We understand how frustrating it is when a message doesn’t send or isn’t delivered. Most issues can be diagnosed in seconds using the steps below 👇
🪪 Step 1 - Are you texting yourself?
If you send a message from your personal phone number to your own Beside number, it will not appear in your Inbox.
Why? Beside doesn’t currently display conversations with your own number.
The message is delivered in the background, but the app hides this thread.
We’re working on an update that will let you see these messages normally.
👉 What to do for now
To test your Beside number, use a different phone number:
A colleague’s phone
A family member’s phone
A secondary device
If that message arrives → your texting is working normally.
📚 Read more: Can I text myself?
🧭 Step 2 - Is your recipient a Beside user?
Beside uses two delivery methods:
If your contact… | Then your message is delivered… |
Does NOT use the Beside app | As a normal SMS |
Has the Beside app installed & logged in | Inside the Beside app, not by SMS |
If your contact has the Beside app, they will NOT receive SMS from you anymore.
They will only see your message inside the Beside app (with a push notification)
✔️ What your contact should check (very simple)
If they do have the Beside app but didn’t see your message:
Are notifications enabled for Beside?
Are they logged into the correct account?
Is the app up to date?
If one of these is off → they won’t see your message.
📱 Step 3 - Is your contact using a mobile number?
SMS can only be delivered to mobile numbers. If you text a landline, the message cannot be delivered.
What to do
Ask your contact whether the number can receive SMS.
If it can’t → try texting their mobile number instead.
🚫 Step 4 - Blocked Content
Our phone provider may block outgoing messages that include restricted content, such as:
Profanity: curse words or offensive language
Shortened URLs: links that are too short or flagged
Harassment: threatening or abusive language
Illegal Activities: references to unlawful acts
Sensitive Topics: words related to sex, hate, violence, and drugs.
If your message contains any of the above, try rewriting it in a more neutral way.
💡 If the blocked wording is directly related to your business (e.g., industry-specific terms), please reach out to our Support team directly from the app, we may be able to assist or offer a workaround.
📝 Step 5 - Message length limits
Some messages may fail because they exceed carrier or encoding limits.
How SMS length works
Standard SMS → 160 characters
SMS with special characters (e.g., emojis) → 70 characters
The recipient’s carrier may have lower limits, which can cause delivery failures.
📶 Step 6 - Technical or connection issues
If your message doesn’t contain blocked content, the issue may be technical or related to your network. Here’s how to troubleshoot:
Check your internet connection: ensure you have a stable Wi-Fi or cellular data.
Restart the app: close Beside fully and reopen it
Update the app: Make sure you’re using the latest version available in the App Store
📉 Step 7 - Trial message limit
Trial users can send up to 15 messages total during the trial period.
This helps ensure fair usage while testing Beside.
To unlock unlimited texting and make the most of Beside, you can upgrade to a monthly or yearly Starter plan at any time.
📩 Still having issues?
Ask your contact to check:
Can they receive SMS from other numbers?
Are they blocking unknown numbers or filtering spam?
Is their cellular coverage poor?
Is their phone plan active?
If they confirm everything looks normal → contact Support, we're help to help!