Replacing-SMS-on-handset

Modified on Tue, 10 May 2011 14:15 by tormar — Categorized as: XML API

It is possible to replace previous received SMS messages on the handset using a special feature called replacement sets. When a message is received with identical replacement set (REPLACE parameter) and sender-ID (SND parameter), it will replace any matching previously received message in the inbox.

Typical usage of this is applications where several SMS messages are sent to the same user, and only the latest is relevant at all times. This can be a stock-ticker notification service or a one-time password service. The subscriber will not get is Inbox flooded even if the number of received messages is large.

Message 1: Message 2: Message 3:
TXT=Test1  TXT=Test2  TXT=Test3
REPLACE=3  REPLACE=3  REPLACE=4
SND=123456 SND=123456 SND=123456

Message 1 will receive as normal. Message 2 will replace message 1 in the inbox since REPLACE and SND matches those of message 1. Message 3 will receive as normal since REPLACE is different from message 1 and 2.

This feature depends on whether the handset supports it or not. If not supported, the message will be received as normal. There may also be limited support in certain networks.