Frequently asked questions

The Global Phone Numbers Catalog offers a broader choice of phone numbers through Twilio's Phone Numbers API. As Twilio has grown its global coverage to offer phone numbers in over 100 countries, we've learned that numbers are not all created equal. Earlier APIs offered only numbers that could satisfy the broadest set of Twilio use cases. The Global Phone Numbers Catalog offers not only the most feature-rich numbers but also those that best match the different needs of customers, called use case tailored phone numbers.

To search phone numbers available for purchase in the Catalog, use preview.api.twilio.com/Numbers/AvailableNumbers.

To purchase, list, configure, and release phone numbers on a user account, use the IncomingPhoneNumber resource.

Console support is planned for the Beta phase. The Developer Preview is API-only.

All Twilio users can benefit from the broader selection of numbers and enhanced functionality of the new APIs. In particular, users that are not familiar with characteristics of phone numbers will benefit from the new use case based search functionality, to help them find numbers ideal for their use case. For example, a user looking for phone numbers for a contact center application, can pass the SavedSearch=twilio.use-case.contact-centers.voice to see numbers with characteristics suitable for that use case.

The first release is delivered in three phases:

Developer Preview: Support for APIs that allow search, purchase, list, configure, and release of numbers with support for attribute-based search functions, including use case based search. The Catalog includes all the existing inventory of numbers available, plus Developer Preview numbers and limited capability numbers.

Beta: Console support, including the ability to create and save custom searches.

GA: Fully-featured version 1.0. Broader selection of use case tailored numbers, offering more choice and pricing options.

The API is currently in Developer Preview and new accounts are not being given access to the private resources. For more information, please visit Global Phone Numbers Catalog Twilio page.

The Catalog, searchable through the new APIs, will include all the inventory available through the existing APIs, plus: Developer Preview numbers, numbers previously held back due to their unique characteristics, and a limited group of premium numbers (high value, depleted prefixes: +1800, +1212, +44800).

No. The existing API endpoints (/AvailablePhoneNumbers and /IncomingPhoneNumbers) will continue operating as they do today. However, only fully featured phone numbers will be visible through /AvailablePhoneNumbers API.

The Phone Numbers API has full support for attributes and supports a wider catalog of numbers. This API supports catalog search, number purchase, and porting/hosting order tracking.

To search for available numbers, use the AvailableNumbers resource. To purchase, manage, and release numbers, use the IncomingPhoneNumber resource.

Saved Searches give users a quick way to find numbers with specific characteristics, both in the Catalog, or in their account inventory. Twilio provides a set of predefined saved searches for the most common Twilio use cases: call tracking, contact centers, conversations, marketing, notifications, pbx-collaborations, and verifications. In a future release, users will be able to customize these searches, or create new ones, and save them to their account for convenience.

Pricing of existing numbers in our inventory has not been affected. The new Phone Numbers API exposes a broader selection of numbers due to its ability to present numbers with differing capabilities. For some searches, this broader selection will result in multiple options available to users, likely at different price points. For example, a search for UK phone numbers for Marketing Alerts', might return both 2-way voice+sms mobile numbers and 1-way SMS-only numbers, at two different prices. Vanity numbers and numbers in depleted area codes are now also available and can be priced differently.