Desktop app
SMS availability today
Which countries, devices, and number types support Cradle SMS right now.
Cradle SMS is out of its staged rollout and officially released in New Zealand, Australia, and the United Kingdom. Here's the full availability picture.
What works today
| Item | Available |
|---|---|
| New Zealand (NZ numbers messaging NZ mobiles) | Yes |
| Australia (AU numbers messaging AU mobiles) | Yes |
| United Kingdom (UK numbers messaging UK mobiles) | Yes |
| Cradle desktop app (Windows and macOS) | Yes |
| Cradle iOS app | Yes |
| Cradle Android app | Yes |
| Sending from your existing voice number | No, see Why does my Cradle SMS need a separate number? |
| Sending across countries (e.g. NZ to AU) | Not supported, see below |
Cross-country sending
We recommend keeping SMS within the same country as the Cradle number you're sending from. NZ numbers should message NZ mobiles, AU numbers should message AU mobiles, and UK numbers should message UK mobiles.
A cross-country send might still go through, but it isn't a supported flow, and Cradle support can't help diagnose delivery problems on cross-country messages. See Why is this number greyed out? for what the app does when it spots a recipient that's not in the same country.
If you regularly message customers in another of our supported countries, ask your admin to switch SMS on for a Cradle number in that country too. See Getting SMS switched on for a Cradle number.
Mobile apps
SMS works in the Cradle iOS and Cradle Android apps as well as on desktop. Threads stay in sync across your devices, so you can start a conversation at your desk and reply from your phone.
Two-factor and verification codes are generally not accepted
Cradle numbers are business numbers, and the messaging platform they run on blocks most texts that carry a one-time login code, as a matter of policy rather than a setting on your number. The block happens before the text reaches Cradle, so neither you nor the sender is told. Ordinary texts from businesses and customers arrive as normal, but login and verification codes from services such as payment platforms, cloud providers and banks are generally not accepted.
So don't use a Cradle number for two-factor (2FA) or verification codes. For anything you need to log in to, use an authenticator app, backup codes or email codes where the service offers them, choose a voice call for the code where that's an option (calls to your Cradle number are unaffected), or keep the codes on a personal mobile. This applies to numbers you've moved to Cradle as well as new Cradle numbers.
If your business has a genuine need to receive login codes on a Cradle number, contact Cradle support. The platform reviews these case by case and an exception is not guaranteed.
Other countries
SMS on countries outside New Zealand, Australia, and the United Kingdom (for example the United States) isn't available today. If that's something your firm needs, let us know via Cradle support so we can factor it into the roadmap.
Getting SMS turned on
SMS is enabled per Cradle number, not per user. An admin needs to log a request with Cradle support to turn SMS on for a specific number. See Getting SMS switched on for a Cradle number.