Control how many SMS messages contacts receive per day and when they're delivered using frequency capping and quiet hours. These features help you stay compliant with SMS marketing regulations and maintain customer trust.
Frequency capping limits daily sends per recipient (default: 3 SMS/day). Quiet hours postpone messages sent during restricted times (default: 8 PM–8 AM). Both calculate per recipient's timezone.
This guide explains how to configure these settings and avoid common compliance issues.
Before You Begin
SMS sending is controlled by four limits:
Frequency capping – Per-recipient daily limit (default: 3 SMS/day)
Quiet hours – Delivery window restrictions (default: 8 PM–8 AM)
Phone number verification status – Carrier-level daily cap (500 for Restricted, 2,000 for Pending, 500k/month for Verified numbers)
SMS credit balance – Subscription tier or purchased SMS credits
If a campaign doesn't send as expected, check all four limits. Adjust or disable frequency capping and quiet hours in Store Settings → SMS.
📌 Note: If you send during quiet hours, you'll see: "It may take up to 24 hours for this campaign to be sent since quiet hours are enabled." This doesn't mean a full 24-hour delay – messages are sent at the next available delivery time based on each recipient's timezone (typically within hours, not a full day).
Key policies:
Both features are enabled by default to help meet compliance requirements and recommendations.
Quiet hours and daily limits are calculated based on recipient time zones – you don't need to adjust for worldwide sending.
You can use one feature, both, or disable them entirely on the SMS settings page.
Certain countries have mandatory quiet hours that override your settings (see table below).
Country-Specific Sending Restrictions
⚠️ Important: The following countries have mandatory quiet hours enforced by carriers and local regulations. These restrictions apply even if you turn off quiet hours in your settings. SMS sent outside these timeframes will be rejected or postponed.
Country | Timeframes |
Armenia |
*Transactional traffic can be sent anytime: Transactional SMS is for order confirmation, order cancellation, and shipping confirmation automations. |
Colombia | Marketing traffic in Colombia that falls outside the regulator's approved timeframes will be automatically queued for delivery the following business day.
Approved Timeframes (Colombia Local Time):
|
France | Carriers only accept delivery between 8:00 am and 8:00 pm local time, Monday - Saturday. All SMS sent outside these hours will be rejected. |
India | No SMS can be delivered between 9:00 pm and 10:00 am IST for end recipients who registered with the Do Not Disturb Service (DND). This means promotional SMS can only be delivered between 10:00 am and 9:00 pm IST. |
Jordan | Promotional messages are not delivered after 9:00 pm Amman time (GMT + 3:00). |
Saudi Arabia | Promotional or marketing SMS is allowed only between 8:00 am and 10:00 pm Saudi Arabia time (GMT+03:00). |
United Arab Emirates | Effective immediately, all international promotional SMS traffic to the United Arab Emirates is prohibited by mobile network operators. This restriction applies universally, impacting ALL service providers, including Omnisend. Only local promotional traffic is permitted, subject to end users having a registered entity in the UAE and completing the mandatory registration with local authorities. Compliance with this regulation is essential, as sending international promotional traffic via SMS to the UAE is now impossible. Adjust your strategies accordingly to navigate this change. |
USA (Texas) | No SMS can be delivered:
|
How to Check Current Settings Before Sending
Before scheduling SMS campaigns, verify your current settings:
Go to Store Settings → SMS
Review SMS Quiet Hours toggle (default: enabled, 8 PM–8 AM)
Review SMS Frequency Capping toggle (default: enabled, 3/day)
You can adjust or disable these settings anytime.
SMS Frequency Capping
Default: 3 SMS messages per day per recipient.
Limits how many marketing SMS a contact can receive in 24 hours. Reduces spam complaints and opt-outs.
To adjust:
Locate the SMS Frequency Capping section
Set daily limit (or turn off entirely)
By limiting messages per recipient, you reduce the risk of complaints and ensure your SMS marketing campaigns are well-received.
SMS Quiet Hours
Default: 8 PM–8 AM (no sends during this window).
Prevents SMS from being sent during nighttime hours, which could inconvenience recipients and lead to complaints.
To adjust:
Locate the SMS Quiet Hours section
Set custom hours or turn off entirely
Any message scheduled outside the set delivery hours will be postponed until the next allowed timeframe.
⚠️ Important: Once a campaign is sent during quiet hours, it cannot be canceled or forced to send immediately. Messages will be postponed until the next available delivery time. To send immediately in the future, disable quiet hours before scheduling the campaign.
Timezone Detection
Both features calculate based on the recipient's timezone, so worldwide sends are automatically adjusted.
How timezone is detected:
Omnisend identifies the recipient's timezone using IP address data captured when contacts interact with your website or submit forms. This data is stored in the contact profile.
📌 If you upload SMS-only contacts without location data, quiet hours will default to your account's timezone, not the recipient's timezone. For best results, check if contacts have a detected location visible in Audience → Contact Profile → Location.
How Frequency Capping and Quiet Hours Interact
If both features are enabled:
A recipient who already received 3 SMS today (frequency cap hit) and you send during quiet hours → The message will not be sent or postponed. Frequency cap takes priority.
A recipient who has not hit the daily limit and you send during quiet hours → The message postpones to the next allowed delivery window.
If only frequency capping is enabled:
Message doesn't send once the daily limit is reached. No postponement.
If only quiet hours are enabled:
Message postpones until the delivery window opens.
You can use one feature, both, or disable them entirely. By default, both are enabled to streamline the compliance process. Adjust settings on the SMS settings page.
Benefits
Compliance
SMS frequency capping and quiet hours help you meet compliance regulations and recommendations. Many countries have laws regulating SMS marketing, and failure to comply can result in legal issues and financial penalties. These features help you avoid overloading recipients with too many messages and sending at inappropriate times – two common compliance issues.
Customer Experience
Sending too many messages or sending at inconvenient times can frustrate recipients and lead to unsubscribes or complaints. By setting a daily message limit and choosing convenient delivery hours, you improve the likelihood that recipients will engage with your messages and take the desired action.
Cost Savings
Frequency capping and quiet hours reduce overall messaging costs by limiting daily sends and avoiding messages sent when recipients are unlikely to engage. This improves campaign efficiency and reduces wasted SMS credits.
Build Trust and Reputation
By using these features, you'll ensure your SMS marketing campaigns follow the most important regulations and recommendations. Staying compliant helps you avoid legal and financial consequences and builds customer trust.
Customers are more likely to interact positively with businesses that value their privacy and follow industry best practices. Compliance demonstrates that your company operates with integrity and helps establish a positive reputation in your industry.
FAQ
What does "may take up to 24 hours" mean?
If you send a campaign during quiet hours, you'll see: "It may take up to 24 hours for this campaign to be sent since quiet hours are enabled."
This does not mean a full 24-hour delay. It means your campaign will be sent at the next available delivery time based on each recipient's timezone. If quiet hours end at 8 AM in a recipient's timezone, they'll receive the SMS at 8 AM – not 24 hours later. The "up to 24 hours" is a maximum estimate to account for global time zones and multiple recipients.
Can I force-send an SMS campaign immediately if quiet hours are on?
No. Once a campaign is sent during quiet hours, it cannot be canceled or forced to send immediately. The system will automatically deliver messages at the next available time, based on each recipient's time zone.
To send immediately in the future: Turn off quiet hours in Store Settings → SMS before scheduling the campaign.
How does Omnisend know my recipient's timezone?
Omnisend detects recipients' time zones using IP addresses captured when contacts interact with your website or submit forms.
If you upload SMS-only contacts without location data, quiet hours will default to your account's timezone. To improve accuracy, ensure contacts have a detected location in their profile (visible in Audience → Contact Profile → Location).
Why is my SMS blocked after 6 PM even though my quiet hours end at 8 PM?
Some countries have mandatory quiet hours enforced by carriers and local regulations. For example:
Armenia blocks SMS after 6 PM on Saturdays
France only allows SMS 8 AM–8 PM
These country-level restrictions override your quiet hours settings. Check the country restrictions table above to see if your recipients are affected.
What happens if I try to send a message after reaching the daily limit?
If only frequency capping is enabled:
The message won't be sent at all. No postponement.
If both frequency capping and quiet hours are enabled:
If the recipient already hit the daily limit (default: 3 SMS) and you send during quiet hours → The message will not be sent or postponed. Frequency cap takes priority.
If the recipient already hit the daily limit and you send during allowed hours → The message still won't be sent.
Only messages blocked solely by quiet hours (without hitting frequency cap) are postponed.
What happens if I have SMS in my Birthday automation set to send at 9 AM, but quiet hours are enabled from 8 PM to 11 AM?
If quiet hours are enabled during the scheduled send time, the message will be postponed and sent at 11 AM instead (when quiet hours end).
Automation workflows respect quiet hours and frequency capping settings just like campaigns.
Is there a legal basis for quiet hours?
For users in the USA:
The TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act) is a federal law regulating telemarketing, auto-dialed, prerecorded, and text messages. It stipulates that telephone solicitation, including text messages, should not occur before 8 AM or after 9 PM in the recipient's time zone.
However, some states have enacted more restrictive laws when it comes to text message marketing. Texts can only be sent between 8 am and 8 pm in the recipient's local time zone in Florida, Maryland, Michigan, Washington, and Oklahoma.
Calling Times (47 C.F.R. § 64.1200(c)(1)) No person or entity shall initiate any telephone solicitation to any residential telephone subscriber before the hour of 8 am or after 9 pm (local time at the called party's location). (page 8 )
Please be mindful of these quiet hours to avoid any disruptions or inconveniences. For more information on the regulations, you can refer to the following sources:
TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act): FDIC Link;
47 C.F.R. § 64.1200(c)(1): Page 8;
Florida FTSA (Florida Telephone Solicitation Act): Florida Statutes Link;
Oklahoma OTSA (Oklahoma Telephone Solicitation Act): Oklahoma Statuses Link;
SENATE BILL 90 - Maryland, link;
Telephone Solicitation Act was introduced by Michigan state reps.
COMMERCIAL TELEPHONE SOLICITATION document for Washington.
Our 24/7 support team is available to assist you through the in-app chat or by email at [email protected].