Phone Numbers
Buy or port in a real phone number with the Zernio API, then turn on Calls, SMS and WhatsApp on that same number.
Buy a phone number with POST /v1/phone-numbers/purchase, or port one in, then turn on the features you need on that same number. A number is the unit of telephony on Zernio:
- Calls (PSTN voice) are on by default on every number.
- SMS (text and MMS) is enabled per number; it needs an SMS-capable number, plus a carrier registration in the US.
- WhatsApp connects the number to a WhatsApp Business Account.
One number can do all 3 or only one. This section covers getting and managing the number; what you do with it lives in Voice & Calls, SMS and WhatsApp. There is no separate "WhatsApp number": a WhatsApp number is a phone number with WhatsApp enabled on it. The older WhatsApp-scoped number endpoints are deprecated aliases kept for existing integrations; new code uses /v1/phone-numbers.
Quick reference
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Countries | 55, plus 12 more by pre-order (see Availability) |
| Default country | United States |
| Price | $3 to $30 per month per number, by country and number type |
| Calls (PSTN) | Every number, on by default |
| SMS | Per number, SMS-capable countries only |
| Connect the number to a WhatsApp Business Account | |
| Get a number | Purchase from inventory, pre-order, or port one in |
| Number limit | Your profile limit; unlimited where profiles are uncapped |
Before you start
Telephony (numbers, voice, SMS) requires usage-based billing with a payment method on file. With that in place every country is available, numbers provision inline with no separate checkout, and each number bills per month on your usage-based invoice. Calls and SMS on a number meter on the same invoice.
The lifecycle
- See what is available. Availability lists the countries, number types, per-country prices and which capabilities each supports.
- Get a number. Purchase one from inventory (it provisions in the same request, auto-assigned or the exact number you pick) or port in a number you already own. Regulated countries need a one-time KYC form first, and when one is out of stock (or stocked nowhere) that same form pre-orders the number.
- Turn on features. Calls are already on. Enable SMS (US numbers need a carrier registration) or connect WhatsApp. On US numbers, Branded Calling shows your business name, logo and reason for calling on the callee's phone.
- Use it. Place and receive calls, send texts, and read one call history across every number and channel.
API conventions
- A number is the unit; features are sub-resources on it. Enable or disable a capability with
POSTorDELETEon/v1/phone-numbers/{id}/{feature}(/{id}/voice,/{id}/sms). Activity lives on its own top-level resources: call history at/v1/calls, texts at/v1/sms/messages, outbound calls at/v1/voice/calls. - State-changing actions read as
POST /resource/{id}/{verb}:POST /v1/voice/calls/{id}/end,/transfer,POST /v1/sms/registrations/{id}/verify-otp,/appeal.
In this section
Availability and pricing
Which countries, number types and capabilities, and what each costs
Buying a number
Search inventory, purchase, and manage numbers
Porting
Bring an existing number over from another carrier
KYC (regulated countries)
Collect identity details where a country requires them
Branded Calling
Your name, logo and call reason on the callee's phone, for US numbers
Related
- List offerable countries: live prices and capability flags.
- Search available numbers: inventory in a country.
- Purchase phone number: every field of the request.
- List phone numbers: every number on your team.
- Phone number webhooks: activation, decline, suspension and release events.
Slack
Publish messages and thread replies to a Slack channel with the Zernio API, with file uploads, a per-message bot identity, and an inbox that receives DMs and mentions in realtime.
Availability & Pricing
Read which countries and number types Zernio sells, what each costs per month, and which capabilities each supports, from GET /v1/phone-numbers/countries.