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To check if a phone number has iMessage, verify whether that number (or email) is registered with Apple’s iMessage service before you send — Tuco AI does this automatically for every lead and returns a clear status: blue-bubble available, or SMS/email only. Sending to a number that isn’t on iMessage wastes the blue-bubble channel and can cause delivery failures, so availability checking is the first step in any iMessage outreach.

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What “iMessage availability” means

A phone number or email is “on iMessage” when it’s registered as an Apple ID iMessage endpoint — i.e. an active Apple device is signed in and set to receive iMessage at that address. If it is, messages arrive as blue bubbles over Apple’s network; if not, they can only be reached by SMS (green bubble) or email.

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How Tuco checks availability

Tuco checks each contact’s addresses in priority order and stops at the first one that supports iMessage:
  1. Primary phone
  2. Primary email
  3. Alternate phones
  4. Alternate emails
1

Automatic on upload

When you upload or sync leads (from CSV, HubSpot, or GoHighLevel), Tuco automatically checks all phone and email addresses and stamps each lead with an availability status.
2

Manual re-check

Re-check a single lead or a bulk selection any time from the Leads page — availability changes when a contact enables or disables iMessage on their device.
3

Live preview in Quick Send

When composing a Quick Send, Tuco checks the recipient as you type (500 ms debounce) and shows the availability icon inline.

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Status indicators

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How many numbers can I check?

Each Tuco line performs up to 70 iMessage availability checks per day. With multiple lines, checks are distributed across them automatically, so more lines means more daily checks. Bulk checks are processed sequentially, so large batches can take a few minutes.

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Why check before sending

  • Higher deliverability — route each contact through the channel that actually works.
  • No wasted blue-bubble sends — avoid failures from texting numbers not on iMessage.
  • Automatic fallback — contacts who aren’t on iMessage are sent via SMS instead, so nothing is dropped.

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Frequently asked questions

Yes. Tuco checks whether a number or email is registered with Apple’s iMessage service and returns the result without sending a message — it happens automatically on upload and on demand.
Yes. An Apple ID email can be an iMessage endpoint. Tuco checks both phone numbers and emails, and uses whichever supports iMessage first.
Availability reflects the contact’s current device settings. Someone can enable or disable iMessage, or switch devices, so re-check periodically before major sends.
Tuco routes them to your configured SMS fallback automatically, so they still receive the message over a channel that works.

Availability feature reference

The full availability system: statuses, bulk checks, API, and check priority.