Delivery receipt
Definition
A status report a carrier sends back to the sender saying whether a text was delivered, failed or expired.
Delivery receipt, explained
A delivery receipt, often called a DLR, is a status update that flows back from the mobile network to whoever sent a text message. It tells the sender's system whether the message was delivered to the handset, is still pending, failed or expired after the network gave up retrying. Businesses use delivery receipts to monitor their messaging routes, retry failed codes and spot problems with particular carriers or countries. A delivery receipt is not the same as a read receipt: it only confirms the message reached the phone or network, not that anyone opened it. Receipts are also not always perfectly accurate, since some networks report delivery before the message actually lands, and some do not return detailed statuses at all. For you, this explains why an app may say 'code sent' even when nothing arrives. If a code is missing, check that the number and country are correct, wait a minute before requesting another, and consider whether the number type is accepted by that app.
Related terms
SMS gateway
A system that lets software send and receive text messages by connecting apps to mobile carrier networks.
A2P SMS
Application-to-person messaging: texts sent automatically by software, such as verification codes and alerts.
SMS verification
Confirming that you control a phone number by entering a code the service texts to it.