Channel Setup

Configure your own SMS, WhatsApp, and RCS sender for production use.

What you'll accomplish: Select phone number → Connect WhatsApp → Enable RCS → Configure billing

⏳ Time required: ~5 minutes

Just exploring? You don't need this step to start sending. Light onboarding gives you API access and 6 pre-built templates with just a verified email and phone number. Come back here when you're ready to send from your own number.

A complete walkthrough of the Sent onboarding process — from account creation and KYC through channel setup and sending your first message.

Onboarding

Playlist

Prerequisites

Completed KYC verification
Meta Business Portfolio account (for WhatsApp)
Payment method on file

Start Channel Setup

From your Sent Dashboard, click the "Continue Channel Setup" button.

Select Your Phone Number

Choose a phone number that will be your business identity across SMS, WhatsApp, and RCS:

Important considerations:

Recipients will see this number on all communications
Choose a number local to your target market
This number cannot be changed easily later
We recommend using the same number for SMS, WhatsApp, and RCS

Connect WhatsApp Business

Link your WhatsApp Business account:

Steps:

Log in with your Facebook/Meta account
Select or create a WhatsApp Business account
Grant Sent permission to manage messages
Add payment details to your Meta Business account

Don't have a Meta Business Portfolio? You can create one during this process.

We strongly recommend using the same number for SMS, WhatsApp, and RCS to ensure smooth operation.

Enable RCS

RCS (Rich Communication Services) delivers carrier-native rich messages (suggestion chips, rich cards, carousels, and branded sender identity) to Android (Google Messages) users without requiring a separate app install.

Key points:

RCS is delivered over carrier networks to Android (Google Messages) users
Messages display your company logo, name, and a verified checkmark instead of a phone number
Rich features (images, carousels, branded sender identity, suggestion chips) require an approved RCS sender profile
Falls back to SMS automatically for devices or carriers without RCS support

To send RCS, register an RCS Agent (your branded sender). Open the RCS tab on the Channels page and click Register Agent. The button is available once you have completed onboarding. The registration has three parts:

Brand contact: the business details U.S. carriers require, including legal company name, entity type, EIN, official address, brand and customer support contacts, website, privacy policy, and terms and conditions.
Agent setup: how the agent appears to recipients: display name, use case, description, brand color, logo, and banner.
Message keywords & opt-in: your START, HELP, and STOP messages, a description of your opt-in process, sample RCS messages, and an optional screenshot of your opt-in form.

You can also register the agent through the API; see Managing channels.

After you submit, Sent reviews the registration and hands it to the carriers for vetting. Editing is locked while it is under review. The RCS tab shows where the registration stands:

Dashboard state	What it means
Registration in progress	Your details are saved but not submitted. Click Continue to finish.
Submitted for review	Sent is reviewing your submission.
`VERIFICATION_PENDING`	Carrier vetting is in progress.
`VERIFICATION_APPROVED`	Vetting passed. Click Request Launch to go live.
`LAUNCH_PENDING`	The launch is in progress.
Launched	The agent is live and can send RCS.
`VERIFICATION_REJECTED`, `LAUNCH_REJECTED`, `SUSPENDED`, `PROVISIONING_FAILED`	The agent can't send. The tab shows the reason when one is available; contact support for next steps.

If Sent asks for changes, the tab shows Changes requested and an Update Application button. Correct your details in the wizard and submit again.

You can't send RCS until the agent is launched. Through the API, GET /v3/channels reports the agent's status as ACTIVE once it is launched; see reason_code and reason for the other values.

RCS availability depends on carrier support in the recipient's region. Sent automatically handles fallback to SMS when RCS is unavailable. Use "channel": ["rcs", "sms"] in your API requests to enable this pattern explicitly.

Add Sent Billing Details and a Payment Method

Enter your billing address for your Sent account:

Then add a payment method (credit or debit card):

The payment method is optional at this stage (you can add one later in the Billing section), but messages are blocked when your credit balance runs out, so we recommend adding it now.

This step configures billing for your Sent account (message credits). WhatsApp per-message charges are billed separately by Meta, through the payment method you added to your Meta Business account when connecting WhatsApp.

Complete Setup

Wait for the channel setup to complete (usually takes a few seconds):

🎉 Congratulations! Your account is now ready to send messages.

Copy your API credentials from this page, or access them later in the API Keys section.

Security reminder: NEVER share your Sender ID and API Key(s) with anyone. Store them securely in environment variables.

API Credentials

You'll receive two credentials:

x-sender-id: xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx
x-api-key: xxxxxxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx

For the current v3 API, you only need the x-api-key header. The x-sender-id is for legacy v2 API.

What's Next?

Now that your channels are configured:

Create your first template - Prepare message content
Send your first message - Make your first API call
Explore the dashboard - Learn dashboard features

Troubleshooting

Troubleshoot common Meta WhatsApp integration issues — from Business Account connection failures to template sync problems.

Playlist

WhatsApp connection failed?

Ensure your Meta Business account is verified
Check that your phone number is not already registered with WhatsApp
Verify you have administrator access to the Meta Business Portfolio

SMS not working?

Verify your KYC is fully approved
Check that your payment method is valid
Contact support@sent.dm

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