Do you offer photo to phone via SMS for your photo booth clients? This is a reminder that sending images to a phone number is dependent on outside services that Darkroom Software has no control over. Government regulations to reduce Spam text messages have impacted services like Twilio requiring registration and approval to continue.
Darkroom offers two methods to send an image to a phone number:
Twilio – This option uses the outside service Twilio to send to a phone number. There are several links in the chain and Darkroom sends the image to an online storage temporarily and the text message to Twilio. Then Twilio sends that on to the phone carrier (e.g., Verizon, ATT, etc.) with the image location. Next, the carrier sends that information on to the end user’s phone. New government regulations require users to register their business and the intended use of the number and receive approval to continue. The use of services like Twilio will also be subject to a higher level of scrutiny in the future and may be blocked.
Carrier Selection – This method uses a feature that most cell carriers in the US offer where a phone number is appended with a carrier specific domain, for example, ###-###-####@mms.att.net for AT&T. The image is sent as an attachment to the email server then from there to the phone carrier. This method is subject to the scrutiny of the cell carrier and may be flagged as Spam or blocked because the attachment exceeds the size allowed. We have also seen instances where an image may not be delivered for some time, possibly hours later.
There is no 100% guaranteed method of email or text delivery. As a software developer Darkroom has no control over those 3rd party companies and carriers. Bearing this in mind, Darkroom recommends that our users set realistic expectations for their clients with regards to digital delivery. Online galleries such as Eventgallery.com are one way to avoid situations where images are not delivered. With this method, users are sent to a website or “gallery” to download their images direct to their phone.
We hope this information is helpful to you, your business and your clients. If you have any questions or need any assistance, please contact our support team by emailing support@darkroomsoftware.com