iMessage for business, explained
ZeroSettle is an iMessage API: a real phone number on real iMessage, running on Apple hardware we operate for you, that your code texts customers from and hears back on through a bearer token and signed webhooks.
These posts explain how it works, what businesses use it for, how it compares with SMS and other iMessage tools, and how reliable it is, with the real limits and prices. Product facts come from the API docs.
How it works
All how-it-works postsWhat happens between your server, ZeroSettle and your customer's Messages app: sending, receiving, webhooks and what customers see.
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How it works
What is ZeroSettle? An iMessage API for business, explained
ZeroSettle gives your business a real phone number on iMessage that your code texts from via a REST API and signed webhooks. How it works, price, limits.
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How it works
What is an iMessage API? How businesses send iMessages from code
An iMessage API lets your server send and receive iMessages from a real phone number. Apple has no public one; here's how providers work and what to check.
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How it works
How to send an iMessage from code without a Mac
Send an iMessage from Python, Node or any server without a Mac: one HTTPS POST to ZeroSettle's API with a bearer token. Code, replies, errors and limits.
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How it works
What customers see when a business texts them on iMessage
Blue bubbles, your shared name and photo, typing and tapbacks, plus two surprises: untappable first links and iOS 26 unknown-sender screening. Explained.
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How it works
Blue vs green bubbles: what they mean for business texting
Blue means iMessage, green means SMS, MMS or RCS. Why most business texts are green, what a blue-bubble number adds, and the reach trade-off for Android.
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How it works
How to receive iMessages with a webhook: events, signing and retries
ZeroSettle POSTs every inbound iMessage to your webhook in about 1–2 s, signed with HMAC-SHA256. Events, signature code, retries, dedupe and testing.
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How it works
How ZeroSettle's hosted AI agent answers iMessages, with no code
ZeroSettle's hosted AI agent (Beta) answers every text on your iMessage number from a business context you write. Settings, behavior, credits, trade-offs.
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How it works
ZeroSettle pricing: plans, limits and how to get a number
ZeroSettle Pro is $49/month for one iMessage number; Growth is from $599/mo. What each plan includes, AI credits, refunds, and getting a number in 4 steps.
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How it works
A business texted me on iMessage: is it legit, and how do I stop it?
Got an iMessage from a company? How to tell if it's legitimate, why its links may not be tappable, and how to stop it: text STOP, block, or report spam.
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How it works
What can an iMessage API send? Photos, voice messages, tapbacks and typing
ZeroSettle's iMessage API sends text, photos up to 5 MB, voice messages up to 6 MB, tapbacks and typing, and receives photos and voice. Limits and code.
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How it works
Why links in a first iMessage aren't tappable, and what to do about it
iPhones show links from unknown senders as plain text until the person replies or saves the number. Why, how ZeroSettle flags it, and 2 patterns that work.
Use cases
All 50 use casesJobs businesses give their iMessage number: support, reminders, retention offers, sign-in, AI agents and sales follow-up, each with its workflow and limits.
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Use cases
iMessage appointment reminders that clients confirm with a tapback
Send appointment reminders as iMessages from your own number; clients confirm with a thumbs-up tapback that hits your webhook in 1–2 s. Setup and limits.
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Use cases
How to fill last-minute cancellations from a waitlist over iMessage
Offer a cancelled slot to waitlisted clients one at a time over iMessage and book the first YES from your webhook. ZeroSettle workflow, limits and cost.
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Use cases
AI receptionist on iMessage: answer customer texts after hours
ZeroSettle's hosted AI agent answers customer texts on your iMessage number around the clock from a business context you write. No code. Credits, handoffs.
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Use cases
How to ask for Google reviews over iMessage, without review gating
Ask how the visit went over iMessage, then send the Google review link once the customer replies so it's tappable. ZeroSettle workflow, policy, limits.
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Use cases
Technician on-the-way texts with a photo and ETA over iMessage
Send the technician's photo and arrival time as one iMessage bubble from your business number, and pass replies to the tech. ZeroSettle setup and limits.
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Use cases
Text-a-photo quotes over iMessage for junk removal and the trades
Customers text a photo of the job to your iMessage number; you reply with a price range and booking link. ZeroSettle workflow, photo rules, limits, cost.
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Use cases
Tenant maintenance requests by iMessage, with photos
Tenants text a photo of the problem to your iMessage number; your webhook opens the work order and confirms with a tapback. ZeroSettle workflow and limits.
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Use cases
Auto repair approvals over iMessage: photo of the part, then YES
Text a photo of the worn part and the price from your shop's iMessage number, and log the customer's YES from the webhook. ZeroSettle workflow and limits.
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Use cases
iMessage for car dealership leads: lot photos and voice walkarounds
Answer dealership leads on iMessage with a link-free question, then lot photos and a voice walkaround. ZeroSettle workflow, new-contact limits and consent.
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Use cases
Restaurant waitlist by iMessage: text guests when the table is ready
Guests scan a QR code to join your waitlist by iMessage and get a text when their table is ready. ZeroSettle setup for hosts, send limits and cost.
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Use cases
Hotel guest messaging over iMessage with an AI concierge
Guests text your hotel's iMessage number and a hosted AI concierge answers check-in, parking and Wi-Fi questions at any hour. ZeroSettle setup and limits.
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Use cases
An iMessage help line for event attendees, answered by AI
Print one iMessage number on every badge; a hosted AI agent answers attendees from your agenda, map and Wi-Fi details. ZeroSettle setup, limits, credits.
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Use cases
Pet care updates over iMessage: photos, voice notes and pickup texts
Vets, groomers and daycares send owners photo updates, voice discharge notes and pickup texts from one iMessage number. ZeroSettle workflow and limits.
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Use cases
Fitness studio intro-offer follow-up over iMessage: a welcome, a voice note, then the membership link
Follow up intro-class visitors on iMessage: an instructor's voice note after class, the membership link once they reply. ZeroSettle limits and consent.
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Use cases
Coaching client check-ins over iMessage: photos, tapbacks and voice notes
Coaches run daily check-ins over iMessage: clients answer with a tapback, send meal photos and get voice notes back. ZeroSettle setup, limits, consent.
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Use cases
Tutoring parent updates over iMessage from your program's own number
Tutoring centers text parents recaps, worksheet photos and schedule changes from one program iMessage number, keeping tutors' numbers private.
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Use cases
Admissions follow-up over iMessage with a hosted AI agent
A hosted AI agent texts each prospective student who requests info and answers cost, financing and start-date questions on iMessage. ZeroSettle setup.
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Use cases
Text-to-apply hiring for hourly jobs over iMessage
Applicants text JOBS to your iMessage number; a hosted AI screener asks everyone the same questions and sends an interview link. ZeroSettle setup and rules.
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Use cases
How to fill open shifts by iMessage: offer one by one, first YES wins
When someone calls out, text staff one at a time from your business iMessage number and give the shift to the first YES. ZeroSettle workflow and limits.
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Use cases
Law firm intake by text: after-hours iMessage for new clients
Prospective clients text your firm on iMessage after hours; a hosted AI agent asks intake questions or staff answer from the console. Setup and rules.
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Use cases
Insurance claim photos by iMessage for independent agencies
Policyholders text damage photos to their agency's iMessage number; your webhook files them to the claim. ZeroSettle workflow, storm-day math and cost.
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Use cases
How clients text receipts to their bookkeeper over iMessage
With ZeroSettle, clients text receipt photos to your firm's iMessage number; your webhook runs OCR, confirms with a tapback, and you text only what's missing.
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Use cases
Real estate lead follow-up over iMessage from a business number
Agents answer listing inquiries on iMessage within seconds from a business number, with photos and a voice walkthrough. ZeroSettle setup and limits.
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Use cases
Thank first-time donors with a voice message over iMessage
Text each first-time donor a thank-you over iMessage, then, once they reply, a voice note from your executive director and an impact photo. Workflow, limits, consent.
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Use cases
A 'text me' iMessage line for creators, answered by AI in your voice
A 'text me' iMessage link in your bio, answered by a hosted AI agent in your voice that sends your checkout link. ZeroSettle setup, credits, trade-offs.
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Use cases
How Shopify brands answer 'where is my order?' over iMessage
Customers text an order number to your iMessage number; your webhook checks Shopify and replies with tracking. ZeroSettle setup, code and limits.
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Use cases
Abandoned checkout follow-up over iMessage for opted-in shoppers
One link-free iMessage question to opted-in shoppers who left checkout, then the cart link if they reply. ZeroSettle workflow, limit math, TCPA rules.
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Use cases
Retail clienteling over iMessage from store numbers, not stylists' phones
Stylists text new-arrival photos to top clients from the store's iMessage numbers, so history stays when staff leave. ZeroSettle setup, limits and consent.
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Use cases
Back-in-stock alerts over iMessage for sold-out sizes
Fans text NOTIFY with the size they want; when it's restocked you text each a photo and link. ZeroSettle workflow, send-time math for 300 alerts, consent.
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Use cases
Proof-of-delivery photos over iMessage for local delivery
Text the buyer a captioned photo of the drop-off as one iMessage bubble from your business number. ZeroSettle workflow, photo quality, GPS, limits.
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Use cases
Text-to-buy over iMessage: answer a shopper's question, then send a payment link
Shoppers text a product question to your iMessage number and get a Stripe Payment Link in the thread, from ZeroSettle's hosted AI agent or your own model.
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Use cases
Let subscribers skip, swap or reorder by replying on iMessage
Before each renewal, ask subscribers 'keep, skip or swap?' on iMessage and act on the reply through your subscription API. ZeroSettle workflow and rules.
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Use cases
Recover paywall abandonment with an iMessage offer in seconds
When a user leaves your app's paywall, text a branded three-message offer that lands in seconds. ZeroSettle recipe, timing, App Store rule.
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Use cases
Trial-ending and renewal reminders over iMessage
Text opted-in users before a trial ends or a plan renews, and map YES, PAUSE or CANCEL replies to your billing API. ZeroSettle workflow and consent.
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Use cases
Recover failed payments over iMessage: ask first, then send the link
When a card is declined, text a link-free heads-up and send the billing-page link once the customer replies. ZeroSettle workflow for failed payments.
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Use cases
Let customers text the founder from your cancel flow, over iMessage
Add an optional 'Text the founder' step to your cancel flow that opens iMessage with a reference prefilled. ZeroSettle setup, no new-contact cost, rules.
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Use cases
Win back lapsed subscribers with a hosted iMessage AI agent
A hosted AI agent texts lapsed subscribers who opted in, handles objections and sends a come-back link. ZeroSettle daily limits, credits and consent.
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Use cases
Founder-led SaaS onboarding over iMessage
Text new trial users one personal question from an iMessage number showing the founder's name, then nudge when analytics show they're stuck. ZeroSettle setup.
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Use cases
An AI SDR that texts demo requests over iMessage in seconds
A hosted AI agent texts each demo request within seconds, answers objections from your context and sends your booking link. ZeroSettle setup, limits.
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Use cases
iMessage customer support, routed to Slack or your help desk
Customers text your support number on iMessage; a signed webhook relays each message to Slack or your help desk, and replies go back via the API.
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Use cases
Log iMessages in HubSpot or Salesforce and send them from CRM workflows
Log every iMessage on the HubSpot or Salesforce contact and send from CRM workflows only when consent is true, with a small service you run and opt-out sync.
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Use cases
iMessage automations with Zapier, n8n or Make
Receive ZeroSettle iMessage webhooks in Zapier, n8n or Make, verify the signature, and reply with one HTTP request. Three starter flows and the limits.
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Use cases
Customer feedback over iMessage: tapback surveys and voice notes
Ask one question after a ticket or visit and score the thumbs-up or thumbs-down tapback from your webhook; invite voice-note answers. ZeroSettle setup.
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Use cases
On-call alerts over iMessage that engineers acknowledge with a tapback
Send monitoring alerts to on-call engineers as iMessages, acknowledge with a tapback, and escalate if nobody reacts. Setup, and why not your only pager.
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Use cases
How to turn technicians' voice notes into job reports over iMessage
Technicians send a 30-second voice memo after each job; your webhook transcribes it and fills the job report in Jobber or ServiceTitan. ZeroSettle setup.
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Use cases
Sign in with iMessage: passwordless login without SMS codes
Users tap Send on a prefilled iMessage and they're signed in: no password, no SMS OTP fee. How Sign in with iMessage works with Firebase, Supabase, Auth0.
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Use cases
Phone verification without outbound SMS: how to stop SMS pumping
Stop SMS pumping by flipping phone verification: users text a code to your iMessage number, so nothing goes to unverified numbers. Android needs a fallback.
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Use cases
Give your AI agent an iMessage number (bring your own model)
Give your AI assistant a real iMessage number: your webhook calls your own model with your keys and replies via the API. Architecture, typing, bursts.
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Use cases
Build a personal AI assistant you text on iMessage
Build a private AI assistant you text from iPhone, Mac or Watch: allowlist your handle, poll from a home machine, give the model your tools. Setup.
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Use cases
Voice messages over iMessage for language-learning apps: spoken lessons, spoken answers
Send spoken lessons as native iMessage voice bubbles and score learners' voice replies from your webhook. ZeroSettle setup, TTS formats, 'stop' gotcha.
Comparisons
All comparisonsZeroSettle next to SMS, other iMessage APIs and business messaging channels, with the criteria stated and each competitor fact linked to its source.
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Comparisons
ZeroSettle vs Sendblue: price, outbound limits and fallback (2026)
ZeroSettle vs Sendblue, checked Oct 2026: a $49 number that can message first vs a $100 inbound-first line; fallback, webhooks, AI agent, compliance.
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Comparisons
ZeroSettle vs Linq: iMessage API price, SLA and features (2026)
ZeroSettle vs Linq, checked Oct 2026: $49 self-serve vs Linq Pro from $260/mo; SLAs, fallback, pooled lines, AI agent, refunds, and who each fits.
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Comparisons
ZeroSettle vs LoopMessage: price, outbound rules and webhooks (2026)
ZeroSettle vs LoopMessage, checked Oct 2026: $49 vs a derived $104.99/mo + $60 for a number that can message first, contact caps, webhooks, regions.
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Comparisons
ZeroSettle vs Blooio: iMessage API plans and limits (2026)
ZeroSettle vs Blooio, checked Oct 2026: a $49 dedicated number that can message first vs Blooio's $39 shared and $289 dedicated plans, limits, refunds.
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Comparisons
ZeroSettle vs Project Blue: iMessage for sales teams (2026)
ZeroSettle vs Project Blue, checked Oct 2026: $49 self-serve vs $300/line after a demo; CRM integrations, webhooks, STOP handling, calling. Who fits.
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Comparisons
ZeroSettle vs Twilio: iMessage vs SMS for business texting
Twilio sends SMS, MMS and RCS (green on iPhone); ZeroSettle sends real iMessage (blue). Cost, reach, registration, SLA and which fits each job, Oct 2026.
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Comparisons
Best iMessage API providers in 2026: 14 options compared
14 iMessage APIs and alternatives compared on price, messaging first, fallback, webhooks, AI and uptime, checked Oct 2026, with the best fit for each need.
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Comparisons
iMessage vs SMS vs RCS vs WhatsApp for business: which channel fits (2026)
iMessage fits US iPhone customers, SMS reaches every phone, RCS adds rich cards after approval, WhatsApp fits customers abroad. Reach, cost, setup compared.
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Comparisons
Apple Messages for Business vs an iMessage number: which one fits?
Apple Messages for Business uses a Business ID, an MSP and Apple review; an iMessage number is a phone number you can text first. Rules and costs compared.
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Comparisons
Self-hosting iMessage on a Mac (BlueBubbles, OpenClaw) vs a managed iMessage API
Run BlueBubbles or OpenClaw on your own Mac, or use a managed iMessage API? Cost, setup, upkeep, security and reliability compared, with when each fits.
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Comparisons
iMessage API pricing compared: what a dedicated number costs in 2026
What an iMessage number that can message first costs, Oct 2026: ZeroSettle $49, LoopMessage ~$105, Blooio $289, Project Blue $300, plus cheaper options.
Reliability & trust
All reliability postsWhat ZeroSettle measures and publishes, what happens when something fails, spam risk, security basics and what is not promised.
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Reliability & trust
How reliable is ZeroSettle? Uptime, delivery, spam flags and failures
ZeroSettle's reliability figures: a 99.9% uptime stat (not an SLA), 2–5 s sends, 1–2 s inbound, rare spam flags with free replacement, and the limits.
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Reliability & trust
What does 99.9% uptime mean for an iMessage API?
99.9% uptime allows about 43 minutes of downtime a month. What ZeroSettle's 99.9% stat means, why it isn't an SLA or delivery promise, and what others publish.
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Reliability & trust
How to keep a business iMessage number out of spam filters
What gets a business iMessage number flagged, ZeroSettle's new-contact limits (Pro 5/day, Growth 50/day per number), and the first-message rules.
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Reliability & trust
What happens if your iMessage number is flagged as spam?
If Apple flags a ZeroSettle number, every send fails. It's replaced at no extra charge, keeping your token, webhook and line_id. What customers see.
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Reliability & trust
iMessage API delivery status, webhook retries and latency, explained
What message.sent and message.failed mean, why the API has no read receipts, how fast sends and replies are, and how ZeroSettle retries your webhook.
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Reliability & trust
How STOP and opt-outs work on a ZeroSettle iMessage line
Any text with the word STOP opts the sender out of every number on your ZeroSettle account; START opts them back in. What's blocked, the API, gotchas.
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Reliability & trust
Is ZeroSettle's iMessage API secure? Tokens, webhooks and data
How ZeroSettle secures API calls and webhooks (bearer tokens, HMAC-SHA256 with a replay window), what data it keeps, and what it doesn't claim.
Guides
All guidesStep-by-step setup: getting a number, wiring the webhook, connecting a coding agent, consent and opt-outs.
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Guides
iMessage marketing and TCPA consent: a practical guide
Texting customers on iMessage still needs consent: the TCPA risk, what consent looks like in practice, quiet hours, STOP, AI disclosure, other countries.
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Guides
How to write a first iMessage that customers actually reply to
Say who you are, ask one question, leave the link out, and send three short texts instead of a paragraph. A practical guide to the first business iMessage.
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Guides
How to connect Claude Code or Cursor to an iMessage number with MCP
Add ZeroSettle's MCP server to Claude Code, Claude, Cursor or Grok, then have the agent sign you up, mint an API key, register your webhook and test it.
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Guides
Moving business texting from SMS to iMessage: a migration plan
How to add iMessage alongside SMS: keep SMS for Android, introduce the new number so customers text first, carry opt-outs across, rewrite your messages.
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Guides
How to get customers to text you first: sms: links and QR codes
Prefilled sms: links and QR codes let customers text your iMessage number first, so the new-contact limit doesn't apply, links work and iOS won't screen you.
Text your customers from your own iMessage number
ZeroSettle gives your business its own phone number on real iMessage, running on Apple hardware we operate for you in a server facility. Your code sends with one API call and hears every reply on a signed webhook.
Pro is $49 a month with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Growth, for several numbers working as one, is from $599/mo.