Connecting Twilio SMS to your tawk.to Inbox
The instructions below are for desktops and laptops only.
You can use Twilio SMS to handle SMS conversations from the same place you manage live chat, tickets, and other channels. This guide walks you through connecting Twilio to your tawk.to Inbox, sending and receiving messages, adjusting common settings, and troubleshooting tips.
Before you start
Ensure you have:
An active Twilio account, and
A phone number purchased from Twilio that is SMS-enabled.
See Twilio’s guide to learn more about creating a new Twilio account.
Note: Each Twilio account can be connected to only one tawk.to property at a time.
Steps to connect Twilio to tawk.to
3. Click Administration in the top menu.
4. Click Twilio SMS under Channels in the left menu.
5. Click + Connect in the top‑right corner.
6. On the Add New Inbox page:
- Select your Twilio account.
- Select the phone number you purchased from Twilio. Ensure this number is SMS-enabled.
- Enter your inbox name. This is how the inbox will appear for your team on the dashboard.
7. If you want to connect a new Twilio account, select + Connect new Account from the Account dropdown.
8. Choose your Twilio phone number.
Note: Your phone number is available on your Twilio console.
9. Enter the Inbox Name and click Connect.
10. After a successful connection, Twilio SMS will appear under Channels in the left menu.
Viewing and replying to SMS
You can use Shortcuts to speed up replies in SMS conversations. To learn more about Shortcuts, see this guide: Creating and managing shortcuts
Status, assignees, priority, and tags
At the top of an SMS conversation you’ll find options to:
Change status (Open/Pending/Closed)
Assign the conversation to a specific agent or team member
Set priority
Add tags
Change status
SMS messages can be in one of the following states (shown under Status):
Open: The message is unanswered. If the customer left contact information, respond promptly.
Pending: The customer has been answered, and the issue is being resolved.
Closed: The conversation is resolved.
To change the status, click the current status and select a new one.
Assign the conversation
You can assign the conversation to yourself or a team member (if you have multiple support agents).
Click the assignee field, select a team member’s name, and they will be assigned to the conversation.
Set priority
Click the priority indicator and choose the desired priority.
Add tags
Click the tag icon to see available tags, and click + to add tags to the conversation. To learn more about tags, check out this guide: Tagging chats, contacts, and tickets
More options
Click the 3 dots for more options:
Mark as Spam: Moves the conversation to Spam.
Delete: Moves the conversation to Trash.
Troubleshooting common message delivery issues
If your messages aren’t are going through successfully, check the following:
Confirm the Twilio account is connected and active in Administration > Channels > Twilio SMS.
Ensure you granted tawk.to the required permissions when connecting the Twilio account.
Verify your Twilio phone number is SMS-enabled and that your Twilio account has enough credit to send messages.
For international messages, confirm the destination country supports SMS via Twilio and that the recipient number can receive international SMS.
For more on troubleshooting common issues, see this guide: Twilio SMS: Troubleshooting message delivery issues
Use AI Assist with Twilio SMS (optional)
If you have AI Assist enabled, you can:
Assign an AI agent to your Twilio SMS inbox to handle conversations 24/7
Enable AI Commands and Smart Reply for SMS conversations
Assign an AI agent
On your AI agent’s Settings page, scroll the Channels list and enable the SMS toggle.
Note: AI Assist limits each SMS reply to 2 messages (up to 320 characters) to help control SMS charges.
AI Commands and Smart Reply
On your AI agent’s Settings page, scroll down and enable AI Commands and Smart Reply.
After enabling the above settings, you can use AI Commands and Smart Reply in your SMS conversations.
Important considerations
One property per Twilio account
Once a Twilio account is connected to a tawk.to property, you cannot connect that same Twilio account to another property. Plan your account and property mapping accordingly.Character limits & billing
SMS character limits (160 characters per SMS part) can cause long replies to be split into multiple SMS messages — which may increase Twilio charges.Security
Keep your Twilio Auth Token confidential. Treat it like a password.Compliance & opt-in rules
SMS regulations vary by country — you must obtain appropriate opt-ins and provide opt-out instructions to recipients where required.Phone number capabilities
Some Twilio numbers support voice but not SMS (and vice versa). Double-check the number’s capabilities in your Twilio console.
Related guides
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