Send Messages with Twilio

Use this extension to send messages (SMS or WhatsApp) using the Twilio Programmable Messaging API based on information from documents added to a specified Cloud Firestore collection. The extension will also record the delivery status of each message.

Adding a document triggers this extension to send a message built from the document’s fields. The document’s fields specify who to send the message to and the body of the message and can optionally define the number to send the message from.

Here’s an example document that would trigger this extension:

admin.firestore().collection('messages').add({
  to: '+15551234567',
  body: 'Hello from Firebase!'
});

Required fields

Field	Description
to	The phone number or WhatsApp number you want to send the message to. Phone numbers should be in e.164 format.
body	The body of the message

Optional fields

Field	Description
from	A Twilio phone number or Messaging Service you want to use to send the message. Overrides the from number or Messaging Service set in the extension settings
mediaUrls	An array of URLs of media to send with the message. Only supported in US and Canada. See the Create a Message docs for more info.

Additional setup

Before installing this extension, make sure:

• You have set up a Cloud Firestore database in your Firebase project
• You have signed up for a Twilio account

Sending SMS

• You will need a Twilio phone number that is capable of sending SMS messages
• If you are using a trial account you will only be able to send messages to a number that you have verified with Twilio

Sending WhatsApp messages

• You can test with the number provided in the Twilio Sandbox for WhatsApp
• To send WhatsApp messages in production you will need to connect a Twilio number to a WhatsApp Business Profile

Billing

To install an extension, your project must be on the Blaze (pay as you go) plan

• You will be charged a small amount (typically around $0.01/month) for the Firebase resources required by this extension (even if it is not used).
• This extension uses other Firebase and Google Cloud Platform services, which have associated charges if you exceed the service’s free tier:
  • Cloud Firestore
  • Cloud Functions (Node.js 10+ runtime. See FAQs)
  • Cloud Secret Manager

Usage of this extension also requires you to have a Twilio account and credentials in order to use the Twilio API for message delivery. You are responsible for any associated costs with your usage of Twilio.