Definition: A2P (application-to-person) messaging is text messaging sent by a business or organization through a software application to a person's phone.
When your dentist's system texts you a reminder, that is A2P. When your friend texts you back, that is person-to-person (P2P). The phone network treats these two kinds of traffic differently, and A2P comes with more rules.
CTIA's Messaging Principles and Best Practices (May 2023) replaced the 2019 version. It uses two main labels:
| CTIA 2023 term | Older term | Plain meaning |
|---|---|---|
| Consumer | Consumer (P2P) | a person texting a person |
| Non-Consumer | Non-Consumer (A2P) | a business or organization texting people |
You will still see "A2P" everywhere, including in provider product names like Twilio's A2P 10DLC.
CTIA sets out these expectations for non-consumer senders:
To send A2P texts on 10DLC numbers, you register a brand and campaign, and reviewers look at your website. It should show your business, your privacy policy, your SMS terms, and how people opt in. See the 10DLC website requirements.
Related terms: 10DLC, Opt-in, STOP and HELP keywords, Campaign use case
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A2P is a business or organization sending texts through software, while P2P is one person texting another. CTIA's 2023 guidelines use the terms Non-Consumer and Consumer, and note the older labels Non-Consumer (A2P) and Consumer (P2P).
Yes. CTIA says non-consumer senders are expected to get consent to message, and express written consent for marketing messages, with a way for people to opt out.
No. A2P describes the kind of messaging. 10DLC is one type of number used to send it in the US, next to toll-free numbers and short codes.
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