Troubleshooting

Tracking and Managing Opt-Outs

July 23, 2025 Comments Off on Tracking and Managing Opt-Outs

It is recommended to inform your contacts that they can unsubscribe at any time. The following outlines how to monitor and manage these opt-out requests:

Using an SMS gateway

Rapidpro automatically blocks contacts (preventing them from receiving replies) if they send messages containing any of these keywords: STOP, STOPALL, UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL, END, or QUIT. To rejoin, contacts may reply with START or YES, provided they had previously opted out. Messages containing HELP or INFO return an automated explanation of these keyword commands. When opting out, contacts receive a default confirmation from Rapidpro:

The chosen opt-out keyword stops further messages from your number until the contact explicitly opts back in. However, they will continue in any active flow until they reach its end.

Tracking Opt-Outs in Your Account Dashboard

You can manually review opt-outs through your account interface. Select your Rapidpro number, then go to the “ERRORS” section and choose “View Log.”

 

The log lists unsubscribed numbers. Clicking a record displaying the error message: “HTTP 400 error: 21610: The message From/To pair violates a blacklist rule” confirms that an opt-out occurred.

This error arises when attempting to send a message to someone who previously replied with STOP, STOPALL, UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL, END, or QUIT. These failed attempts do not incur charges. To resubscribe, the contact must text START or YES to your Rapidpro number.

Other Ways to Track Unsubscribes

Additional strategies for monitoring opt-outs include:

  • Creating a dedicated group for unsubscribed contacts

  • Designing a flow that automatically places contacts into this group when keywords such as STOP, STOPALL, UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL, END, or QUIT are detected on your Rapidpro numbers

  • Using an “Update Contact” action with a custom field (e.g., Unsubscribed) to mark their profile as “Yes” when they opt out

  • Setting up notifications by combining “Send Message” or “Send Email” actions to alert you when an opt-out occurs

By implementing these measures, you gain four monitoring options:

  1. Reviewing members of the “unsubscribed” group

  2. Checking the Unsubscribed field on individual contact profiles

  3. Receiving SMS alerts when someone opts out

  4. Receiving email alerts upon unsubscribe events

Contact status can also be modified within flows with three options: Active, Stopped, or Blocked. For more details, see Updating a Contact’s Status in a Flow.

Informing Your Contacts

If not explicitly stated, contacts may be unaware that they can rejoin by sending keywords like START or YES. It is advisable to include opt-in and opt-out information during service registration. When email addresses are available, the Send Email action can be used to follow up with unsubscribed contacts—both to collect feedback and to remind them of the keywords they can use to resubscribe.