PopIn can send invites by SMS, by email, or via a shareable link. Each suits different situations. You can mix and match - SMS and email invites both link to the same RSVP page, and a guest who responds via either channel shows up the same way on your guest list.
Side-by-side
| SMS | Shareable link | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Best for | Close friends and family | Larger / mixed guest lists | Open or public events |
| Group size | Up to ~20 (feels personal) | 20+ | Any (group chat / Instagram story / Discord) |
| Read latency | Minutes | Hours | Same as the channel you paste it in |
| Cost to you | Free from PopIn (carrier may apply) | Free | Free |
| Reaches non-PopIn users | Yes | Yes | Yes (anyone with the link) |
For guest lists over 30, the shareable link in a group chat (WhatsApp, iMessage, Discord, Slack) is almost always better than SMS. It reaches everyone at once and doesn't burn carrier sends.
International SMS
SMS delivery rates and costs vary by country. Within Australia, the UK, the US, and most of Europe, delivery is fast and reliable. Some regions have stricter carrier rules and may take longer or fail silently.
If you're inviting guests overseas, email or the shareable link is more reliable. Don't rely on SMS as your only channel.
SMS opt-outs
Every PopIn SMS includes "Reply STOP to unsubscribe". A guest who replies STOP is permanently opted out of PopIn SMS until they opt back in (reply START), even if you re-invite them. They'll still get email reminders if they gave an email address, but no SMS.
Bulk SMS pacing
Sending many invitations by SMS at once can trigger carrier spam filters. PopIn paces large SMS invite batches over a few minutes to avoid this. If you're inviting more than 20 people by SMS, expect the last invitations to arrive a couple of minutes after the first.
When an invite fails to send
Sometimes a send bounces: a mistyped email address, a landline that can't receive SMS, a number that's been disconnected. PopIn tells you instead of letting it vanish. You get a notification that some invites didn't go through, and on the event the guest shows a red Failed to send badge in your guest list.
Open the event and find the failed guest
The Failed to send badge sits next to their name. There's also a "Couldn't reach everyone" panel grouping all the failed invites together.
Fix the address, or resend as-is
Tap Fix to correct the email or phone number, then send again. If the original address was fine and it was a temporary glitch, just tap Resend.
Or remove the invite
If you can't reach that person, tap Remove to clear the failed invite off your list.
A failed send isn't rate-limited the way a normal resend is, so you can fix and retry straight away without waiting.
There's a daily cap on email and text invites, and some content can't go out at all. See Invite limits and content rules.