SMS notifications for non-USA numbers

Would it be possible to update BM’s backend so the SMS reminder service could work for non-USA numbers? I know I can probably figure this out via a workaround with Zapier etc, but BM’s had the US numbers only restriction since I first joined way back when. I imagine back then Twilio had restrictions on which countries you could send to etc, but nowadays things are different. For Beeminder to be truly international and inviting to those not living in the United States, could we bring this feature so we can enjoy the same as you all?

Thanks!

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I would also like to have this feature!

Definitely agreed in theory! I think you’re right that when we first built this it was strictly US numbers. Then the last time we looked into it (still years ago) we had to add each country (and presumably pay extra) one by one. Does anyone know if things are better now?

But also I’m interested to hear about use cases and why the smartphone apps don’t obviate the SMS bot for you. (If it has to do with cellular data plans that make SMS work when the apps don’t, is that likely to become a non-issue anytime soon?)

My use case is that I have a dumb-phone that I use for phone calls. I don’t have access to the BM app in my current setup, so I either have SMS notifications or no notifications at all. :slight_smile:

But this is all largely self-inflicted, so no worries if it’s an issue to fix. I was more wondering / hoping that it might just have been something you set up at the beginning and just forgot to amend since you have fewer non-US users or something like that?

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I believe things have evolved quite bit in terms of APIs and their billing.

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Hi!
So, this feature would still be great - there are a number of countries (ex. Canada, France) that look as though they would cost the same amount of money as US-members, maybe add those countries?

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There is one use case for SMS, albeit a rare one: if you are at a big event with thousands of people then it is likely that you will not get any meaningful data service on your phone. However in my experience SMS always worked reliably even then. In contrast all other kinds of instant messaging services are usually completely crippled.

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