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What is a delivery receipt for text messages?

A delivery receipt is the report a mobile network sends back to say whether a text reached the phone. It marks the text as delivered or undelivered, often with a reason. For alert texts, it tells you if the on-call phone actually got the alarm.

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Glossary

Delivery receipt

In plain English, with what it means for alert texts.

Illustration of Delivery receipt.

What a delivery receipt tells you

Sent only means the text left the sender. Delivered means the network handed it to the phone.

Undelivered means it could not get there. Typical reasons are a phone that is switched off or a number that no longer works. Landlines never pass the YES step, as the guide on landlines and alert texts explains.

Example: one alarm, two phones, two results

This boiler alarm went to two phones. The receipts came back with different answers.

  1. The boiler controller emails a flame failure

  2. Phone 1, the on-call tech's mobile: delivered

    Welco: [Boiler 1] Flame FAILURE, burner lockout at 6:03 AM. Reply STOP to opt out.

  3. Phone 2, the backup tech's old mobile: undelivered

    The report says the number is no longer in service. The backup changed numbers last month.

  4. The backup rejoins with the new number and replies YES

Why receipts matter for alarm texts

An alarm text that never arrived is easy to overlook, because nothing happens. A receipt turns that silence into something you can see and fix.

A text stopped by a carrier's spam filter also comes back as not delivered. Welco delivery reports turn each receipt into a plain-English reason, next to the phone and the alert.

Delivery receipt vs read receipt

A delivery receipt covers the trip to the phone. A read receipt would say a person opened the text, and plain SMS has none.

So delivered does not mean someone acted. If you need to know who has the alarm, ask staff to reply, and the reply comes back by email. More texting terms are in the alert texting glossary.

Frequently asked questions

Does an undelivered text still use message credits?

Yes, once it has been handed to the mobile network. The network, the phone and coverage decide final delivery. Texts Welco holds or rejects before sending use no credits.

How soon does a delivery receipt come back?

Usually soon after the text is sent, but it depends on the network. A phone that is off may show no final result until it is back on.

Can a delivery receipt be wrong?

Rarely, but it can be late or vague. Some networks report a text as delivered when it reached their side. If staff say they never saw a delivered alert, check the phone's blocked senders and settings.

Does Welco promise a delivery rate?

No. Carriers, phones and coverage decide final delivery, so Welco does not publish or promise a rate. Delivery reports show what happened to each text instead.

See which phones got last night's alarm

Every Welco alert comes with a plain-English delivery report.

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7-day free trial, 15 message creditsCard required for verificationNo charge for 7 daysEmail reminder before billing