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Approving your SMS sender ID with the ACMA

A sender ID lets your texts arrive from your business name (for example Your Brand) instead of a phone number. Since 2026, every business-name sender ID used in Australia has to be on the national SMS Sender ID Register, which is run by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).

We prepare and lodge the application for you. The one thing we can't do is approve it: the ACMA needs someone from your business to sign in and confirm it's genuine. This article walks you through that step. It usually takes a few minutes once your login is set up.

Before you start

  • Watch for an email from the ACMA. It goes to the contact person named on the application and asks them to approve it. Use the link in that email to get to ACMA Assist, rather than finding the site through a search engine.
  • You'll need the myID app. ACMA Assist uses myID (the government digital ID that replaced myGovID) to confirm who you are.
  • Your business needs to be linked to your myID through Relationship Authorisation Manager (RAM). If you already use RAM for the ATO or other government services, this is probably done.

Never used ACMA Assist before? The ACMA's own first-time access guide covers installing myID, linking your business in RAM and signing in. You only do this once.

Approve the application

  1. Sign in to ACMA Assist from the link in the ACMA's email, using your myID app.
  2. Under Top services, find SMS Sender ID Register and select Manage.
  3. Open the Sender IDs tab. Your sender ID is listed there, with our SMS network partner shown as the service provider. That's expected: they are the carrier-side partner we use to deliver your messages.
  4. Tick the box beside your sender ID, then select Confirm registration of Sender ID application.

ACMA Assist then shows a Registered by date and time. That's when your sender ID becomes usable.

What happens next

After you approve, the mobile networks take up to 24 hours to update their systems so they'll accept texts from your sender ID. The Registered by time in ACMA Assist tells you when that's done.

If your sender ID was already on the register through another provider, the networks already recognise it and there's no wait.

We'll let you know when your sender ID is switched on for your Cloutly account. You don't need to change anything yourself.

Good to know

  • Customers can't reply to a sender ID. Texts from a business name are one-way, so each message includes a short opt-out link instead of "reply STOP". If you want customers to be able to text you back, you need a dedicated mobile number. Ask us about adding one.
  • The sender ID must relate to your business. It has to match your registered business name, company name, a trademark you hold or a .au domain you own. Abbreviations are fine.

Troubleshooting

I can't sign in to ACMA Assist. Check that the myID app is installed and that your business is linked to your myID in RAM. The ACMA's first-time access guide walks through both.

My sender ID isn't in the list. Make sure you're signed in as the person the ACMA emailed, and under the right business if you manage more than one. If it's still missing, contact us and we'll check the application.

The Registered by time has passed but my texts still don't show my business name. Contact us and we'll look into it.

Questions? Chat to us from inside Cloutly or email [email protected].