Answers

How do I avoid carrier filtering?

On SMS: register properly and completely, keep volume consistent rather than spiky, personalize copy so sends are not identical, avoid link shorteners, clean dead numbers off the list, and honor opt-outs fast, because complaint rate is the heaviest signal. Or route around the filter: iMessage traffic does not pass through carrier filtering at all.

Registration quality matters as much as registration existence. Campaigns registered with vague use-case descriptions, mismatched brand information, or missing opt-in evidence get treated somewhere between suspicious and unregistered. The carrier filtering mechanics, trust scores included, are in the glossary.

Behavior does the rest. Filters model what spam looks like: sudden volume from a quiet number, identical bodies, high-risk content, and recipients hitting report. The practices that keep a number healthy, pacing, copy variance, list hygiene, and instant opt-out suppression, are collected in the iMessage deliverability guide, most of which applies to any texting channel.

The honest caveat about routing around it: fallback traffic is still carrier traffic. A program that leads with iMessage but steps down to RCS and SMS fallback for unreachable contacts follows carrier rules on those sends, so registration and hygiene still matter for that slice.

Updated August 10, 2026