AT HELP: Comprehensive

Reference:

Help Center (home): https://help.africastalking.com/en/
General FAQs (collection): https://help.africastalking.com/en/collections/150820-general-faqs
Quick Guide to Africa’s Talking: https://help.africastalking.com/en/collections/150795-quick-guide-to-africa-s-talking
Developer Docs: https://developers.africastalking.com/
System Status / Incidents: https://status.africastalking.com/

General FAQs

The Help Center’s General FAQs collection includes core operational topics such as UserInBlackList, B2B top-ups, system maintenance, supported countries, API endpoints, card top-ups, callback URLs, and dedicated service timelines.

Full collection: https://help.africastalking.com/en/collections/150820-general-faqs

UserInBlackList

UserInBlackList: This occurs if the user has opted out of receiving messages either from the particular sender ID or by blocking all messages when they dial the opt out code.

To whitelist the number (Kenya / Safaricom flow)

Dial 4569#
Choose Option 5 — Marketing messages
Choose Option 5 — Activate all promo messages

Top up using M-Pesa B2B

You can top up your Africa’s Talking account directly from your M-Pesa business account using the M-Pesa B2B API. You initiate a B2B request to Africa’s Talking paybill and provide the correct account number (stash or payment wallet) to credit.

Example B2B request values

Destination paybill (PartyB): 525900
Destination account (AccountReference):
- your_username.api (for stash), or
- walletXXXX (your wallet code for payment wallet; insert your actual wallet code)
CommandID (CommandID): BusinessPaybill

Important: Use BusinessPaybill so the payment is automatically credited to your account.

Topup: info@africastalking.com

Support: info@africastalking.com

Tech Support: techsupport@africastalking.com

Sales: sales@africastalking.com

DevRel: developerexperience@africastalking.com

Undergoing System Maintenance

Africa’s Talking periodically performs major system upgrades to improve troubleshooting, feature delivery, and uptime. During maintenance, some services may be periodically affected; high-traffic changes are performed at off-peak times, and systems are monitored to anticipate downtime.

Services that may be affected include:

Processing delivery reports
Incoming messages on short codes
Retrieving data from the dashboard
Premium SMS subscriptions
Airtime status callbacks
Airtime status reports on the dashboard
API response delay for airtime (delivery report may be sent to the callback URL before the API response arrives)

Live status / incidents: https://status.africastalking.com/

Topup: info@africastalking.com

Support: info@africastalking.com

Tech Support: techsupport@africastalking.com

Sales: sales@africastalking.com

DevRel: developerexperience@africastalking.com

Countries Supported

Africa’s Talking provides a maintained list of supported countries and which services are live in each.

As listed in the Help Center article:

Kenya — SMS (Bulk, Two-Way, Premium), USSD, Voice, Airtime, Payments, Internet of Things (IoT)
Uganda — SMS (Bulk & Short Code), USSD, Airtime, Voice & Payments
Tanzania — SMS (Bulk & Short Code), USSD, Airtime & Payments
Rwanda — SMS (Bulk & Short Code), USSD
Malawi — SMS, USSD
Zambia — SMS (Bulk & Short code), USSD
Nigeria — SMS (Bulk & Short Code), USSD, Airtime, Voice & Payments
Cote D’Ivoire — SMS (Bulk & Short Code)
Ethiopia — SMS (Bulk & Short Code)
South Africa — SMS (Bulk & Short Code), USSD

If you’d like to know how long it takes to raise dedicated services in these countries, see the Dedicated Services section below or the Dedicated Services collection.

Topup: info@africastalking.com

Support: info@africastalking.com

Tech Support: techsupport@africastalking.com

Sales: sales@africastalking.com

DevRel: developerexperience@africastalking.com

API Endpoints

For quick tests (HTTP POST) without writing code, Africa’s Talking provides official API endpoints for different products in Live and Sandbox.

Airtime

Live: https://developers.africastalking.com/docs/airtime/sending

Endpoints
Live: https://api.africastalking.com/version1/airtime/send
Sandbox: https://api.sandbox.africastalking.com/version1/airtime/send

Sandbox: https://api.sandbox.africastalking.com/version1/airtime/send

SMS

Live: https://api.africastalking.com/version1/messaging
Sandbox: https://api.sandbox.africastalking.com/version1/messaging

Voice

Live: https://voice.africastalking.com/call
Sandbox: https://voice.sandbox.africastalking.com/call

Top up Stash using Card

This is the step-by-step process to use card payments to top up your Africa’s Talking Stash.

Steps

Sign into your app and navigate to the Billing section.
Select Debit/Credit Cards, then enter the currency you wish to pay in and the amount you wish to top up to your stash.
Fill in card details.
Hit submit.

Supported currencies

You can select a currency between:

Conversion process (two stages)

From your card currency to the payment currency selected (KES/USD/EUR): handled by your bank
From payment currency to the currency of your app: handled by Africa’s Talking

Transaction charge

A transaction charge of 3% is deducted from your card.

Examples

If you pay 1000 KES, your app is KES and your card is KES, there is no conversion. You are deducted 1000 KES + transaction charge, and the app is topped up with 1000 KES.
If you pay 10 USD, your app is NGN and your card is NGN, there are two conversions (NGN→USD, then USD→NGN). Your app is topped up with the NGN equivalent of 10 USD; card deduction varies by exchange rate.

Note

You are allowed only one card transaction every 30 minutes.

Topup: info@africastalking.com

Support: info@africastalking.com

Tech Support: techsupport@africastalking.com

Sales: sales@africastalking.com

DevRel: developerexperience@africastalking.com

Callback URLs

What is a callback URL?

A callback URL is an address that a server provides, and any computer on the Internet/private network can POST data to it. This is more efficient than continuously polling for data.

Where Africa’s Talking uses callback URLs

SMS delivery: send notifications on status of messages sent out
Airtime delivery: send notifications on status of airtime sent out
Incoming messages: notify you whenever a user sends a message to your Premium Short Code
USSD: notify you when a user dials your USSD code; you respond with a menu
Voice: notify you when a user calls; you respond with instructions (XML)

How do I configure my callback URL?

This depends on the programming language you are using. Africa’s Talking provides product-specific documentation, tutorials, and sample code in Developer Docs.

Before you interact with code samples, prepare your environment:

Web server: run a web server that exposes your application to the Internet (any web server you are familiar with).
Publicly exposed URL: your application must be accessible via a public IP/URL. Localhost is not accessible from Africa’s Talking servers. (Conceptual guidance; tools used to expose localhost vary.)

Developer Docs: https://developers.africastalking.com/

How do I debug my callback URL?

Checklist for debugging why your callback might not be receiving POST requests:

500 Internal Server Error: your callback URL returned an internal error; verify your code and your response.
403 Forbidden: server denied access; check permissions and hosting rules (may require allowlisting, depending on hosting setup).
405 Method Not Allowed: POST is not enabled; enable POST on the endpoint.
SSL handshake / SSL engine problem: certificate validity or TLS configuration can cause failures.

If unresolved, email: techsupport@africastalking.com

Dedicated Services Timelines

Dedicated services (Sender IDs, short codes, USSD codes) are provisioned per country/telco and can involve regulators. For the authoritative source and updates, use the Dedicated Services collection:

https://help.africastalking.com/en/collections/150842-dedicated-services (help.africastalking.com)

Kenya

Safaricom

Sender ID: 2 working days
Dedicated Short Code: 2 working days
Dedicated USSD Code: 3–4 weeks

Airtel

Sender ID: 5 working days
Dedicated Short Code: 2–4 months
Dedicated USSD Code: 2 weeks

Telkom

Sender ID: 2 working days
Dedicated Short Code: N/A
Dedicated USSD Code: N/A

Equitel

Sender ID: 7–14 working days
Dedicated Short Code: 3 weeks
Dedicated USSD Code: 3 weeks

Safaricom Sender ID note: Sender IDs are raised before 12:30 PM on Mondays and Thursdays.

Official Kenya timelines: https://help.africastalking.com/en/articles/2206521-how-long-does-it-take-to-raise-dedicated-services-in-kenya (help.africastalking.com)

Nigeria

MTN

Sender ID: 1 working day
Shared Short Code: 1 working day
Shared USSD Code: 1 working day
Dedicated Short Code: N/A
Dedicated USSD Code: N/A

9 Mobile

Sender ID: 1 working day
Shared Short Code: 1 working day
Shared USSD Code: 1 working day
Dedicated Short Code: N/A
Dedicated USSD Code: N/A

Airtel

Sender ID: 1 working day
Shared Short Code: 1 working day
Shared USSD Code: 1 working day
Dedicated Short Code: N/A
Dedicated USSD Code: N/A

Glo

Sender ID: 1 working day
Shared Short Code: 1 working day
Shared USSD Code: 1 working day
Dedicated Short Code: N/A
Dedicated USSD Code: N/A

For onboarding timelines (including regulator-driven dedicated code timelines), see:

https://help.africastalking.com/en/articles/2285287-how-long-does-it-take-to-get-onboarded-in-nigeria (help.africastalking.com

Tanzania

Dedicated services (short codes and USSD codes) are raised through the regulator TCRA.

Vodacom

Sender ID: 3 working days
Dedicated Short Code: 3 months
Dedicated USSD Code: N/A

Airtel

Sender ID: 3 working days
Dedicated Short Code: 4 months
Dedicated USSD Code: N/A

tiGO

Sender ID: 3 working days
Dedicated Short Code: 3 months
Dedicated USSD Code: N/A

Halotel

Sender ID: 3 working days
Dedicated Short Code: N/A
Dedicated USSD Code: N/A

Zantel

Sender ID: N/A
Dedicated Short Code: N/A
Dedicated USSD Code: N/A

Official Tanzania timelines:

https://help.africastalking.com/en/articles/2285797-how-long-does-it-take-to-raise-dedicated-services-in-tanzania (help.africastalking.com)

Uganda

Dedicated services (short codes and USSD codes) are raised through the regulator UCC.

MTN

Sender ID: 7–14 working days
Dedicated Short Code: 4 months
Dedicated USSD Code: 4 months

Airtel

Sender ID: 7 working days
Dedicated Short Code: 4 months
Dedicated USSD Code: 4 months

Africell

Sender ID: 2 weeks
Dedicated Short Code: 4 months
Dedicated USSD Code: 4 months

UTL

Sender ID: N/A
Dedicated Short Code: N/A
Dedicated USSD Code: N/A

Official Uganda timelines:

https://help.africastalking.com/en/articles/2285788-how-long-does-it-take-to-raise-dedicated-services-in-uganda (help.africastalking.com)

Rwanda and Malawi

Rwanda

Sender IDs: currently free
Dedicated services are raised through the regulator RURA

MTN

Dedicated Short Code: 6 weeks
Dedicated USSD Code: 6 weeks

Airtel/tiGO

N/A (as listed in the Help Center article)

Malawi

Sender IDs: currently free

TNM

Sender ID: 4 weeks
Dedicated Short Code: 4 weeks
Dedicated USSD Code: 4 weeks
Shared Short Code: 2 working days
Shared USSD Code: 2 working days

Airtel

Sender ID: 4 weeks
Dedicated Short Code: 4 weeks
Dedicated USSD Code: 4 weeks
Shared Short Code: 2 working days
Shared USSD Code: 2 working days

Official Rwanda & Malawi timelines:

https://help.africastalking.com/en/articles/2285370-how-long-does-it-take-to-get-dedicated-services-in-rwanda-and-malawi (help.africastalking.com)

Quick Guide to Africa’s Talking

How do I register an account?

Registration requires:

First & Last Name
Email Address
Password
Country
Agree to Terms of Service

After registration you receive a welcome email and an account verification email. Verify before proceeding; unverified accounts have limited functionality.

Why can’t I log into my account?

The Help Center recommends clearing Africa’s Talking site data and trying private browsing mode. (The Help Center article contains external links for browser-specific instructions; this forum post omits those external links.)

How do I change my password?

Two scenarios:

Forgot password: use Forgot Password on login; follow reset link in email.
Logged in: go to My Account, scroll to Change Password section, update password.

What are the Sandbox and Live environments?

Sandbox is free and routes interactions to a simulator; Live is production and routes to real phone numbers.
Sandbox dashboard is typically orange; live dashboard is typically green.

What is my Username and API Key?

Username is the application username used for API authentication.
API Key is also used for authentication.
On Sandbox, the username is always sandbox.

How do I generate an API Key?

Live users

Log in → App dashboard
Settings → API Key
Enter password → Generate
Copy and store securely (not shown again)
Wait a few minutes before testing

Sandbox users

Log in → Go to Sandbox App
Settings → API Key
Enter password → Generate
Copy and store securely (not shown again)
Wait a few minutes before testing

“Supplied Authentication is Invalid”

Common checks:

Confirm environment (sandbox vs live)
Sandbox username must be sandbox and key must be generated in sandbox dashboard
Live must use your application username and live key
Keys are separate per environment
After generating a new key, allow a few minutes before testing

Account Management

How to create a new team

On the home dashboard, click + New Team
Enter team name → Save

How do I create an application?

Select the team to create the app in
Click Create App
Enter application name, username, select country
- App username is used for authentication
- Country determines currency shown on the app
Save
You cannot delete an app completely; you can only disable it.

How to merge accounts

Initiate from the source account (the account you don’t want)
In My Account, click Merge Account
Confirmation link is sent to the destination account email; merge completes after confirmation

How do I add a member to my team?

Member roles:

Owner: owns the account; can modify all values
Admin: same rights as owner but does not own the application
Write: can change values except API key and balance notification settings
Read: cannot change application values

Steps:

Go to the Team
Click Add Member
Enter email, select member type, save
Revoking access: use the three-dots next to member email to change role or remove.

SMS (Detailed)

For full SMS FAQs, see the SMS collection: https://help.africastalking.com/en/collections/150764-sms

Making Your SMS Characters Count (Encoding & Billing)

GSM encoding basics

Standard SMS cap: 160 characters under GSM 7-bit default encoding
If your message contains characters outside GSM 03.38 charset, it may be encoded differently and can reduce per-SMS length (commonly to 70 chars), causing segmentation and higher billing.

GSM 03.38 default charset (7-bit)

Using only these characters typically allows up to 160 characters per SMS:

@ £ $ ¥ è é ù ì ò Ç Ø ø Å å ∆ _ Φ Γ Λ Ω Π Ψ Σ Θ Ξ Æ æ ß É ! ” # ¤ % & ’ ( ) * = , - . / 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 : ; < = > ? ¡ A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z Ä Ö Ñ Ü § ¿ \ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z ä ö ñ ü à`

Extension table characters (take 2 character spaces)

^ { } \ [ ~ ] | €

Practical tips:

Avoid Unicode characters when you want maximum length
Be careful with invisible characters from rich-text editors
Prefer plain-text editors when composing templates
Be mindful of symbols that take 2 spaces (extension table)

SMS formatting helpers

New line: \n
Escape special characters: \ (single backslash)

Why was my message billed twice?

Messages exceeding segment limit are billed as multiple messages
Hidden characters can trigger unexpected segmentation (often introduced by rich editors)

Why did my messages fail? (3-stage model)

API submission stage (auth issues, unmapped sender ID/short code, invalid number, insufficient balance, risk holds)
“Sent” stage (AT delivered to telco; waiting for final telco status)
Delivery report stage (final telco outcome)

Common delivery report outcomes:

Failed, Rejected, Submitted, Buffered, Success

Common failure reasons you may encounter include:

DeliveryFailure, InsufficientCredit, InvalidLinkId, UserIsInactive, UserInBlackList, UserAccountSuspended, NotNetworkSubscriber, UserNotSubscribedToProduct, UserDoesNotExist

Risk Hold error

If you see “Risk Hold”, contact info@africastalking.com as indicated in SMS guidance.

USSD (Detailed)

For full USSD FAQs, see the USSD collection: https://help.africastalking.com/en/collections/150775-ussd

“Dear customer, the network is experiencing technical problems…”

This typically indicates your server returned an error or did not respond correctly/quickly to the USSD callback. See the USSD troubleshooting articles in the collection.

USSD session statuses

Incomplete: session ended while user input was still required
Success: session reached expected end
Failed: session terminated due to error from your server while expecting a response

404 errors (callback URL not found)

A 404 commonly means your callback URL endpoint is unreachable or the path is wrong. Confirm your public URL is active and correctly configured.

Events URL

An Events URL is where end-of-session notifications are sent (status, cost, duration, hops, etc.). See “What is an events URL?” within the USSD collection.

Airtime / Voice / Short Codes / Mobile Data

Airtime

Airtime FAQs include enabling airtime, transaction limits, why “Sent” but not received, transaction failure outcomes, cross-country request errors, validation API, and more.

Collection: https://help.africastalking.com/en/collections/150760-airtime

Payments

Payments FAQs cover portal access for till/paybill, moving paybills, wallet transfers, mobile checkout activation, bank withdrawals, and insufficient funds errors.

Collection: https://help.africastalking.com/en/collections/150790-payments

Voice

Voice FAQs cover OTPs, SIP trunking, IVR, parameters, hangup causes, concurrent calls, pricing by country, virtual numbers, events URLs, and security considerations for callbacks.

Collection: https://help.africastalking.com/en/collections/150771-voice