Objective
This article walks you through the guided Messaging setup on a new Twilio account — from sending a trial SMS to sending from your own registered phone number — so you know what each step asks of you and in what order.
Product
Programmable Messaging
Environment
Twilio Console
Procedure
- In the Twilio Console, select Home in the left sidebar.
- Open the Set up Messaging with Twilio guide. It lists the steps under Complete these steps to get started, with a time estimate on each one, and unlocks them in order.
- Send and receive trial SMS — use your verified number to explore Messaging with a Twilio trial phone number. Select Try it out to open the Messaging tryout panel, send a message, and text your trial number back. Once you return, the step is marked complete. If you would rather not test first, skip the step.
- Upgrade to pay as you go — select Upgrade to add funds. This unlocks the remaining steps and gives you unlimited pay as you go usage, your own phone number, unlimited recipients, and global reach. If you already tried the trial and want to go back to it, select Go back in this step.
- Set up a phone number — select Get started to get recommendations and buy a number. If you already have one, the button reads Continue or Review and takes you to that number's registration. This step must be completed to send production traffic.
- Watch this step's status as registration progresses: In review while the carrier checks your registration, Rejected if it was not approved, and complete once it is approved.
- Send and receive production SMS — select Try it out to send a message using the Programmable Messaging API with your own Twilio phone number.
- When every step is done, the guide shows Great work! Messaging setup is complete. Select Go to Messaging Services to set up for scale, or Account home to go back to your account home.
Additional Information
- Steps marked Upgrade to unlock stay disabled until you have upgraded. Upgrade to pay as you go and Set up a phone number are required; the two send steps are optional and can be skipped.
- Registration requirements depend on the number you buy: local US numbers need A2P registration and toll-free numbers need toll-free verification. The guide sends you to the right checklist for the number you have.
- Your progress is saved, so you can leave the guide and come back to it later.
- The equivalent guide for calling is described in "How do I complete the Voice setup guide?".
This content was generated by AI and reviewed, edited, and verified by a human.