> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://messagebird.gitbook.io/applications/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://messagebird.gitbook.io/applications/audience/contacts/concepts/consent-and-subscriptions/subscription-and-suppression-contact-pathways.md).

# Subscription and Suppression Contact Pathways

## SMS, Email & WhatsApp

### Subscription & Suppression Pathways

A reference guide to how Bird decides whether a marketing, transactional, or test message reaches a contact — and which dashboard settings change that outcome.

This guide covers only settings and behavior available today in the Bird dashboard. It does not cover internal engineering configuration.

## 1. Two separate decisions

Whether a contact receives a message is the result of two separate decisions, made at two different times. Understanding the difference is the key to explaining most delivery questions.

{% stepper %}
{% step %}

### Who is included (audience selection)

When a campaign or broadcast is built, Bird resolves the list of recipients from the lists, segments, and filters chosen in the campaign builder. This happens once, before sending starts.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

### What is actually sent (the send-time check)

Immediately before each individual message goes out, Bird runs it through a set of automated checks described in Section 2. This happens separately for every message, regardless of how the recipient was selected.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

{% hint style="info" %}
These two steps are independent. A contact can be included in a campaign's recipient list and still not receive the message, because the send-time check blocks it. This is the most common source of “why didn't this contact get my message” questions.
{% endhint %}

## 2. The send-time check

On SMS, Email, WhatsApp, and RCS, before Bird sends a message it runs up to three checks, in order. As soon as one check blocks the message, the remaining checks are not evaluated and the message does not go out.

### 2.1 Compliance check — always runs

Looks for a permanent, legally significant block on the destination: a bounced or invalid email address, a spam complaint, or a contact who has legally opted out (for example, replying STOP to an SMS, or clicking unsubscribe). This check runs on every message, including transactional messages and one-time passcodes.

### 2.2 Suppression list check — skipped only for test sends and time-sensitive messages

Looks at whether the contact has been placed on a suppression list for that category of message (marketing or transactional) — either because the contact asked to stop receiving that category, or because someone at your company suppressed them manually or through a contact import. This check is skipped only for message previews (test sends) and safety- or time-critical automated messages such as one-time passcodes and emergency notices.

### 2.3 Subscription status check — only runs for marketing messages

Looks at the contact's Subscribed to SMS / Subscribed to Email / Subscribed to WhatsApp attribute. This check only runs when the message is classified as Marketing (see Section 3).

* Unsubscribed → the message is blocked.
* Blank / never set → the message is allowed. A contact with no recorded preference is treated as reachable for marketing.
* Subscribed → the message is allowed.

## 3. Why the message type matters

Every message is classified before Bird decides which checks from Section 2 to run. The classification usually comes from how the sending channel is configured, or from the type of send.

* **Marketing** — a campaign, or a channel/number configured for promotional content. All three checks apply.
* **Transactional** — a channel configured as Transactional or Conversational, or a message explicitly sent as transactional (for example, an order confirmation or a one-time passcode). The Compliance and Suppression list checks apply; the Subscription status check does not.
* **Test send, one-time passcode (2FA), or emergency notice** — only the Compliance check applies.

{% hint style="info" %}
This is why a contact who has unsubscribed from marketing can still receive an order confirmation, a delivery update, or a login verification code — those are transactional, and the subscription status check does not apply to them. A legal STOP request or a bounce still blocks every message type, including transactional ones.
{% endhint %}

**Table 1.** Which checks apply, by message type

| **Message type**                      | **Compliance check** | **Suppression list check** | **Subscription status check** |
| ------------------------------------- | -------------------- | -------------------------- | ----------------------------- |
| Marketing / campaign                  | **Applies**          | **Applies**                | **Applies**                   |
| Transactional (order updates, alerts) | **Applies**          | **Applies**                | **Skipped**                   |
| One-time passcode (2FA) / emergency   | **Applies**          | **Skipped**                | **Skipped**                   |
| Test send (preview)                   | **Applies**          | **Skipped**                | **Skipped**                   |

*“Applies” means the check can block the message; “Skipped” means that check is never evaluated for this message type.*

## 4. Channel settings that change this behavior

Under Settings › Connectivity › Channels › \[your number or domain] › gear icon, two toggles are available on some channels. Both are switched off by default.

### 4.1 Manage Suppressions

*“Allow sending marketing messages to contacts with any suppression status.”*

When turned on, Bird skips all three checks described in Section 2 for every message sent from that channel — not only marketing messages. This includes bypassing legally required opt-outs (STOP requests) and bounce or complaint suppression.

{% hint style="warning" %}
Because this removes the Compliance check as well, turning this on removes Bird's entire automated safety net for that channel. It should be treated as an exception for a specific, understood use case — not a routine setting.
{% endhint %}

**Available on: SMS, Email, and WhatsApp channels.**

### 4.2 Manage Exclusions

*“Allow sending marketing messages to contacts with blank Subscription status.”*

This setting only changes which contacts are pulled into a campaign's recipient list at Step 1 (Section 1). It does not change the send-time check in Section 2 — a blank subscription status already passes that check by default. It never overrides a contact whose status is explicitly Unsubscribed; those contacts stay out of the audience either way.

**Available on: Email and WhatsApp channels, and on Push and App Inbox applications.**

{% hint style="info" %}
This setting does not appear on SMS channels. SMS channel settings only offer Manage Suppressions.
{% endhint %}

**Table 2.** Where each toggle is available

| **Channel**                                                            | **Manage Suppressions** | **Manage Exclusions** |
| ---------------------------------------------------------------------- | ----------------------- | --------------------- |
| SMS                                                                    | **Available**           | Not available         |
| Email                                                                  | **Available**           | **Available**         |
| WhatsApp                                                               | **Available**           | **Available**         |
| Push (application)                                                     | Not applicable          | **Available**         |
| App Inbox (application)                                                | Not applicable          | **Available**         |
| RCS                                                                    | Not currently available | Not available         |
| Voice, Messenger, Instagram, Telegram, LINE, Viber, and other channels | Not available           | Not available         |

### 4.3 Which channels the send-time check applies to at all

The automated three-part check in Section 2 currently runs on SMS, Email, and WhatsApp, and RCS. Other channels do not currently receive this automated protection, so subscription and suppression status have no automatic effect on those channels.

## 5. Scenario reference tables

Use these tables to explain a specific delivery outcome to a customer.

**Table 3.** Manage Suppressions — effect on a marketing message

| **Contact status**                                       | **Manage Suppressions OFF (default)** | **Manage Suppressions ON** |
| -------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------- | -------------------------- |
| Subscribed                                               | **Delivered**                         | **Delivered**              |
| Blank / never set                                        | **Delivered**                         | **Delivered**              |
| Unsubscribed (marketing)                                 | **Blocked**                           | **Delivered**              |
| On suppression list — legal opt-out / bounce / complaint | **Blocked**                           | **Delivered**              |
| On suppression list — added manually or via import       | **Blocked**                           | **Delivered**              |

{% hint style="warning" %}
Outcomes shown in amber under “ON” are exactly the deliveries this setting exists to enable — and exactly the ones to double-check before turning it on for a channel.
{% endhint %}

**Table 4.** Manage Exclusions — effect on a campaign's recipient list

| **Contact subscription status** | **Manage Exclusions OFF (default)** | **Manage Exclusions ON** |
| ------------------------------- | ----------------------------------- | ------------------------ |
| Subscribed                      | **Included**                        | **Included**             |
| Blank / never set               | **Excluded from audience**          | **Included in audience** |
| Unsubscribed                    | **Excluded**                        | **Excluded**             |

*Unsubscribed contacts are excluded either way — this setting only ever affects contacts with a blank status.*

**Table 5.** Putting it together — a marketing SMS/Email/WhatsApp send, default settings

| **Contact status**                            | **In campaign audience?**                                | **Passes send-time check?** | **Result**                          |
| --------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------- | ----------------------------------- |
| Subscribed                                    | **Yes**                                                  | **Yes**                     | **Delivered**                       |
| Blank / never set                             | **No (unless Manage Exclusions is on for that channel)** | **Yes**                     | **Not sent — excluded before send** |
| Unsubscribed                                  | **No**                                                   | **No**                      | **Not sent**                        |
| Legally opted out (STOP / bounce / complaint) | **Usually no**                                           | **No**                      | **Not sent**                        |

## 6. Other places a contact's status can change

Outside of the channel settings above, a contact's suppression or subscription status can also change through:

* **Manual suppression management** — adding or removing a contact from the Suppressions list directly in the dashboard.
* **Contact opt-in / opt-out actions** — a contact's subscription attribute updates automatically when they use an unsubscribe link, reply STOP, or opt back in.
* **Contact imports and data connectors** — an import or sync can be configured to overwrite a contact's existing subscription status. This is a setting on the import or data flow itself, separate from the channel settings covered in Section 4, and is worth checking if a contact's status changed unexpectedly after a sync.

## 7. Quick reference

* Legal opt-out, bounce, or spam complaint → blocked on every channel and every message type, unless Manage Suppressions is turned on for that specific channel.
* Unsubscribed from marketing, but no legal opt-out on file → blocked from marketing messages only; still receives transactional messages and one-time passcodes.
* Subscription status never set → receives marketing messages by default at send time, but may be left out of a campaign's audience unless Manage Exclusions is on (Email/WhatsApp only).
* Manage Suppressions removes all automatic protection on a channel, including legal opt-outs — treat it as an exception, not a default.
* Manage Exclusions only widens who is included in a campaign; it never sends to someone who explicitly unsubscribed.
* Manage Exclusions is not available on SMS — only Manage Suppressions is.


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