Key Takeaways
- A core Android SMS gateway runbook names the phone, the SIM, the OEM steps, the airtime owner, and who gets paged.
- Match the app-side runbook sibling; this spoke is hub A (core product), not a second H1.
- Photos of battery screens beat “disable optimizations” as folklore.
- OTP and promo get different pages. Shared nicknames do not.
- Developer Center owns API fields. The runbook owns last-seen SLOs.
- BYO phone and operator credit. We meter devices and send volume.
Summary
Documenting runbooks for a core Android SMS gateway means writing down the radio: which phone, which SIM, which OEM taps, who pays the operator, and how you recover pairing at 2am. Hub A how-to — link the product, do not clone it. App sibling: document runbooks. Live API: Developer Center.
A runbook without a photographed OEM screen is a wish. Android will reset that toggle on the next update.
What a gateway runbook must name
Search intent is ops writing, not another feature list. Pair incident response, train support, and team roles.
Context
OTP, alerts, consented bulk. Radio: Doze, dual-SIM, prepaid. Setup: pairing. OEM: background restrictions.
How to write it
- One page per nickname: photo of the shelf, tray, charger.
- OEM steps as screenshots, dated.
- Airtime: USSD, postpaid account, who tops up.
- OTP vs promo devices — never “the Android.”
- STOP test and last-seen SLO with a named deputy.
Section table
| Section | Must include | Typical miss |
|---|---|---|
| Device | Nickname, PIN holder | Shared “Android” login |
| OEM | Dated screenshots | One-line folklore |
| Airtime | Owner + USSD | Finance “will handle it” |
| API | Who has keys | Key in a chat |
| STOP | Test cadence | Assumed working |
Runbooks are not a plan SKU
Paying devices and volume does not write the book. Free 300 lifetime still needs names on a page if it ever sees customers.
Operations
Print a one-pager near the phones. Update after every OEM flash. Official APK.
Secrets stay out
No API keys in the runbook. PIN in a proper vault. Redact OTP examples. Physical access is an access-control paragraph.
When it is good enough
Good enough when a deputy who has never touched the shelf can restore last-seen using only the book. Not good enough if it lives in one engineer’s notes app.
Checklist
- Hub A, not a product rewrite.
- One page per device.
- OEM photos dated.
- Airtime owner.
- OTP split.
- STOP test.
- Deputy named.
- No secrets in the doc.
- Developer Center for API fields.
- No unlimited SMS in the title.
Next steps
App sibling runbooks, setup pairing, incidents outage.
Deep dive: production hardening
Re-photograph after Android updates. Diff the book in git. Drill once a quarter.
Deep dive: scaling and failure modes
More devices need more pages, not a louder Slack. Failures: stale screenshots, intern-only knowledge, shared OTP.
Deep dive: integration discipline
Link gateway ids in the incident section. Developer Center owns schemas. You bring the Android phone and operator SMS credit.
Related product pages
Jump to the live product docs for this topic—not another long-form article.
- SMS API documentationLive endpoint reference
- device and SMS volume pricingPlans and allowances
- Android SMS gateway product guideDefinition, product, and how to buy
- download the Android gateway appGet the APK
