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Texting hours and SMS rules

Why texts only go out between 9 AM and 8 PM in the contact’s time zone, and other rules to keep your texts delivered.

Updated Oct 28, 2026smscompliance

Texting rules protect your customers and your phone number's reputation. Your account helps you follow them.

Texting hours

Texts only go out between 9 AM and 8 PM in the contact's time zone. If you try to send outside those hours, you'll see:

"Outside texting hours (9 AM - 8 PM recipient time). This won't send until 9 AM - schedule it or try again then."

To send at the right time, use Schedule message. See Internal notes, snippets and scheduled messages.

The SMS Quiet Hours setting

You'll find this setting in Settings → Business Details under SMS Quiet Hours. It is on by default, shown as "Quiet hours on (recommended)".

Texting consumers outside 9:00 AM to 8:00 PM local time can break the TCPA, a US law. Only turn quiet hours off if your customers are businesses, not consumers. Turning it off asks you to confirm, and records who did it.

Other rules to follow

  • Get permission first. Only text people who agreed to hear from you, for example by ticking a consent box on your form.

  • Honor opt-outs. When someone replies STOP, they are opted out automatically. See Do Not Disturb and opt-outs.

  • Identify yourself. Include your business name in your first text.

  • Register. In the US, complete A2P 10DLC registration.

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