SMS

An SMS step sends a text message for each response. Messages go out through your own Twilio account, and Twilio bills you for them. It’s available on every plan.

Connect Twilio

In the Twilio Console:

1. Under Account Info, copy the Account SID (it starts with AC).
2. Create an API key of type Standard. Copy its SID (it starts with SK) and its Secret, which Twilio shows only once.
3. Have a Twilio phone number that can send SMS.

In Nextforms, go to Integrations, pick Twilio, and fill in the Account SID, API Key SID, API Key Secret and From number (in international format, like +14155550123). Saving checks that the number belongs to your account; it doesn’t send anything.

Add the step

In a workflow, add an SMS step and fill in:

• Connection: your Twilio account. Messages come from its From number.
• To: a Phone question from the form (to text the respondent), or Enter a number for a fixed one, like your own.
• Message: your text, with answers and variables in it.

Keep it short: a long message is split into several texts by the carrier, and each part is billed. The Response link variable is sent as the number and the address (#12 https://…), which the phone makes tappable.

Delivery

The run shows SMS to … accepted by Twilio with Twilio’s message ID. That means Twilio took the message; delivery is confirmed by the phone carrier. To check whether it arrived, look the ID up in Twilio under Monitor → Logs → Messaging.

To text numbers in the United States, Twilio requires your number to be registered for A2P 10DLC. Without it, carriers block the messages (Twilio error 30034).

When a run fails

The run shows the reason. The common ones:

• The phone answer isn’t a valid number: numbers need the country code. A Phone question collects them in the right format.
• Twilio refused the message: the run shows Twilio’s reason, such as an unverified number on a trial account or a country your account can’t send to.
• The API key was deleted or the secret is wrong: update the connection under Integrations, then retry.

After fixing it, retry the step from the run. See Runs and fixing failures.