Calls: Support Telnyx Hosted SMS Numbers for Channel Connection
Suhana Hamzah
Business problem:
- As a user with Telnyx Hosted SMS numbers, I want to be able to connect these numbers to respond.io's Telnyx channel so that I can use my existing business lines for SMS without having to purchase new numbers from Telnyx
- Currently, respond.io only retrieves purchased Telnyx numbers during channel setup - Hosted SMS numbers (numbers ported to Telnyx for SMS while voice stays with another provider) are not returned, resulting in a "No phone number found" error and blocking channel connection entirely
Desired outcome:
- Hosted SMS numbers should be visible in the Telnyx channel connection flow alongside purchased numbers
- Users should be able to connect and use their hosted SMS numbers for SMS messaging on respond.io
Use cases:
- A business that keeps voice calls with their existing provider (e.g. Ooma) but wants to use Telnyx for SMS messaging, and manage those conversations in respond.io
- A business with existing Telnyx hosted SMS numbers that wants to consolidate customer messaging into respond.io without migrating to a purchased Telnyx number
Current workaround:
Custom Channel - users can connect their hosted SMS numbers via respond.io's Custom Channel as a workaround, though this requires more technical setup and is not as seamless as the native Telnyx channel connection flow