Key Takeaways
- Setting up the Android SMS gateway API is: working phone + SIM credit, app paired, Bearer in env, JSON POST with deviceIds.
- Developer Center owns live field names. This page is the order of operations, not a stale gist.
- There is no packaged PHP/C#/Go/Kotlin SDK to install as “the API.” HTTPS JSON samples only.
- Staff canary before customer OTP. 201 is queued, not inbox.
- Priced by devices and SMS send volume. You use your own phone and operator SMS credit. Free’s 300 SMS lifetime is for that canary.
API setup is phone plus HTTPS
How to set up an Android SMS gateway API is not “npm i sms-gateway.” It is hardware on a charger, then REST. Device setup. Developer Center. SMS API documentation. How an Android SMS gateway works.
If setup ended when Postman returned 201, you set up a queue. GSM still needs a paired SIM with airtime.
Order of operations
| Beat | Done when | Common skip |
|---|---|---|
| Handset | Charging, SMS granted, not Doze-killed | OEM battery still default |
| Pair | deviceId in the panel | LAN demo mistaken for prod |
| Auth | Bearer in env | Token in a gist |
| Canary | Staff DLR delivered | Customer OTP first |
Pair before you POST
Permission spoke: permission denied. Multi-device. Dual SIM ≠ two API keys.
First staff canary
- Seat a charger and grant SMS. OEM battery unrestricted. Permission denied is not an API bug.
- Pair from Setup, copy deviceId. Dual SIM is still one seat. Label the radio OTP vs promo now.
- Put Bearer in env, never git. Same rule as every other secret.
- POST one staff MSISDN. Typical shape: POST /api/v1/messages with deviceIds — confirm live fields.
- Watch DLR, not only 201. Timeout unknown. Then wire webhooks on Starter+.
- Only then point login at it. Idempotency keys. Isolated OTP deviceId.
OTP next: API for OTP verification. Delivery reports. Webhooks (not on Free).
There is no setup.exe SDK
PHP and C# pages are HTTPS samples, not Composer/NuGet products. PHP samples. C# samples.
The two bills start on send one
Service pricing is based on device count and total SMS sent through the gateway. You need a working Android phone with a SIM and SMS credit from your mobile operator. Operator message costs are yours—we do not sell carrier SMS balance. Paid from $19/month. Device and SMS volume pricing.
Next steps
Charge, pair, env, staff DLR, then customers. Then stop searching for a complete multi-language SDK we do not ship.
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
