To send an SMS to a customer in MAAC, that customer must have an SMS contact. Entering a phone number on a LINE or WhatsApp contact does not mean that person can receive SMS — a matching SMS contact must exist.
An SMS contact is identified by a phone number and sits alongside LINE, WhatsApp, and Email channel contacts under the same unified contact. Once the unify key and the auto-creation setting are in place, any channel contact that is later imported or synced with a valid phone number automatically gets a matching SMS contact, so you do not need to import a separate list for SMS.
This article explains the definition of an SMS contact, the differences between the two creation methods, and where SMS contacts appear in the interface.
👉 To first understand how unified contacts and channel contacts are classified, see: Tutorials｜MAAC Contacts
"Phone" must be set as a unify key for 【Auto-create SMS contacts】 to take effect. Until it is, imported or synced contacts do not get SMS contacts. For how to create SMS contacts for your existing contacts, see Tutorial | Creating and Managing SMS Contacts.
How SMS contacts relate to channel contacts
One customer is represented in MAAC by a single unified contact, under which multiple channel contacts can be attached. An SMS contact is one type of channel contact, identified by a phone number. The number must be in international format (E.164): it begins with "+" followed by the country code, with no spaces or symbols — for example +886912345678. When the same customer has several phone numbers, each number becomes its own SMS contact, and all of them belong to the same unified contact.
LINE, WhatsApp, and Email channel contacts also have a phone field, but that field is only attribute data on that channel contact. The SMS statistics in the contact list, the channel filter, and the SMS indicator on the profile are all based on whether an SMS contact exists.
How SMS contacts are created
SMS contacts come from two sources: the system creates them automatically, or you import a list through the SMS channel.
- "Phone" is set as a unify key in the Admin Center.
- 【Auto-create SMS contacts】 is turned on in MAAC under 【Organization settings】>【Contacts】 (on by default).
The system creates SMS contacts automatically only when both conditions are met.
| Creation method | When it happens |
|---|---|
| Created automatically | A LINE, WhatsApp, Email, or other channel list is imported; a channel contact syncs in (for example, a customer adds your LINE Official Account as a friend); a phone number is entered and saved on a contact profile in MAAC or CAAC |
| SMS channel import | The SMS channel is selected in the import flow and a list of phone numbers is uploaded |
Automatic creation only adds records, it never overwrites existing data. If the phone number already has a matching SMS contact, the system groups it under the same unified contact. To complete or bulk-update the fields of SMS contacts, use SMS channel import; individual records can also be edited directly on the Unified Contact Profile.
SMS contacts created through channel sync or by saving a phone number on a contact profile are processed as a background job and may take a few minutes to appear.
👉 For the full steps covering the prerequisite settings, SMS channel import, and deletion, see: Tutorial | Creating and Managing SMS Contacts
Where to view SMS contacts
Like other channel contacts, SMS contacts can be viewed in the contact list and on the Unified Contact Profile.
Contact list
In the channel filter you can select 【SMS】 to filter for unified contacts that have an SMS contact. The 【SMS】 column in the statistics row at the top shows the total number of SMS contacts and the number that are reachable.
The 【SMS】 column (formerly 【Others】) counts SMS contacts. Previously only standalone phone numbers not attached to any other channel were counted; once automatic creation takes effect, LINE, WhatsApp, and other channel contacts that carry a phone number each get an SMS contact too, so the number goes up and comes closer to how many people you can actually reach by SMS.
If one customer has several phone numbers, each is counted separately. The figures refresh about once an hour.
The statistics are refreshed by the system periodically (approximately every hour), while the contact list itself is queried in real time.
Unified Contact Profile
In the channel contacts table at the bottom of the Unified Contact Profile, the SMS contact is shown as its own row, the Channel ID is displayed as that contact's phone number, and reachability is determined by whether the phone number is valid. The phone number on this row is carried over at creation and cannot be modified; the Email field can be edited directly.
👉 For an explanation of each section of the profile and how to split contacts, see: Tutorial | Unified Contact Profile and Splitting Contacts
Usage limitations
-
Phone numbers must be in E.164 format: they begin with "+" followed by the country code, for example
+886912345678. Numbers that do not match the format do not create an SMS contact. For the number conversion rules, see Tutorial | Creating and Managing SMS Contacts. - The phone number cannot be modified after creation: to use a different number, create an SMS contact with the new number and delete the obsolete contact if it is no longer needed.
FAQs
Q: Why does an automatically created SMS contact have no name, tags, or other fields?
Automatic creation writes only the phone number, so the record appears as an unnamed contact in the channel contact view. This does not affect how you use it: through the "Phone" unify key, the SMS contact is merged with the channel contact carrying the same number into one unified contact, and the name, tags, and other data are all visible on the Unified Contact Profile — this is why automatic creation requires "Phone" to be set as a unify key.
Q: 【Auto-create SMS contacts】 is turned on, so why is no SMS contact created?
Check the two prerequisites in order. First, confirm whether the unify keys in the Admin Center include "Phone"; when it is not set, the toggle does not take effect and the settings page shows a notice. Second, confirm whether the phone number in the record is in valid E.164 format; records that do not match the format are skipped, and this does not affect the import or sync result of the channel contact itself.
📚 Further reading: