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SMS

Add-on

SMS is an add-on. If it isn't in your settings, it isn't on your plan — see What's included, and what's an add-on.

What this is for​

Text messages. They reach any phone, need no app and no internet, and get read within minutes.

That reliability is why SMS is still the right channel for one thing above all: one-time codes.

Choosing a provider​

Restodesk supports four:

ProviderNotes
VonageFormerly Nexmo. Broad international coverage.
MSG91Strong in India; uses Flow IDs per message type.
TwilioWidely used, good documentation.
SMS Gateway for AndroidSends through an app on a phone you own.

The first three are commercial gateways billed per message. The fourth is different enough to be worth its own section.

Setting one up​

Under Settings › SMS, enable the provider and enter its credentials:

  • Vonage — API key, auth token, SMS From.
  • MSG91 — auth key, Sender ID, plus Flow IDs.
  • Twilio — Account SID, auth token, From Number.

Then Send Test Message before relying on it.

MSG91 Flow IDs​

MSG91 uses a Flow ID per message type rather than free text. Restodesk asks for one for each:

  • Reservation Confirmed
  • Order Bill Sent
  • Order Confirmation
  • Order Status Update
  • Send OTP

Create each flow in MSG91 first, then paste its ID in. A missing Flow ID means that message type silently doesn't send — which is the most common MSG91 problem.

SMS Gateway for Android​

An open-source app that sends texts from a real phone with a real SIM — locally, through their cloud, or via your own server.

You provide the Message API URL (for example http://DEVICE_IP:8080/message or https://api.sms-gate.app/3rdparty/v1/message) and an HTTP Basic username and password from the app.

It can be configured to send from a single device for the whole platform, or for each restaurant to use its own — in which case each enters their own gateway URL and credentials under their SMS settings.

Where this makes sense: somewhere with cheap or unlimited SMS on a normal mobile plan, and low volume. It costs a phone rather than a per-message fee.

Where it doesn't: anywhere volume is high, or messages must be reliable. A phone that's off, out of signal, or out of battery is an SMS channel that's down, and nobody will notice until a customer can't sign in.

Note one limitation: platform messages that aren't tied to a restaurant — some signup flows — need Vonage or MSG91, or the Android gateway set to a single shared device.

What to send by SMS​

SMS costs money per message, so choose deliberately.

Worth it:

  • One-time codes. The best use. Fast, reliable, no app needed.
  • Order ready for collection.
  • Reservation reminders the day before.

Usually not:

  • Order confirmations, when email or WhatsApp will do.
  • Every status change. Delivery updates by SMS get expensive quickly.
  • Anything promotional. Regulated in most places, and resented in all of them.

Phone verification​

SMS also powers phone number verification at signup, which can be switched on separately.

Worth it if you get fake registrations, or if phone numbers are how you contact customers about orders. Otherwise it's friction on the way in.

When messages don't send​

  1. Is the provider enabled and are its credentials right?
  2. Does the test message work? Start there.
  3. MSG91 — is the Flow ID set for that message type?
  4. Does the number include the country code?
  5. Android gateway — is the phone on, charged and in signal?
  6. Is there credit on the account? Gateways stop silently when the balance runs out.

Good to know​

  • Provider charges are between you and them.
  • SMS sits alongside email and WhatsApp — see Who gets told what.
  • Credentials are stored encrypted; leaving a password blank keeps the existing one.
  • Update SMS Settings is its own permission. See What each role can do.

Next​

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