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Sharing Text Messages (SMS/MMS) via PicPic Social
Sharing Text Messages (SMS/MMS) via PicPic Social

You can learn all the details on enabling Text Messages as an event-sharing option and using your Twilio account within PicPic Social.

Mathieu Gordon avatar
Written by Mathieu Gordon
Updated over a week ago

This guide covers everything you need to know to enable text messaging for your upcoming event. Let's begin!

1. How do I add Text Messaging to an event?

  • When creating your event, on the second step, named "Sharing," please check the toggle for the TEXT MESSAGING option.

  • Choose the default country code you want to use for sending messages during the event.

  • Customize a predefined message by adding a personalized note to accompany the files sent from your event.

    Note: The predefined message will not be sent until your event is published.

2. How much does sending Text with/ PicPic Social cost?

Texting within the United States and Canada, all texts are FREE!
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Texting is NOT free if you send a text outside of North America. Select the correct default country code.

  • Default Country Code: Please select the correct country code in which your event is taking place. Sending text links to numbers outside of the USA & Canada will incur additional costs (which will vary from country to country).
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  • Predefined Message:
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    • International Messaging Costs

      • Higher Costs for International Numbers: Messages sent to international phone numbers generally consume more virtual credits than domestic messages. If your predefined message, when sent internationally, exceeds the length of one segment (160 characters), it may result in higher virtual credit usage.
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      • Budgeting for International Texts: When targeting international recipients, plan your message content carefully to manage costs effectively and avoid unexpected expenses due to multiple segments.

3. How do I share Text outside the United States and Canada?

  • All international users will have to purchase Virtual Credits to process SMS shares.

  • All international Agency users must buy Virtual Credits to process text, but they can also connect their personal Twilio account to their PicPic Social account.

  • We do not offer FREE SMS for international users, and international phone numbers will receive a Microsite URL/SMS message.

  • We do not offer MMS sharing for International phone numbers.

4. How do I share SMS (Send as link)?

  • Enabling Send as Link means sharing a text message/microsite URL with your guests from the sharing station. They won't receive the actual file on their phone; instead, they will receive a link to their file. From that link, they can retrieve their file in various ways.

  • By assigning a custom microsite URL to your event, you can customize its look and sharing options. Learn more about customizing Microsites here.

  • We currently offer Free SMS sharing to the US and Canada. However, sending SMS to international numbers requires Virtual Credits.

5. How do I share MMS (Attachment)?

  • Enabling "Send as attachment" means sharing an MMS with your guests from the sharing station.

  • MMS, short for Multimedia Messaging Service, is a way to send messages that include multimedia content to and from a mobile phone over a cellular network. If you DO NOT want your guests to receive a link to the Microsite URL and DO want them to receive the actual file, then this is the route you should take.

  • Sharing MMS will use Virtual Credits. You can only share MMS if you have purchased virtual credits on your account.

6. How do I connect my Twilio account?

  • If you are subscribed to the Agency plan, you can connect your Twilio account in the Settings > Company section.

  • You'll need your Twilio Account SID and Auth Token to connect your Twilio account to your PicPic Social Company Settings.

  • Please log in to Twilio to copy and paste your Twilio Account SID and your Auth Token from your Twilio Console Dashboard.

  • Once copied and pasted into the appropriate fields, press the verify button below. If done correctly, you'll see your Twilio phone number in the dropdown menu and the ability to log out of Twilio, as shown below.

Important Information: If you use your own Twilio, you MUST register your number for A2P 10 DLC.

Please register A2P-10DLC to avoid higher unregistered fees and possible filtering until your phone number(s) are associated with a campaign.

PicPic Social cannot help you register for A2P 10DLC. Please reach out to Twilio support here.

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