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SMS Channel

In addition to WhatsApp, Kaanha AI supports two-way SMS messaging via Twilio. SMS conversations appear in the same chat inbox alongside WhatsApp messages.

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Activating SMS

SMS is activated through your organization settings:
  1. Go to Settings → Connection
  2. Under the SMS section, select your country
  3. Click Activate SMS
Your organization receives a dedicated Twilio phone number for inbound and outbound SMS messaging.

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Sending SMS

In the Chat inbox, use the channel switcher in the chat header to select SMS before sending. Alternatively, the API accepts a channel parameter:
SMS messages respect the contact’s smsOptedIn flag — opted-out contacts will not receive SMS.

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MMS (Picture Messaging)

You can attach an image to an SMS send the same way you would a WhatsApp message — it goes out as MMS. This is only available for US/Canada numbers, since that’s where Twilio supports MMS; outside that region, an attachment is silently dropped and the message sends as plain text instead.

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Receiving SMS

Inbound SMS messages are received via Twilio webhook:
Inbound SMS:
  • Auto-creates a contact if not found (using the phone number)
  • Creates or continues a conversation with channel: "sms"
  • Appears in the Chat inbox alongside WhatsApp messages
  • Routes through the chatbot system (AI agents, flow bots)

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TCPA Compliance

Kaanha AI handles TCPA-mandated opt-out keywords automatically: Opt-out records include smsOptOutDate and are permanent until the contact opts back in.
Full Acceptable Use Policy: see /aup for the complete list of prohibited content categories, sender ID rules, and consent requirements. Privacy details: how SMS metadata is processed and retained is documented in /privacy (SMS section).

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SMS vs WhatsApp Opt-In

SMS opt-in (smsOptedIn) is independent of WhatsApp opt-in (optedIn):
  • A contact can be opted in to WhatsApp but not SMS
  • Opting out of SMS does not affect WhatsApp messaging

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Viewing SMS Conversations

In the Chat inbox:
  • Conversations via SMS show a purple SMS badge in the conversation list
  • The channel switcher shows SMS as the active channel
  • Message bubbles are identical to WhatsApp messages

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Deactivating SMS

To release your SMS number and close the Twilio subaccount:
  1. Go to Settings → Connection
  2. Under the SMS section, click Deactivate
  3. Confirm
This releases the phone number. All SMS history is retained in Kaanha AI — only the connection is removed.
  • Voice Agents — telephony AI agents (Premium / Enterprise tier, currently rolling out). Same Twilio account is reused for voice if SMS is already active.
  • WhatsApp Connection — primary messaging channel (Meta Cloud API)

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Disclosures

  • AI-driven auto-replies on inbound SMS are governed by the AI Disclosure / System Card. When an AI agent handles an SMS conversation, the model used and its limitations are documented there.
  • Acceptable Use Policy: /aup
  • Privacy Policy (SMS section): /privacy