How-to guide · Compliance
Failed Number Directory
The Failed Number Directory (FND) keeps track of phone numbers that carriers reported as undeliverable. When it’s on, Statxt stops texting those numbers, skips them on import, and unsubscribes matching contacts. That keeps failed traffic off your numbers.
How it works
- 1
A text fails
The carrier reports the message as failed or undelivered, with an error code.
- 2
The code is checked
Most codes count after one failure. Codes 1, 16 and 99 need two.
- 3
The number is blocked
It joins the directory and lands on your DNC list as Auto-Blocked.
- 4
Everything skips it
Campaigns, 1:1 sends and contact imports leave the number out.
STEP 01
Make sure FND is on
Open Compliance → Settings and find Failed Number Directory (FND). It’s on by default.
- Only owners and admins can change it. Changes save automatically.
- When it’s on, failed numbers are suppressed, matching contacts are unsubscribed, and imports skip FND numbers.
- Turn it on before large imports or blasts. That’s when it saves the most failed sends.
STEP 02
Understand what puts a number in the directory
A number is added when a text to it fails with a carrier error code. The rules are strict so one-off glitches don’t block good numbers.
- Most error codes add the number after one failed text.
- Error codes 1, 16 and 99 need two failed texts first.
- Problems on your side don’t count: running out of credits, rate or daily limits, network errors and similar.
- The directory is shared across Statxt. A number that failed for another business is blocked for you too when FND is on.
STEP 03
Review auto-blocked numbers
Each blocked number is added to your DNC list. Open Compliance → DNC List to see them.
- They show Auto-Blocked in the Source column, with “Failed number directory” underneath.
- Their Reason is Bounced, and Added By is System.
- Click Export Auto-Blocked to download only these rows for review.
- Contacts with these numbers are marked unsubscribed.
STEP 04
See it working on sends and imports
You don’t need to do anything else. Statxt checks the directory every time you send or import.
- Text Blaster leaves blocked numbers out and reports them, for example “Excluded: 2 DNC, 21 FND.”
- 1:1 texts to a blocked number are refused, and campaign recipients are skipped as “Blocked by Failed Number Directory”.
- The contact import summary shows an FND Excluded count.
- Validate phones in Contacts skips FND numbers, so you don’t spend credits checking them.
STEP 05
Know how a number gets unblocked
Numbers don’t stay blocked forever. Phones get reconnected and numbers get reassigned.
- If someone texts you from a blocked number, that proves it works. Statxt clears it from the directory, removes the Auto-Blocked DNC entry and reactivates matching contacts.
- Contacts who opted out stay opted out.
- Otherwise the block ends 90 days after the number’s most recent failure.
- Removing an Auto-Blocked row from your DNC list doesn’t clear the directory itself, so texts can stay blocked while FND is on.
Pro tips
Get more out of Failed Number Directory
Leave it on
FND only reacts to carrier failures. Turning it off means you keep texting numbers that can’t receive messages.
Turn it on before big sends
The directory protects every import and blast that comes after it’s on. Turn it on before you upload a large list.
Export and clean up
Use Export Auto-Blocked now and then to update your CRM or source lists, so dead numbers don’t come back in the next import.
Account problems don’t count
Running out of credits or hitting a limit won’t push good numbers into the directory.
Watch the Excluded note
A big FND count after a send usually means an old or bought list. Check where those contacts came from.
Let replies unblock
You don’t need to fix false positives by hand. A text from the number clears the block automatically.
Common questions
Is FND the same as my DNC list?
No. Your DNC list holds numbers your workspace must not text, like opt-outs. FND is a shared record of numbers carriers reported as undeliverable. When FND blocks a number, it also adds an Auto-Blocked row to your DNC list.
Which failures add a number to the directory?
Failed or undelivered texts with a carrier error code. Most codes count after one failure; codes 1, 16 and 99 need two. Account-side issues like low credits or rate limits never count.
How long does a number stay blocked?
Until 90 days after its most recent failure, or until the number texts you, whichever comes first.
What happens if I turn FND off?
Sends and imports stop checking the directory. Numbers already added to your DNC list as Auto-Blocked stay there, so they remain blocked until you remove them or the number texts you.
Last reviewed October 8, 2026. Names, phone numbers, contacts, and stats in the illustrations are fictional examples.
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