iMessage for business guides: consent, copy and setup
These guides cover the practical parts of texting customers on iMessage with ZeroSettle: getting consent right under the TCPA, writing a first message people reply to, getting customers to text you first with sms: links and QR codes, moving from SMS without losing Android users, and connecting Claude Code or Cursor to set everything up. Each guide uses the limits and rules ZeroSettle publishes in its API docs.
Key takeaways
- What 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.
- Consent: ZeroSettle's docs warn that texting a US consumer without prior express consent carries TCPA statutory damages of $500 to $1,500 per message, and ZeroSettle suspends lines used for unsolicited messaging.
- Main limit: a Pro number can send the first message to 5 new contacts a day (Growth: 50 a day and 3 per 15 minutes, per number), with at most 2 unanswered messages to a contact on every plan. Anyone who texted the line first is never limited, and messages with them are unlimited.
- Links: a link sent to someone who hasn't replied to your number or saved it shows as plain text, so ask a question first and send the link after they reply.
- Price and reach: Pro is $49/month; Growth is from $599/mo. There is no SMS fallback, so Android customers need another channel.
What do you need before you text a customer on iMessage?
You need the person's consent for this purpose, and a decision about who sends the first text. ZeroSettle's docs define consent in four points:
- The person gave you their number for this purpose (a form, a checkbox, a purchase flow, a reply to you), and you can show the record.
- Your first message says who you are.
- You honor STOP immediately. ZeroSettle enforces it across every number on your account; keep your own opt-out list as well.
- “Don't message before 8 am or after 9 pm in the recipient's time zone for anything promotional.”
The docs state the stakes: “texting a consumer without their prior express consent carries statutory damages of $500 to $1,500 per message, and class actions are routine. Marketing texts need written consent; the National Do Not Call Registry applies.” The range comes from the TCPA ($500 per violation, up to three times that when the violation is willful or knowing), and the 8 am to 9 pm window matches the FCC's rule for telephone solicitations.
Who sends the first text changes four things for a ZeroSettle number:
| Rule | You text first | The customer texts first |
|---|---|---|
| New-contact limit | Counts: 5 a day per Pro number; 50 a day and 3 per 15 minutes per Growth number | Never limited |
| A link in your text | Plain text until they reply or save your number | Tappable |
| iOS 26 Screen Unknown Senders | May move your text to a separate list, with no notification | Avoided |
| Consent | You need a record that they gave you the number for this purpose | You can answer what they asked; marketing into that thread is a different consent |
ZeroSettle's docs: “A ‘new contact’ is a handle the line delivers a text, voice message, or photo to first; reactions, typing, profile shares, and failed sends never count. Anyone who texted the line first is never limited, and neither is an ongoing conversation.”
- iMessage marketing and TCPA consent: a practical guide
- Consent records, transactional vs marketing texts, quiet hours, STOP, AI disclosure and rules outside the US, plus what ZeroSettle enforces and what stays on you.
- How to get customers to text you first: sms: links and QR codes
- The
sms:link format, where to place it, QR codes for print, what the prefilled text should say, and a fallback for Android visitors.
How do you write a first iMessage that gets a reply?
Say who is texting, ask for a reply the customer can give in a word (ZeroSettle's docs suggest “Reply YES for your link”), and send the link only after they answer.
The link rule comes from the recipient's iPhone: “An iPhone won't open links from an unknown sender. Until the recipient replies to your number or saves it as a contact, a link in your text shows as plain text they can't tap. The recipient's phone does this, so no sender can avoid it.” ZeroSettle still sends the text and returns warning.code: "link_not_tappable". Apple's support page describes the same rule from the recipient's side: marking a filtered sender as known or adding them to Contacts “lets you open links”. More in why links in a first iMessage aren't tappable.
- How to write a first iMessage customers actually reply to
- Who you are, one easy question, no link until a reply, three short texts instead of a paragraph, and when to stop, with five link-free templates.
How do you set up ZeroSettle from a coding agent, or alongside SMS?
From a coding agent, add ZeroSettle's MCP connector and let the agent sign you up and wire your server. From SMS, run both: a ZeroSettle number reaches only people on iMessage, has no SMS fallback and can't be ported from your SMS number, so Android customers stay on your SMS provider.
The connector is a remote MCP server at https://portal.zerosettle.io/mcp (Streamable HTTP, OAuth 2.1 with dynamic client registration and PKCE); you sign in with your phone number, so there is no token to paste. In Claude Code:
claude mcp add --transport http zerosettle https://portal.zerosettle.io/mcpThen run /mcp, pick zerosettle and choose Authenticate. The connector is a setup tool; the server it builds owns the conversation. To write that server yourself, see how to send an iMessage from code.
- Connect Claude Code or Cursor to an iMessage number (MCP)
- Adding the connector to Claude Code, Claude, Cursor or Grok, signing up from the agent, the build prompts, and how the agent mints your API key and tests your webhook.
- Moving business texting from SMS to iMessage: a migration plan
- Keep SMS for Android, invite customers to text the new number first, carry opt-outs across, and rewrite messages for a one-to-one channel.
What do the other ZeroSettle blog hubs cover?
The other four hubs explain the product these guides assume and its alternatives: how ZeroSettle works, 50 ways businesses use iMessage, iMessage API comparisons and reliability and trust.
Pro is $49 a month with a 30-day money-back guarantee, and Growth is from $599/mo. Get started sets up a Pro number in the console; if all numbers are taken, you can join the waitlist.
Frequently asked questions
Are the guides legal advice?
No. The consent guide summarizes ZeroSettle's rules and the docs' warnings; have counsel review your program.
Which guide should I read first?
The consent guide, then the text-first guide. Together they decide whether your texts are welcome and whether the new-contact limit applies at all.
Do the guides need a developer?
Only the MCP guide, which assumes someone can run a coding agent and the server it builds. Your team can follow the others from the ZeroSettle console; the migration guide needs a webhook only when you route replies to your inbox or CRM.
Where are the API details?
In the ZeroSettle docs at portal.zerosettle.io/docs, linked from each guide.
Sources
- ZeroSettle iMessage API docs: “Send a message” (Links in a first message), “Customer support”, “Connect your AI agent” and “Errors, limits, and compliance”. Checked October 8, 2026.
- zerosettle.io homepage: plans, prices, the money-back guarantee and the waitlist. Checked October 8, 2026.
- 47 U.S. Code § 227, Restrictions on use of telephone equipment, Legal Information Institute, Cornell Law School. Checked October 8, 2026.
- 47 CFR 64.1200, Delivery restrictions, the FCC's rules under the TCPA (eCFR). Checked October 8, 2026.
- Screen and filter text messages on iPhone, Apple Support. Checked October 8, 2026.