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SMS Delivery Reports

Sending a message isn’t the same as delivering it. Delivery reports tell you, for every SMS, whether it reached the phone — so you can prove delivery, fix problems and stop paying to message dead numbers.

DELIVEREDDELIVEREDPENDINGDELIVEREDFAILED

What the statuses mean

  • Delivered: the network confirmed the message reached the handset.
  • Pending / sent: accepted by the network but not yet confirmed — the phone may be off or out of coverage. Networks retry for a period.
  • Failed / undelivered: the message could not be delivered, for example an invalid or inactive number, or a blocked message.

Why messages fail

  • Wrongly formatted or inactive numbers.
  • Do Not Disturb on promotional messages.
  • Sender ID not approved on that network.
  • Content filtering.

Full troubleshooting guide: why bulk SMS isn’t delivered.

Using reports well

  • Clean your lists: remove numbers that fail repeatedly.
  • Compare networks: a drop on one network points to a sender ID or filtering issue.
  • Support: when a customer says “I never got it”, check the report.
  • Proof: keep delivery records for compliance and disputes.

Get reports via the API

curl -X POST "https://dashboard.connectmedia.co.ke/api.php" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $CM_API_KEY" \
  -d action=history -d limit=100 -d start_date=2026-10-01 -d end_date=2026-10-07

The history action returns sent messages with their status. See the API docs.

Get started

Create a Connect Media account — SMS from KES 1.0, no minimum top-up, credit that never expires, and one account for Safaricom, Airtel and Telkom. Call +254 707 339 945 or email info@connectmedia.co.ke.

What delivery reports look like

Sent messages report with delivery status per message
Each message shows its status and error code, with a delivery timeline. Customer details are blurred.

Frequently asked questions

What is an SMS delivery report?

A delivery report is the network's confirmation of whether an SMS reached the recipient's phone.

Why does a message show as pending?

The phone may be off or out of coverage. The network keeps retrying for a period before the message expires.

Are delivery reports included?

Yes. Connect Media includes a delivery status for every message, in the dashboard and through the API.