How do I send automated SMS notifications with Twilio?
Twilio SMS sends automated text messages to customers when an order reaches a specific status, using your own Twilio account.
Steps
- Open Twilio SMS from Apps and click Connect Account.
- Enter your Twilio Account SID, Auth Token, and Phone Number, then save — the app will show "Connected as {phone}" once linked.
- Go to Automated SMS Rules and click Create a new automated SMS.
- Give the rule a Rule Name, pick the Order Status that should trigger it, and write the SMS Text.
- Turn the rule on/off anytime from its status toggle, or edit/delete it later.
- Check SMS Logs to see every message sent (From, To, Content, sent date/time) and its status: Pending, Sent, Delivered, or Failed. You can Resend a failed message directly from its log entry.
Common problems
- Messages show Failed in the logsthis is usually a Twilio-side issue (invalid number format, insufficient Twilio balance, or unverified sender number); check the Twilio console, then use Resend on the log entry.
- No SMS sent when an order changes statusconfirm a rule exists for that exact order status and is turned on; rules only fire for the status they're linked to.
- Can't connect the accountrecheck the Account SID, Auth Token, and phone number are copied exactly from Twilio, including the country code on the phone number.
- Customer got a message in the wrong language/wordingSMS text is fixed per rule; create a separate rule per order status/language combination you need.