Test SMS delivery on real numbers in other countries
Last updated
Quick answer
How can I test my app's SMS in another country?
Rent a number in that country and send your own SMS to it. KeepANumber rents numbers in 14 countries for 7, 30 or 90 days, from $8.50 (US, October 2026); each received text appears in your dashboard with its sender and time, so you can check delivery, sender name and wording.
What can you check with a rented number?
- That a one-time code or alert sent by your own product reaches a number in the target country at all.
- How the sender appears: short code, long number or a name, and whether a network adds a label. Since 1 July 2026, Australian networks label unregistered alphanumeric sender names "Unverified".
- The wording, encoding and length as a real handset would show them.
- That your number-format validation accepts local formats, such as Brazil's nine-digit mobiles or Mexico's ten digits without the old "1".
Why not use a one-time number for tests?
Because tests repeat. A one-time number lasts minutes and is then given to someone else, who receives your test messages. A 7- or 30-day rental gives the team one stable number per country for a test cycle, and the history of received texts stays on the rental page.
What should you know about sender rules?
Countries regulate how businesses send SMS. In the US, campaigns from ordinary 10-digit numbers are registered through The Campaign Registry (10DLC) and toll-free senders are verified by carriers. In France, 06 and 07 numbers are reserved for person-to-person use and may not be used by automated senders, apart from specific cases. In Australia, the SMS Sender ID Register applies since July 2026. If your test fails, check those rules before the code.
What a rental is not for in testing
Testing other companies' sign-up flows at scale, or creating accounts on services you do not own, is not testing your app and is against our acceptable use policy.
Sender and format rules to check, by country
| Country | Rule that can affect your test | Number format to accept |
|---|---|---|
| United States | Business texts from 10-digit numbers need 10DLC registration; carriers block texts from invalid or unallocated numbers (FCC 23-21) | +1 and 10 digits |
| United Kingdom | Spoofed sender names of registered brands are blocked (MEF SenderID Protection Registry) | +44 7 and 9 digits |
| France | 06 and 07 numbers may not be used by automated senders, apart from specific cases (Arcep, 2022) | +33 6 or +33 7 and 8 digits |
| Australia | Unregistered alphanumeric sender names are labelled "Unverified" since 1 July 2026 | +61 4 and 8 digits |
| Brazil | Mobiles have 9 digits after the area code since 2016 | +55, area code, 9 digits |
| Mexico | No "1" after +52 since 3 August 2019 | +52 and 10 digits |
What does a test cycle cost?
One number per target country for 30 days costs $13.50 in the US, $15 in the UK and $16 in most European countries (prices of 18 October 2026). Three countries for a month therefore cost $44.50 for the US, the UK and Germany together; a 7-day rental is enough for a one-off check, from $8.50.
Questions from QA teams
Is there an API?
Not publicly at the moment. Texts are read in the dashboard.
Can several people read the same rental?
The rental belongs to one account. Share access within your team carefully, and never share the password in a ticket.
Do texts from foreign senders arrive?
They arrive if the sender's route reaches the number. International delivery is one of the things a test should check.
- ACMA: SMS Sender ID Register, read 2026-10-18
- Arcep: numbering plan decision of 5 September 2022, read 2026-10-18