Use case · SimpleVerifier Team
Phone number validation for SMS marketing
Before an SMS campaign, normalise every number to E.164, drop numbers that cannot exist under their country's numbering plan, and find out which are mobile. Format, country and plan-based type are included on every plan; live carrier lookups that return the real line type, including for US numbers, come with Email + Phone at 5,000 a month.
SMS lists are built from checkout forms, pop-ups and imports, so numbers arrive in every format: with a leading zero, without a country code, with spaces and brackets. An SMS platform needs one consistent international format, and it needs numbers that can receive a text.
What breaks an SMS send
Local formats with no country
'07911 123456' is a UK mobile, but only if you know it is British. Numbers without a + prefix are read against the default country you choose on upload. The E.164 guide explains the format.
Landlines in a texting list
Shop and office numbers end up in SMS lists from contact forms. A landline is not a texting number, so it should be in your calling list instead.
US numbers don't reveal their type from the format
In the US and Canada the numbering plan does not separate mobile from landline ranges, so a format check, which follows Google's libphonenumber data, returns 'fixed line or mobile'. Only a live lookup returns the real line type. See checking whether a number is VoIP and carrier lookup.
Reassigned numbers
US numbers are disconnected and reassigned to new people. The FCC's Reassigned Numbers Database exists for that question; SimpleVerifier does not query it, and a carrier lookup does not answer it.
Preparing a list for an SMS platform
Export contacts with the phone column
From your store, CRM or SMS platform, as a CSV. Keep the customer ID.
Upload and pick the default country
Every number gets a valid or invalid result, its E.164 form, the country and the plan-based type. Or use =SV_PHONE in the Google Sheets add-on.
Run live lookups on the numbers you will text
On Email + Phone, a live lookup returns the carrier and the real line type: mobile, landline or VoIP. 5,000 lookups a month; failed lookups don't count.
Import E.164 mobiles into your SMS platform
Keep landlines for calls and fix or drop invalid numbers before the next send.
Which numbers to text
| Result | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| valid · mobile | Text, with consent | A mobile number by plan or by carrier lookup. |
| valid · fixed line or mobile (US, CA) | Run a live lookup | The format can't tell; the carrier data can. |
| valid · landline | Move to calling list | Not a texting number. |
| valid · VoIP | Your call | Some VoIP numbers take SMS and some don't; many senders treat them separately. |
| valid · toll-free | Remove from SMS list | A business line, not a subscriber's phone. |
| invalid | Fix or remove | Doesn't fit the numbering plan: wrong length, wrong prefix or wrong country. |
Common questions
- Can I check whether a number can receive SMS?
- You can check whether it is a mobile number. A live carrier lookup on Email + Phone returns the real line type (mobile, landline or VoIP). No check confirms the phone is switched on or that the person still uses it.
- Does SimpleVerifier check whether a number is on WhatsApp?
- No. It validates format, country and line type, and looks up the carrier on the Email + Phone plan. It does not check messaging apps.
- Why do US numbers come back as 'fixed line or mobile'?
- Because the North American numbering plan doesn't reserve separate ranges for mobiles. Only carrier data, from a live lookup, can tell you the line type.
- What does phone validation cost?
- Format, country and plan-based type are included in Pro at $29.99 a month. Email + Phone at $49.99 adds 5,000 live carrier lookups a month.
Clean your SMS list
Email + Phone is $49.99 a month: everything in Pro, including unlimited email verification and phone format checks, plus 5,000 live carrier lookups for real line type and carrier. Pro alone is $29.99 a month.
See plans and pricing