Terms of Use

1. The service

StartMessaging provides developer APIs for sending OTP SMS messages (without DLT registration for eligible use cases), DLT-compliant transactional SMS, WhatsApp Business messages, and authentication verification services. Access to the service requires a registered account and a pre-funded wallet balance.

Detailed rate limits, supported phone number formats, and API endpoints are documented on our API documentation and API limits pages.

2. Account registration

You must provide accurate information when creating your account. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your API keys and dashboard credentials. Any use of the service under your API key is your responsibility, whether authorised by you or not.

Accounts are for business or developer use. You must be at least 18 years of age and have the authority to bind any organisation on whose behalf you register.

3. Acceptable use

You may use StartMessaging to send OTP verifications, transactional alerts, WhatsApp utility and marketing messages, and authentication flows, subject to the following conditions:

• All messages must be sent only to recipients who have consented to receive them, in compliance with applicable law including TRAI's Telecom Commercial Communications Customer Preference Regulations (TCCCPR).
• OTP messages sent via the non-DLT route must be genuine one-time passwords or authentication codes for a real transaction or login flow — not promotional content.
• WhatsApp messages must comply with WhatsApp's Business Policy and Meta's Commerce and Messaging policies.
• You are responsible for obtaining and maintaining any DLT registrations, Principal Entity (PE) IDs, or template approvals required by TRAI for your messaging use case.

4. Prohibited activities

You must not use the service to:

• Send unsolicited commercial messages (spam) or messages to recipients registered on the DND (Do Not Disturb) list where prohibited
• Conduct or facilitate phishing, smishing, fraud, or any form of deception targeting end users
• Verify phone numbers for illegal purposes, including account takeover, identity fraud, or unauthorized access to third-party systems
• Resell API access or API keys to third parties without our explicit written authorisation
• Artificially inflate message volumes, conduct traffic pumping, or engage in any activity intended to inflate charges on telecom networks
• Transmit content that is illegal, defamatory, obscene, or in violation of any third-party rights
• Attempt to reverse-engineer, scrape, or disrupt the API infrastructure
• Circumvent rate limits through multiple accounts or other technical means

We reserve the right to immediately suspend accounts found in violation of these prohibitions, without prior notice.

5. API usage and rate limits

Your use of the API is subject to the rate limits described on our API limits page. Key limits as of this writing:

• 200 OTP send requests per 10 seconds per API key
• 3 OTPs per phone number per 5-minute window
• 1,200 total requests per 60 seconds across all endpoints

These limits exist to protect network integrity and end users. Exceeding them will result in rate-limit errors (HTTP 429). Enterprise plans with higher limits are available — contact us via the contact page.

6. Billing and payments

The service is prepaid. You must maintain a positive wallet balance to send messages. Charges are deducted at the rates shown on our pricing page at the time of each API request. Prices may change; we will notify active users at least 14 days before any price increase takes effect.

OTP sends that are accepted and processed are charged regardless of whether the end recipient ultimately reads or acts on the message, as telecom delivery costs are incurred at send time. For refund terms on unused wallet balance, see our Refund & Billing Policy.

7. Intellectual property

All rights in the StartMessaging platform, APIs, documentation, and branding belong to us or our licensors. Using the service does not grant you any ownership rights. You retain ownership of any content or data you submit through the API.

You grant us a limited, non-exclusive licence to process the data you submit solely to provide the service to you.

8. Service availability

We aim to maintain high availability and publish platform status updates. However, we do not guarantee uninterrupted service. Scheduled maintenance, telecom network issues, or force majeure events may affect delivery. We are not liable for message delivery failures caused by telecom network conditions, recipient device settings, or circumstances beyond our reasonable control.

9. Disclaimer of warranties

The service is provided “as is” and “as available” without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, or non-infringement, to the maximum extent permitted by applicable law.

10. Limitation of liability

To the maximum extent permitted by law, StartMessaging's total liability for any claim arising out of or related to these Terms shall not exceed the amount you paid to us in the three (3) months preceding the claim. We are not liable for indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages, including loss of revenue or data, even if advised of the possibility of such damages.

11. Termination

You may close your account at any time. We may suspend or terminate your account immediately if you violate these Terms, or with 30 days' notice for any other reason. On termination, unused wallet balance may be refunded per our Refund Policy. For the account deletion process, see our Account Deletion page.

12. Governing law and disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of India. Any dispute arising from or relating to these Terms shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of courts in India. We encourage you to contact us first to resolve any concern informally before initiating formal proceedings.

13. Changes to these terms

We may update these Terms to reflect changes in our services or applicable law. The “Last updated” date above will reflect revisions. For material changes, we will email registered users at least 14 days before the change takes effect. Continued use of the service after that date constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

14. Contact

Questions about these Terms? Email startmessagingdotcom@gmail.com or use our contact page.