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China SMS Best Practices, Compliance, and Features
China SMS Market Overview
Locale name:
China
ISO code:
CN
Region
Asia
Mobile country code (MCC)
460
Dialing Code
+86
Market Conditions: China has one of the world's largest mobile markets, dominated by three major operators: China Mobile, China Unicom, and China Telecom. While SMS remains important for business communications and authentication, WeChat dominates consumer messaging with over 1.2 billion monthly active users. Android devices hold approximately 80% market share, with iOS devices accounting for most of the remainder. The market is heavily regulated with strict content and timing restrictions for commercial SMS.
Key SMS Features and Capabilities in China
China offers basic SMS capabilities with significant regulatory restrictions, supporting concatenated messages but limiting two-way messaging and requiring strict adherence to content guidelines.
Two-way SMS Support
Two-way SMS is not supported in China for commercial messaging.
No provisions are currently available for implementing two-way SMS communications.
Concatenated Messages (Segmented SMS)
Support: Yes, concatenation is supported, though availability may vary by sender ID type. Message length rules: Maximum recommended length is 500 characters or 8 segments for better delivery rates. Encoding considerations: UCS-2 encoding is supported for Chinese characters, though this reduces the characters per segment compared to GSM-7.
MMS Support
MMS is not available in China through standard SMS providers.
Messages containing multimedia content must be sent as SMS with a URL link, though including URLs in messages may face delivery challenges due to content restrictions.
Recipient Phone Number Compatibility
Number Portability
Number portability is not available in China.
This means phone numbers remain tied to their original carrier, simplifying routing but limiting consumer flexibility.
Sending SMS to Landlines
SMS to landline numbers is not supported in China.
Attempts to send SMS to landline numbers will result in a 400 response error (error code 21614), with no message delivery and no charge to the sender's account.
Compliance and Regulatory Guidelines for SMS in China
China maintains strict regulations for SMS communications, overseen by the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT) and the Ministry of Public Security. Companies must obtain a telecommunications business license before offering SMS services, and all message content must comply with the "Nine Prevention Rules" and "Five Categories" guidelines.
Consent and Opt-In
Explicit consent is mandatory for all commercial SMS communications in China. Best practices include:
Obtaining written or electronic confirmation of opt-in
Maintaining detailed records of consent, including timestamp and method
Providing clear terms of service at opt-in
Documenting the specific types of messages users have agreed to receive
Refreshing consent annually for ongoing campaigns
HELP/STOP and Other Commands
All commercial messages must include opt-out instructions in Chinese
Standard keywords include: 退订 (unsubscribe), TD (unsubscribe), and 帮助 (help)
Commands must be processed immediately upon receipt
Response messages should be in Simplified Chinese
Do Not Call / Do Not Disturb Registries
China maintains a national Do-Not-Call registry managed by the MIIT. Compliance requirements include:
Regular checks against the national DNC database
Maintaining internal suppression lists
Immediate processing of opt-out requests
Quarterly audits of contact lists against DNC registry
Recommended: Implement proactive filtering system to screen numbers before sending
Time Zone Sensitivity
China enforces strict timing restrictions for commercial SMS:
Permitted sending hours: 8:00 AM to 9:00 PM local time
Prohibited: Promotional messages between 7:00 PM and 8:00 AM
Exception: Emergency or service-critical messages may be sent outside these hours
Consider Chinese holidays and cultural events when planning campaigns
Phone Numbers Options and SMS Sender Types for in China
Alphanumeric Sender ID
Operator network capability: Not supported in China Registration requirements: N/A Sender ID preservation: N/A
Long Codes
Domestic vs. International:
Domestic long codes not supported
International long codes supported with limitations
Sender ID preservation: No, sender IDs may be replaced with random local long codes
Provisioning time: N/A for domestic, immediate for international
Use cases: Transactional messages and notifications only
Short Codes
Support: Not currently supported for international senders
Provisioning time: N/A
Use cases: N/A
Restricted SMS Content, Industries, and Use Cases
China maintains extensive content restrictions, prohibiting:
Keywords related to restricted industries trigger automatic filtering
Content matching government blacklists is blocked
Messages with excessive punctuation may be filtered
Tips to avoid blocking:
Use pre-approved message templates
Avoid special characters and excessive punctuation
Keep content neutral and factual
Use simplified Chinese characters
Maintain consistent sender information
Best Practices for Sending SMS in China
Messaging Strategy
Keep messages under 70 characters when possible
Use clear, direct language
Include company name in message
Avoid promotional language in transactional messages
Use approved templates for consistent delivery
Sending Frequency and Timing
Limit to 1-2 messages per user per day
Respect quiet hours (9:00 PM - 8:00 AM)
Avoid sending during major holidays
Space out bulk campaigns to prevent network congestion
Localization
Use Simplified Chinese characters
Avoid machine translation
Include both Chinese and English for international businesses
Consider regional language preferences
Test character rendering across devices
Opt-Out Management
Process opt-outs within 24 hours
Maintain centralized opt-out database
Include clear opt-out instructions in Chinese
Confirm opt-out status via SMS
Regular audit of opt-out list
Testing and Monitoring
Test across all major carriers (China Mobile, China Unicom, China Telecom)
Monitor delivery rates by carrier
Track opt-out rates and patterns
Regular content compliance audits
Test message rendering on popular device types
SMS API integrations for China
Twilio
Twilio provides REST API access for sending SMS to China, though delivery is on a best-effort basis due to local restrictions.
import*as Twilio from'twilio';// Initialize Twilio clientconst client =newTwilio( process.env.TWILIO_ACCOUNT_SID, process.env.TWILIO_AUTH_TOKEN);asyncfunctionsendSMSToChina( to:string, message:string):Promise<void>{try{// Ensure number is in E.164 format with +86 prefixconst formattedNumber = to.startsWith('+86')? to :`+86${to}`;// Send message with required parametersconst response =await client.messages.create({ body: message, to: formattedNumber, from: process.env.TWILIO_PHONE_NUMBER,// Optional status callback URL statusCallback:'https://your-domain.com/sms/status'});console.log(`Message sent with SID: ${response.sid}`);}catch(error){console.error('Error sending SMS:', error);throw error;}}
Sinch
Sinch offers direct carrier connections to China with support for template-based messaging.