How STOP and Opt-Out Works

Text message opt-out isn't something TelBuddy has to build, configure, or turn on — it's enforced automatically by the carrier itself, on every single number, whether it's on Twilio or Telnyx. This happens at the carrier level, below TelBuddy, so it applies even to messages sent completely outside TelBuddy's interface.

What happens when a customer opts out. If someone replies STOP (or a small set of standard variants the carriers recognize), the carrier immediately blocks all future messages from that specific number to that customer and automatically sends them a one-time confirmation that they've been unsubscribed. This is carrier policy, not a TelBuddy setting — it can't be turned off, and it shouldn't be.

What TelBuddy adds on top of that. Two things, both aimed at making the experience clearer without adding friction to real conversations:

1. An opt-out line ("Reply STOP to unsubscribe") is automatically appended, but only to the first message you ever send a number that has never texted you before — not to every message in an ongoing conversation, which would just be noise once a real back-and-forth is underway.
2. If you try to text a customer who has already opted out, you'll see a plain-language message explaining that they've opted out, instead of a raw, confusing API error from the carrier.

Getting a customer back after they've opted out. They need to text a keyword like START back to the same number themselves — this isn't something you can override or re-enable from your side, again by carrier design, since it's meant to be the customer's own choice.

Why this matters more with Auto Mode on. If AI Auto Mode is active on a number and a customer has opted out, the plain-language block message is what you'll see reflected in the inbox rather than a delivery failure — worth knowing so it doesn't look like a technical problem when it's actually expected compliance behavior.

Features at a glance

• STOP enforcement happens automatically at the carrier level, on every number
• Applies identically on Twilio and Telnyx
• Opt-out disclaimer auto-added to a number's first-ever outbound message only
• Plain-language block notice instead of a raw carrier error
• Opted-out customers can only be re-enabled by texting START themselves