10DLC by provider · Bandwidth · Warning

Bandwidth 10DLC rejected: Public URL shorteners in messages

Your Bandwidth registration came back rejected and it points to public URL shorteners in messages. Bandwidth did not make that call. Here is what the reason means and exactly how to fix it.

Bandwidth showed your A2P 10DLC campaign as rejected, and the reason maps to "Public URL shorteners in messages". The part that trips people up: Bandwidth did not decide this. It submitted your brand and campaign to The Campaign Registry (TCR) and the carriers, they returned the rejection, and Bandwidth is relaying it back to you.

That is good news for the fix. Because "Public URL shorteners in messages" is a carrier and TCR requirement rather than a Bandwidth rule, the correction is the same no matter which provider you registered through: Shared shorteners (bit.ly, tinyurl) are heavily filtered because they mask the destination.

Where Bandwidth shows this rejection

Bandwidth shows brand and campaign registration status in its Dashboard (and via the Dashboard API), including the reason for a rejected registration. That reason comes from TCR or the carriers.

Bandwidth is the messenger, not the decider

As a direct carrier-connectivity provider, Bandwidth passes registry and carrier decisions straight through. Treat the rejection text as the carriers' words: it maps to one of the known 10DLC rejection reasons, and that is what you fix before resubmitting.

The fix

Use your own branded domain or a dedicated (non-shared) short link; avoid public shorteners in sample and production traffic.

Common questions

Did Bandwidth reject my 10DLC campaign for public URL shorteners in messages?

No. Bandwidth submitted your campaign to The Campaign Registry and the carriers, who returned the rejection. Bandwidth relays the reason. You resolve the underlying issue and resubmit through Bandwidth. The fix here: Use your own branded domain or a dedicated (non-shared) short link; avoid public shorteners in sample and production traffic.

Why can't I use bit.ly in 10DLC messages?

Public shorteners hide the destination, which is a common spam tactic, so carriers filter them heavily. Links using shared shorteners can get a campaign flagged, rejected, or throttled.

How do I resubmit after a Bandwidth rejection?

Correct the issue, then resubmit the campaign for review through Bandwidth. Every resubmission is re-reviewed and re-review typically takes one to four weeks, so fix every problem before you resend rather than resubmitting to test it.