see how useful it is. You can always roll back to activation and change what you find unnecessary.
We hope you found this article helpful, and that it allows you to experiment with Facebook SMS and its features.
If you want similar SMS communication features between your business and clients, start your free Telesign trial or talk to our experts for a tailored package.
