> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.custral.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Phone & SMS Numbers

> Buy numbers, build pools, link messaging services, and verify caller IDs from the Phone & SMS settings.

Phone numbers in Custral live on Twilio and surface as Channels. Everything in this guide is configured from the **Phone & SMS** settings screen, which is split into five tabs.

<Note>
  Provisioning numbers and most actions here consume workspace **credits** and require a connected Twilio integration.
  If you don't see a tab's data, the underlying Twilio account may not be linked yet.
</Note>

## The five tabs

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="My Numbers" icon="list">
    Numbers you've already purchased, with owner assignment, edit, call logs, and removal.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Marketplace" icon="cart-shopping">
    Search Twilio for available numbers by area code and purchase them.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Sending Pools" icon="users-group">
    Group numbers for round-robin dialing or team-based outreach. See [Sending pools](/comms/voice/pools).
  </Card>

  <Card title="Messaging Services" icon="message">
    Link Twilio Messaging Services for better SMS deliverability and branded sender IDs.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

A fifth tab, **Verified Caller IDs**, lets you verify external numbers you already own so you can use them as outbound caller IDs.

## Buying a number (Marketplace)

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the Marketplace tab">Go to **Phone & SMS → Marketplace**.</Step>

  <Step title="Search by area code">
    Enter an **Area Code** (e.g. `617`) and click **Search Numbers**. Matching available numbers appear as cards, each
    showing the number's **capabilities** (voice, SMS, MMS) and an **Available** badge.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Purchase">
    Click **Purchase** on a card to buy that number. The button shows the price in credits, and purchasing deducts that
    amount from your balance.
  </Step>
</Steps>

<Note>
  The Marketplace purchase flow only takes an **area code**. There is no friendly-name or CNAM field at purchase time.
  Those are set afterward on the **My Numbers** tab via **Edit Phone Number** (see below).
</Note>

## My Numbers

The **My Numbers** tab lists every purchased phone, SMS, and pool channel. Each row shows the name/number, a type badge, an inline **Assigned To** owner dropdown, a status badge, and per-row actions (View Call Logs, Edit, remove).

### Setting the owner

Use the per-row **owner dropdown** to assign a single primary user, or clear it to leave the number unowned. For multi-user / team assignment, use **Edit Phone Number → Manage Assignments**.

### Edit Phone Number

Click the edit (pencil) icon on a number to open the **Edit Phone Number** modal:

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Friendly Name">
    The display name for the number. Saving also updates the channel name in Custral and writes the name back to Twilio.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Caller ID Lookup (CNAM)">
    A toggle that enables looking up the caller's name for **incoming** calls.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Voicemail Greeting">Free-text message played when no one answers the call.</Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Manage Assignments">
    Assign the number to multiple users or teams so they can make and receive calls / SMS from it.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

<Warning>
  Editing **Friendly Name**, **CNAM**, or **Voicemail Greeting** writes changes back to Twilio. If the number isn't
  fully linked to your Twilio account, the update can't be applied.
</Warning>

### Call logs

The history (clock) icon opens **Call Logs** for that line: a table of phone conversations on the channel with **Date**, **Call** (title), **Duration**, and **Outcome**. Use **View Transcript** to jump to the full conversation.

### Releasing a number

The red trash icon on a row removes the number after a confirmation prompt. What it does depends on the row:

* **A number you purchased through Custral** is **released back to Twilio** (it stops billing and inbound routing) **and** its channel is removed from Custral.
* **An external number**: a verified caller ID promoted to an outbound channel, or a linked Messaging Service, has nothing to release on Twilio, so only its Custral channel is removed.

<Warning>
  Releasing a purchased number is **irreversible**. Twilio does not hold the number for you, and you'll be charged to
  acquire a new number if you want it back. There's no guarantee the same number will still be available. Removing an
  external number / Messaging Service channel does not delete anything in Twilio.
</Warning>

## Sending Pools

A **sending pool** groups multiple numbers for round-robin dialing or team-based outreach. On the **Sending pools** tab, click **Create Pool**, give it a name, and add member numbers via the add control on each pool row. The trash icon on a pool row deletes the pool after confirmation. This removes **only the grouping**; the member numbers stay in your workspace and are **not** released. For how outbound dial-from rotation picks a number, see [Sending pools](/comms/voice/pools).

## Messaging Services

The **Messaging Services** tab surfaces Twilio Messaging Services for better SMS deliverability and branded sender IDs. Click **Sync Services** to pull your Messaging Services from Twilio (each shows its **Friendly Name** and **SID**), then click **Use as Channel** on a service to make it available as a Campaign channel in Custral.

## Verified Caller IDs

Verify external numbers you already own so you can use them as **outbound** caller IDs (this helps avoid spam flags).

<Steps>
  <Step title="Start verification">
    Click **Verify Number**, enter the **Phone Number** (e.g. `+15551234567`), and submit. Twilio will call or SMS the
    number with verification instructions.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Use it as an outbound channel">
    Once verified, the number appears in the list. Use the green plus action to **Use as Outbound Channel**, which adds
    it as an outbound channel in Custral.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Remove">The trash action removes a verified caller ID after confirmation.</Step>
</Steps>

## Troubleshooting

| Symptom                                   | Likely cause                                                                                                      | What to check                                                                                                                            |
| ----------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| No numbers under **My Numbers**           | None purchased yet, or Twilio not connected                                                                       | The empty state directs you to the **Marketplace**. Confirm the Twilio integration is connected.                                         |
| "No numbers found for this area code"     | No available Twilio inventory for that area code                                                                  | Try a nearby or different area code; some area codes have limited stock.                                                                 |
| Purchase fails                            | Insufficient credits or billing not set up                                                                        | Check your credit balance / billing; purchasing consumes credits.                                                                        |
| Edits to a number don't take effect       | The number isn't fully linked to Twilio, or the Twilio update failed                                              | Confirm the number is properly connected to your Twilio account and retry.                                                               |
| "Couldn't remove" when releasing a number | The Twilio release call failed (e.g. the number isn't linked to your Twilio account, or a transient Twilio error) | Confirm the number is connected to your Twilio account and retry. If it was already released on Twilio, the channel is still cleaned up. |
| **Messaging Services** tab is empty       | Services not synced, or none exist in Twilio                                                                      | Click **Sync Services**; if still empty, create a Messaging Service in Twilio first.                                                     |
| Verified caller ID never verifies         | The Twilio verification call / SMS wasn't completed                                                               | Re-run **Verify Number** and follow the instructions Twilio sends to that number.                                                        |
| Call logs show "No calls found"           | No phone conversations recorded on that channel                                                                   | Confirm calls were actually placed / received on this specific number.                                                                   |

## Related

* [Sending pools](/comms/voice/pools): outbound dial-from rotation and reputation balancing.
* [Voice overview](/comms/voice/overview)
* [Dialer](/comms/voice/dialer)
* [Call recording](/comms/voice/recording)
* [SMS overview](/comms/sms/overview)


## Related topics

- [Troubleshooting](/comms/voice/troubleshooting.md)
- [Voicemail](/comms/voice/voicemail.md)
- [Caller ID](/comms/voice/caller-id.md)
- [Phone & SMS Settings](/blocks/embedded/phone/settings.md)
- [Phone & SMS System](/blocks/widgets/dialer.md)