Help with OpenPhone setup

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1

Hello all,

Can anyone help with the below issue?

I’m trying to register my toll free number on OpenPhone and I got this rejection yesterday.

“Opt-in workflow provided was not sufficient. Opt-in cannot combine consent for messaging with requirement for service.”

Can anyone please provide guidance on this, as I’m using the same type of form I’ve seen on numerous other websites (attached below), so I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong?

Thanks so much for anyone’s help in advance!

KMM

Opt-in SMS
Opt-in SMS1714×505 23.1 KB

2

It looks like the rejection came down to how your SMS consent is being collected. The key thing the carriers (and OpenPhone) are looking for is “unbundled” consent, meaning, people have to be able to sign up for your service without feeling like they’re being forced into SMS messages at the same time.

Right now, your form is asking for required info to use your service (name, email, phone) and then has a single “Yes” radio button for “Receive SMS notifications from us?” with no way to say “No.” From a compliance standpoint, that’s seen as combining the SMS opt-in with your core sign-up, which isn’t allowed.

To fix it, you’ll want to:

  1. Make SMS opt-in optional. Don’t make it a required field.
  2. Give a true choice. Either add a “Yes” and a “No” radio button, or use a single checkbox that’s unchecked by default.
  3. Include the required legal language. Something like:

I agree to receive SMS messages from [Your Company] at the phone number provided. Message frequency varies. Reply STOP to unsubscribe or HELP for help. Message & data rates may apply.

  1. Keep it separate from your service sign-up. Users should still be able to submit the form even if they don’t check the SMS box.

Once you make those changes, it should satisfy OpenPhone’s “separate consent” requirement and get your toll-free registration approved.

Here’s a ready-to-use version you can drop into your form that should meet carrier/TCR compliance and make OpenPhone happy:

Checkbox label:

css

CopyEdit

[ ] I agree to receive SMS messages from [Your Company] at the phone number provided. Message frequency varies. Reply STOP to unsubscribe or HELP for help. Message & data rates may apply.

Placement tips:

  • Keep the box unchecked by default.
  • Put it below your phone number field and before the submit button.
  • Do not make it a required field — users must be able to sign up without checking it.

Example layout:

First name *
[___________]

Last name *
[___________]

Email *
[___________]

Phone Number *
[___________]

☐ I agree to receive SMS messages from [Your Company] at the phone number provided. Message frequency varies. Reply STOP to unsubscribe or HELP for help. Message & data rates may apply.

[Submit]

If you set it up like this, you’ll have a clear, separate, optional opt-in with the proper disclaimer, which is exactly what the carriers want to see.

3

Thanks, Seth. I figured that was what they were referring to, but I wasn’t sure since I’ve seen this exact type of form on so many other sites. I’m curious how these other websites got around this. Do you think this is different by phone service and this is just a requirement of OpenPhone?

4

Yeah, that’s a good question. You’ll definitely see a lot of sites that look like they’re doing the same thing, but a couple things are going on there:

  1. Some of those companies are using short codes or local numbers instead of toll-free, and the rules for short code opt-ins are handled a bit differently. Toll-free numbers have their own verification process through TCR (The Campaign Registry), and the carriers are more strict about proof of a clear, separate opt-in.
  2. In other cases, those sites aren’t actually compliant;, they’ve just never been flagged because they’re not going through a formal verification process like you are now. When you register a toll-free number for mass texting, you’re basically inviting a compliance review, so anything that’s in a gray area gets called out.

So it’s not that OpenPhone is making up their own special rule, it’s more that they’re enforcing the industry standard for toll-free messaging, which is a little stricter than what some people get away with in the wild.

If you make the tweak we talked about, you’ll be in the clear with OpenPhone and the carriers, so you won’t have to worry about future deliverability issues.

5

Makes sense. Thx for that. I updating my website and resubmitting soon, so hopefully, it’ll be fixed. Appreciate the follow up!

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