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What to Do After 10DLC Approval

Approval is a milestone, not the finish line. Two things get "approved" during 10DLC onboarding, and it's easy to lose track of which one you just cleared and what comes next. This article orients you: figure out where you are, then follow the path to your first delivered message.

First: which approval do you mean?

There are two separate gates, and they're often confused. Check the status page for whichever you're looking at.

You just saw… Where That means Go to
Your brand is Verified Brand Registry Your business is registered. You cannot send yet — a campaign describes the actual traffic. Create a campaign, then come back here
Your campaign is Live (Approved) Campaigns → 10DLC Carriers will accept traffic under this campaign. This is the gate that unlocks sending. Continue with the steps below

If your campaign isn't Live yet, there's nothing to do but wait — watch the campaign detail page and the Compliance Inbox for carrier feedback. See Creating a 10DLC Campaign for approval timelines.

Just want to test the API right now? You don't need any of the steps below to fire your first request — use the shared test phone in Testing SMS With the Shared Test Phone, then switch to your real number when the steps below are done.

The path from a Live campaign to your first message

Once the campaign is Live, three things connect a phone number to it before you can send. Do them in this order:

  1. Have a phone number — buy one or port one in.
  2. Put that number on a messaging profile — required before a number can send; it's also where opt-out handling and sender defaults live.
  3. Assign that number to your Live campaign — this is what makes carriers accept its A2P traffic.

Then you send. Each step is below.

Step 1: Get a phone number

You need at least one number on your account.

You can buy numbers before your campaign is approved; only the assignment in Step 3 requires a Live campaign.

Step 2: Put the number on a messaging profile

A messaging profile groups numbers and centralizes their opt-in/opt-out/help keyword handling and sender defaults. A number must belong to a profile before it can send US application traffic.

Inbound and status webhooks are not configured on the profile. Delivery of inbound messages and delivery receipts is set up separately in Developer → Webhooks — see Configuring Webhooks.

Most accounts need only one profile. Create it at Messaging Profiles, then open it and click Assign numbers to attach the number from Step 1. Full walkthrough: Creating a Messaging Profile.

Step 3: Assign the number to your campaign

This is the step people most often miss. Buying the number and creating the campaign are not enough on their own — the number has to be explicitly linked to the Live campaign so the carrier will accept its traffic.

  1. Open Campaigns → 10DLC and pick your Live campaign.
  2. Scroll to the Phone Numbers section and click Assign numbers.
  3. Select your number and confirm.

Assignment is handled by the carrier and isn't instant — a number shows Pending, then Assigned once it's live on the campaign (usually a few minutes). Click Refresh status to check. Full detail, including failure reasons: Assigning Phone Numbers to a Campaign.

Step 4: Send your first message

Once the number shows Assigned, you're cleared to send. One API call does it:

curl -X POST https://api.otterblocx.com/messaging/send \
  -H "x-access-key-id: $BLOCX_ACCESS_KEY_ID" \
  -H "x-secret-access-key: $BLOCX_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "from": "+15551234567",
    "to":   "+15557654321",
    "body": "Hello from Blocx!",
    "type": "SMS"
  }'

For the pre-flight checklist, the SDK version, delivery tracking, and error codes, see Sending Your First SMS.

Why do I need both a profile and a campaign?

This is the single most common source of "which direction do I go" confusion. They do different jobs, and a number needs both:

Messaging profile 10DLC campaign
Purpose Configuration and opt-out handling Carrier permission to send A2P
Controls Opt-in/opt-out/help keywords, allowed countries, sender defaults Use case, throughput (MPS), compliance approval
Without it The number can't send, and opt-out keywords aren't configured US application traffic is filtered or blocked by carriers

A number can be on one profile and one campaign at a time. Both links must be in place before that number sends.

Common questions after approval

Question Answer
My campaign is Live but sends still fail The number probably isn't Assigned to the campaign yet (Step 3), or it isn't on a profile (Step 2). Check both.
The number isn't in the Assign numbers list It's missing a messaging profile, or it's already on another campaign. Fix that first — see Assigning Phone Numbers to a Campaign.
Assignment is stuck on Pending Carrier assignment can take a few minutes. Click Refresh status; if it persists, open a support ticket.
How much can I send per second? Your throughput (MPS) comes from the campaign's use case and your brand vetting score. See the throughput section of Creating a 10DLC Campaign.
Can I send from more than one number? Yes — put each number on a profile and assign each to the campaign. Repeat Steps 1–3 per number.
I need to send under a partner's campaign Have them share the campaign with you from its detail page — see campaign sharing in Creating a 10DLC Campaign.

Then what?

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