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with your own Twilio numbers
Intercom SMS integration with Twilio two-way texts in your inbox
The Intercom SMS integration from Octopods connects your own Twilio numbers, so your team handles customer texts in the Intercom inbox with the workflows it already uses.
- Official Twilio API
- 7-day free trial
Twilio SMS → Intercom
the problem
Why SMS support fails outside Intercom
- Support numbers scattered across separate devices
- Agents switch tools to reply to one customer
- STOP/START/HELP compliance is messy by hand
how it works
How to connect Twilio SMS to Intercom
- 1
Enter your Twilio SID, Auth Token and SMS-capable number.
- 2
Texts show up in your Intercom inbox within seconds.
- 3
Agents reply from Intercom; customers see your Twilio number.
Octopods
why teams choose it
Why teams use Octopods to send SMS from Intercom
Contact syncing
Texts link to the Intercom contact with the sender's phone number.Existing Intercom workflows
Assignment rules, tags, saved replies and reports all work with SMS.Proactive messaging
Text any customer with a phone number first, from Intercom.
international sms
International SMS in Intercom with your own Twilio numbers
Intercom's native SMS only offers a few countries and number types. For international SMS setup in Intercom with your own Twilio number, a local number in another country or several numbers per country, connect your Twilio numbers with Octopods.
| Intercom native SMS | Your Twilio numbers via Octopods | |
|---|---|---|
| Numbers you can use | US toll-free; Canada local; UK and Australia local mobile | SMS-capable long-code, toll-free and alphanumeric senders in your Twilio account |
| Where texts can go | Native numbers send within their own country | Subject to Twilio's sender and destination rules |
| Your existing Twilio number | Native SMS doesn't connect a Twilio account | Connect it with your Twilio credentials |
| Where replies arrive | Intercom inbox | Intercom inbox |
| Costs to review | Intercom subscription and native SMS charges | Intercom, Octopods and Twilio charges |
Intercom's native coverage is from its help center, checked 10 September 2026. Coverage and registration rules can change.
Before you go live with an international number
The sender
Check that the number can receive replies. Alphanumeric sender IDs are outbound only, so customers can't text you back.
The destination
Review Twilio's rules for each customer country. A number's location alone doesn't decide which routes and replies work.
A real exchange
Text the number from a phone in that country, reply from Intercom and confirm the reply arrives.
- Capterra
Amazing for centralising your support channels.
Really positive experience, the support team are great and reply very quickly. Installation was easy and it's been well received for our team.
Read on CapterraAaron S.Operations Analyst · Computer Software
watch the demo
Intercom SMS integration demo
A short demo of connecting a Twilio number to Intercom with Octopods.
- In Octopods, add a Twilio SMS channel
- Enter your Twilio Account SID and Auth Token
- Pick your SMS-capable Twilio number
- Text the number and reply from Intercom
sms guides
Guides for SMS in Intercom
step-by-step guides
Intercom SMS integration setup guide
short answers
Intercom SMS integration FAQs
Intercom keeps the “SMS” label for its own SMS integration, so conversations from your Twilio number show the channel as Web. They're native Intercom conversations, so only the label is different: your workflows, reports and replies work as usual. Each Twilio number is its own channel, so replies go out from the number the customer texted.
Yes, with an SMS integration. Once a Twilio number is connected through Octopods, texts to it arrive as conversations in your Intercom inbox. SMS then works in your Intercom help desk like email and chat, and your team can reply to SMS from Intercom.
It depends on your numbers. Intercom's native SMS works with the numbers and countries it offers. Octopods is an SMS app and connector for Intercom: choose it when you want to keep your own Twilio numbers, text from other countries, use several numbers per country, or handle SMS next to WhatsApp and other channels in the same inbox.
Usually both, because they do different jobs. Twilio gives you the phone number and delivers the text messages. Intercom is where your team reads and answers conversations. Octopods connects the two: texts sent to your Twilio number arrive in the Intercom inbox, and replies from Intercom go back to the customer from the same Twilio number. Twilio bills its number and messaging charges, and Octopods bills per connected channel.
No. Octopods gives you a guided, no-code setup. You enter your Twilio Account SID and Auth Token, pick your number, and Octopods configures the messaging service and webhooks in Twilio for you.
Yes. You can connect SMS-capable Twilio long-code (local or mobile) and toll-free numbers, or an alphanumeric sender ID. Short codes aren't supported. In the US, texting from a local number needs A2P 10DLC brand and campaign registration, which you can create and register from the Octopods dashboard. Octopods uses the number you already own without changing SMS providers, so customers keep seeing the same sender, and it's fully two-way: customers text that number and your team replies from the Intercom inbox.
To add SMS to Intercom, connect a Twilio number with Octopods; it becomes an SMS channel in Intercom. Texts to that number arrive as Intercom conversations, and your team replies from the conversation as with any other channel. You can also text a customer first, as long as you have their phone number.
Octopods is an alternative to Intercom's native SMS that uses your own Twilio numbers, so you can send international text messages from a Twilio number in Intercom, including countries and number types Intercom's native SMS doesn't offer, as long as Twilio's sender and destination rules allow it for that country.
Yes, if the number is in your Twilio account and Twilio's sender and destination rules allow two-way SMS for that country. Intercom's native SMS offers US toll-free, Canada local, and UK and Australia local mobile numbers. If your number isn't in Twilio yet, check with Twilio whether you can port the number to your Twilio account before connecting it to Intercom. Tell us the countries and number type and we'll check the route with you.
Get an SMS-capable number for that country in your Twilio account, by buying one or porting your existing number to Twilio, and check that Twilio allows two-way SMS there. Then connect it in Octopods like any Twilio number. Texts to it arrive in your Intercom inbox, and replies go out from that number.
Yes. Each Twilio number connects as its own channel, so you can connect several numbers for the same country, for example one per team or brand. Each channel is billed separately, and an Octopods account can have up to 50 channel subscriptions.
No. A country being on Twilio's list doesn't prove your chosen sender can deliver texts and receive replies there. Test the exact number and destination before you rely on it.
Budget for your Intercom plan, the Octopods channel and Twilio. Twilio's costs can include number rental, message segments, carrier charges and registration, depending on the country and number type.
No. Octopods processes messages and forwards them to Intercom, and doesn’t keep message content, including media and personal data. Your conversation history lives in Intercom, just like any other chat channel.
Yes. Once SMS messages appear in Intercom, they behave like any other channel. You can use workflows, routing rules and other Intercom support automation on SMS conversations.
Yes. Texts to your Twilio number arrive in the same Intercom inbox as your in-app Messenger conversations, so your team handles SMS and in-app messaging in one place, with the same assignments and workflows.
Usually within seconds. Texts are forwarded through Twilio, Octopods and Intercom in near real time. Retries, provider rate limits or a newly created conversation can occasionally delay a message by a few minutes.
Ready to integrate Twilio SMS with Intercom?
Sync every SMS conversation in minutes
Available on the Intercom App Store