The split in one table
Why A2P 10DLC does not reach iMessage
A2P 10DLC is a US carrier programme. It governs application-to-person traffic sent over the carriers’ SMS network from 10-digit long codes: you register a brand, register a campaign, get throughput assigned, and carriers filter what does not match. Every one of those steps is a carrier step. iMessage never enters that pipeline. A message between two Apple devices is routed by Apple over data. There is no carrier campaign to register against it, no 10DLC throughput tier, and no carrier content filter in the path. This is why “spam likely” labelling — a carrier-side reputation signal on voice and SMS — has no iMessage equivalent.What this means in practice
1
Tuco checks availability before it sends
Every address is checked for iMessage capability first, so a contact is only routed to SMS when iMessage genuinely is not available. See Check iMessage availability.
2
iPhone contacts need no registration
They receive iMessage from your dedicated Tuco line. No brand registration, no campaign, no carrier filter.
3
Android contacts need your A2P-registered number
Android contacts receive SMS from an A2P 10DLC-registered number that you bring and register (brand + campaign). Configure it under Settings → When iMessage isn’t available.
4
Or skip A2P entirely
Message iPhone contacts only. Tuco marks non-iMessage recipients as
fallback, and you decide what happens next — see Failures, fallbacks and delivery outcomes.What still limits your sending
A2P throughput tiers do not apply, but Tuco’s own per-line pacing does. Per line the defaults are 50 new-contact sends per day, 150 total sends per day, and ~7 first-touch sends per hour so a line never bursts. All three can be raised on request, and adding lines multiplies capacity. See rate limits and limits.Related
- Check iMessage availability — route before you send
- Failures, fallbacks and delivery outcomes — what
fallbackmeans - iMessage compliance and TCPA — consent, opt-outs
- Send bulk iMessage — pacing at volume