SMS Delivery Reports

Delivery reports (DLRs) provide real-time feedback on the status of every SMS you send through Exotel. This guide covers how to configure, receive, and interpret delivery reports.

What Are Delivery Reports?

A delivery report is a status notification that tells you whether an SMS was successfully delivered to the recipient's handset, is still in transit, or has failed. Exotel supports two methods for receiving delivery reports:

Method	Description	Best For
Webhook Callbacks	Exotel pushes status updates to your server	Real-time processing, production systems
API Polling	You query the SMS Details API for status	Ad-hoc checks, debugging
Dashboard	View reports in the Exotel web console	Manual review, reporting

tip

Webhook callbacks are the recommended approach for production systems. They provide near-instant status updates without the overhead of polling. See SMS Webhooks for detailed setup instructions.

Delivery Report Flow

Your App → Exotel API → Operator → Handset
                ↓
         Status Callback ← Operator DLR
                ↓
         Your Webhook Endpoint

Message Submitted -- Your app sends an SMS via the Exotel API.
Queued -- Exotel accepts the message and queues it for delivery.
Sent to Operator -- Exotel transmits the message to the telecom operator.
Delivered / Failed -- The operator confirms delivery to the handset or reports a failure.
Callback Sent -- Exotel forwards the delivery status to your configured webhook URL.

Configuring Delivery Report Callbacks

Per-Message Callback

Set the StatusCallback parameter when sending an SMS to receive the delivery report at a specific URL:

curl -u '<api_key>:<api_token>' -X POST "https://api.exotel.com/v1/Accounts/<account_sid>/Sms/send" \
  -d "From=EXOTL" \
  -d "To=+919876543210" \
  -d "Body=Your OTP is 123456" \
  -d "DltEntityId=1234567890123" \
  -d "DltTemplateId=1107160000000012345" \
  -d "StatusCallback=https://your-server.com/sms/status"

Account-Level Callback

Configure a default callback URL for all SMS in your Exotel dashboard:

Log in to the Exotel Dashboard.
Navigate to Settings > SMS Settings.
Enter your default Status Callback URL.
Save the settings.

note

Per-message callbacks override the account-level callback URL. If you set StatusCallback in the API request, it takes precedence.

Delivery Report Payload

When Exotel sends a delivery report to your webhook, the payload includes the following fields:

Field	Description	Example
`SmsSid`	Unique identifier for the SMS	`sms_sid_value`
`To`	Recipient phone number	`+919876543210`
`From`	Sender ID	`EXOTL`
`Status`	Current delivery status	`delivered`
`DetailedStatus`	Detailed status description	`DELIVERED_TO_HANDSET`
`DetailedStatusCode`	Numeric status code	`20000`
`SentAt`	Timestamp when SMS was sent	`2025-01-15 10:30:00`
`UpdatedAt`	Timestamp of the status update	`2025-01-15 10:30:05`

Sample Callback Payload

{
  "SmsSid": "a1b2c3d4e5f6",
  "AccountSid": "your_account_sid",
  "From": "EXOTL",
  "To": "+919876543210",
  "Body": "Your OTP is 123456",
  "Status": "delivered",
  "DetailedStatus": "DELIVERED_TO_HANDSET",
  "DetailedStatusCode": 20000,
  "SentAt": "2025-01-15T10:30:00+05:30",
  "UpdatedAt": "2025-01-15T10:30:05+05:30"
}

Delivery Statuses

Status	DetailedStatus	Description
`queued`	`QUEUED`	Message accepted and queued for sending
`sending`	`SENDING`	Message is being transmitted to the operator
`submitted`	`SUBMITTED_TO_CARRIER`	Message submitted to the telecom operator
`sent`	`SENT`	Message sent by the operator (awaiting handset confirmation)
`delivered`	`DELIVERED_TO_HANDSET`	Message delivered to the recipient's phone
`failed`	Various (see below)	Message delivery failed
`expired`	`EXPIRED`	Operator could not deliver within the validity period

Failed Status Codes

DetailedStatus	Code	Cause	Resolution
`FAILED_DLT_TEMPLATE`	30001	Message does not match DLT template	Ensure message body matches the approved template exactly
`FAILED_DLT_ENTITY`	30002	Invalid DLT entity ID	Verify your entity ID in your DLT portal account
`FAILED_INVALID_SENDER`	30003	Sender ID not registered	Register and approve your sender ID on the DLT portal
`FAILED_DND`	30004	Recipient on DND registry	Use transactional SMS for critical messages
`FAILED_INVALID_NUMBER`	30005	Invalid or unreachable phone number	Verify the recipient's phone number
`FAILED_OPERATOR`	30010	Operator-side delivery failure	Retry after some time; contact support for persistent failures
`FAILED_EXPIRED`	30011	Message validity period expired	Recipient may have been out of coverage; resend if needed
`FAILED_UNKNOWN`	30099	Unknown failure	Contact Exotel support with the SmsSid

For the complete list of status codes, see SMS Status Codes.

Polling via API

If you prefer to check delivery status on demand, use the SMS Details API:

curl -u '<api_key>:<api_token>' "https://api.exotel.com/v1/Accounts/<account_sid>/Sms/Messages/<sms_sid>"

Response:

{
  "SMSMessage": {
    "Sid": "a1b2c3d4e5f6",
    "Status": "delivered",
    "DetailedStatus": "DELIVERED_TO_HANDSET",
    "DetailedStatusCode": 20000,
    "DateCreated": "2025-01-15T10:30:00+05:30",
    "DateUpdated": "2025-01-15T10:30:05+05:30",
    "From": "EXOTL",
    "To": "+919876543210",
    "Body": "Your OTP is 123456",
    "Direction": "outbound-api",
    "Price": "0.20"
  }
}

Delivery Report Timing

Delivery reports are typically received within seconds, but timing depends on the telecom operator:

Scenario	Expected Time
Successful delivery	1-15 seconds
Handset off / out of coverage	Up to 24-72 hours (then expires)
DLT validation failure	Immediate (within seconds)
DND rejection	Immediate (within seconds)
Operator failure	1-60 minutes

warning

Do not assume a message has failed if you have not received a delivery report within a few seconds. Some operators may take several minutes to return a DLR, especially during high-traffic periods.

Best Practices

Always configure status callbacks -- Do not rely solely on manual checks. Automate delivery tracking with webhooks.
Handle retries gracefully -- If your webhook endpoint is down, Exotel retries the callback. Ensure your endpoint is idempotent.
Log all delivery reports -- Store delivery reports with the SmsSid for audit trails and debugging.
Monitor failed statuses -- Set up alerts for elevated failure rates, which may indicate DLT configuration issues.
Use detailed status codes -- The DetailedStatus field provides more granular information than the top-level Status field.

Next Steps

SMS Webhooks -- Configure webhook endpoints
SMS Status Codes -- Full status code reference
SMS API Errors -- Troubleshoot API errors
SMS API Reference -- API documentation

What Are Delivery Reports?​

Delivery Report Flow​

Configuring Delivery Report Callbacks​

Per-Message Callback​

Account-Level Callback​

Delivery Report Payload​

Sample Callback Payload​

Delivery Statuses​

Failed Status Codes​

Polling via API​

Delivery Report Timing​

Best Practices​

Next Steps​