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Setting Up Twilio SMS for HubSpot

Connect a Twilio SMS number to a HubSpot workspace, pick the HubSpot inbox that receives the texts, and activate the channel.

Written by Tarek Khalil

Before you start

You need:

  • A HubSpot workspace already connected to Octopods.

  • A Twilio account with an active SMS-capable phone number or alphanumeric sender.

  • Your Twilio Account SID and Auth Token from the Twilio Console home page.

  • For numbers sending to the United States: a registered A2P 10DLC (Application-to-Person messaging over 10-digit long code) brand and campaign (discussed below).

  • Admin access to the HubSpot portal with permission to grant additional HubSpot permissions.

  • At least one inbox already configured inside HubSpot.

Step 1: Open the Twilio setup

  1. Sign in to Octopods and open the HubSpot workspace.

  2. Click the option to add a new channel.

  3. In the Add a Channel modal, select Twilio under Popular Channels.

  4. If this is the first channel on the workspace that needs HubSpot’s Custom Channels permissions, Octopods shows a Re-authorize HubSpot prompt.

Step 2: Re-authorize HubSpot (if prompted)

  1. Click the re-authorize button and sign in to HubSpot.

  2. Approve the added permissions — the ones that let Octopods create and manage custom channels in your HubSpot inbox.

  3. HubSpot redirects back to Octopods.

You only need to re-authorize once per workspace for this set of permissions.

Step 3: Enter Twilio credentials

In the Twilio setup form inside Octopods, fill in:

  • Twilio Account SID — starts with AC and appears on the Twilio Console home page.

  • Twilio Auth Token — also on the Twilio Console home page.

Use the Live credentials, not Test credentials.

Step 4: Pick the sender

Choose how outbound messages will be sent:

  • Phone Number — pick from the list of phone numbers Octopods fetches from your Twilio account. Each entry is a real E.164-formatted number on the account (for example, +15551234567).

  • Add Alphanumeric Sender ID — up to 11 characters (letters and digits). Alphanumeric senders can only send outbound messages and cannot receive replies, so pick this only if you do not need two-way conversations.

If a short code has been provisioned on your Twilio account, it appears in the same list as your phone numbers — Octopods does not have a separate short-code option in the form.

Step 5: Complete A2P 10DLC for US numbers

If your Twilio number is a US long code, US carriers require it to be registered under the A2P 10DLC framework. Unregistered traffic is heavily filtered.

When you pick a US number, Octopods shows an A2P section with two options:

  • Register Brand in Twilio — takes you to Twilio’s brand and campaign registration. Brand approval typically takes 1–2 weeks, and campaign approval another few days.

  • I’ll do this later — you can start using the channel right away for testing, but deliverability to US recipients will be poor until registration completes.

For numbers sending only to non-US countries, A2P 10DLC does not apply and this step does not appear.

Step 6: Save credentials

  1. Click Activate Twilio Channel.

  2. Octopods verifies your credentials against Twilio’s API.

  3. On success, Octopods registers the webhook URL on your Twilio number automatically.

Step 7: Pick a HubSpot inbox and activate

  1. Octopods opens the channel detail page with a Select HubSpot Inbox dropdown and an Activate button that is disabled until you pick an inbox.

  2. Pick the inbox that should receive SMS conversations.

  3. Click Activate.

  4. Octopods registers the channel as a custom channel inside HubSpot.

  5. The channel status changes to Connected, and it appears in the workspace’s channel list.

Step 8: Send a test message

  1. From a personal phone, text a short message to the Twilio number.

  2. Open the HubSpot inbox you selected. A new conversation appears with your message.

  3. Reply from HubSpot.

  4. The reply arrives on your phone from the Twilio number.

What’s different from Intercom

Compared to Setting Up Twilio SMS on an Intercom workspace, the HubSpot setup adds:

  • Re-authorizing HubSpot for Custom Channels permissions the first time.

  • Selecting a HubSpot inbox to route messages to before activating.

Credential entry, A2P handling, and webhook registration are identical.

Managing the channel

  • Change the inbox — open the channel detail page and pick a different inbox from the dropdown.

  • Rotate credentials — if you change the Auth Token in the Twilio Console, update it in the channel detail page to reconnect.

  • Track A2P status — campaign approval updates arrive in your Twilio Console. Until approved, expect degraded US delivery.

Common issues

  • “HubSpot re-authorization required” — HubSpot hasn’t granted the Custom Channels permissions. Follow the prompt.

  • Inbox dropdown is empty — create an inbox in HubSpot first.

  • “Credentials rejected” — double-check you’re using Live credentials, not Test.

  • US messages not delivering — check A2P 10DLC registration status in Twilio.

What’s next

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