Blackleaf Help Center
Platform and texting FAQ
Direct answers about Blackleaf, customer messaging, contacts, campaigns, delivery, compliance, billing, and troubleshooting.
Compliance information is general guidance, not legal advice. Requirements vary by jurisdiction, sender, content, and use case.
messaging
SMS, MMS, and delivery
Formats, segments, personalization, statuses, and failures.
What is SMS?
Short answer: SMS is text-only carrier messaging. Long content and some characters can split one visible text into multiple billable segments.
What is MMS?
Short answer: MMS can include an image with text. Device, carrier, destination, media, and sender support can affect delivery.
How are SMS segments counted?
Short answer: GSM-7 SMS fits up to 160 characters in one segment and generally 153 per joined segment. UCS-2 content fits 70 in one and generally 67 per joined segment.
The composer shows the current estimate. Sender type and carrier behavior can create exceptions.
Why did emoji or special punctuation increase the count?
Short answer: One non-GSM character can change the entire SMS to UCS-2, which has less capacity. Emoji, smart quotes, long dashes, and accented characters are common causes.
Do variables affect message length?
Short answer: Yes. Substituted values can produce a different final length and segment count for each recipient. Leave room for realistic values and test.
Which text variables are available?
Short answer: The composer can insert first name, last name, points, lifetime points, loyalty level, date of birth, weekday, and day of month. A value requires usable contact data.
Why do my messages fail?
Short answer: Common causes include an invalid or unreachable number, unsupported destination, opt-out, missing registration, carrier filtering, blocked content or links, sender setup, media failure, balance, or network/provider error.
Open the message result for its server/carrier status. Check patterns and System Status, then contact Support with the campaign and one example recipient.
Does Delivered mean the person read it?
Short answer: No. Delivered means the downstream network reported delivery. SMS/MMS generally does not provide a reliable read receipt.
What do sent, in transit, delivered, failed, and undelivered mean?
Short answer: Sent was accepted for downstream processing; in transit awaits a final result; delivered received a positive receipt; failed or undelivered did not complete delivery. Exact detail comes from the returned status.
Can Blackleaf guarantee delivery?
Short answer: No. Blackleaf validates and submits eligible messages, but carriers and devices make downstream decisions. Good consent, registration, content, and data improve outcomes without guaranteeing them.
Can links be clickable and tracked?
Short answer: Yes. Supported links can be shortened or tracked and report clicks. A click is link activity, not proof of a purchase.