SMS Step: Overview
The SMS step collects a guest's phone number at the booth and texts them a link to their media. It is the fastest digital delivery FMX offers: a phone number is quicker to type than an email address, and the link lands on the device the guest is already holding.
This article covers the workflow step. For account-level SMS configuration, sender numbers, and delivery, see SMS Sharing and Using Your Own Phone Number for SMS.
What Is the SMS Step?
From the workflow's point of view, the SMS step:
- Shows a number-entry screen with an on-screen keypad
- Queues a text message containing a link to the selected media
- Continues once the guest submits or skips
From the guest's point of view:
- They enter their mobile number
- They receive a text with a link
- Tapping the link opens their media, ready to save or share
The message carries a link, not the file itself. That is what keeps delivery fast and reliable regardless of file size, and it is why a video sent by SMS arrives just as quickly as a photo.
Settings
Media to SMS selects what the link points to. The options are the same as the Email step:
- Final Photo — the composited layout. The default
- Final Video — the finished video
- Final GIF — a GIF produced by a compatible or legacy workflow
- Raw Photo — the unprocessed camera image
- Raw Video — the unprocessed clip
Enable multiple SMS lets several people in the same group each enter a number in one session.
Show skip button gives guests an explicit way past the step, and skip step chooses where the workflow goes when they take it.
Unlike the Email step, SMS has no timeout setting. If you need an automatic escape at a busy event, provide a skip button and a clear route past the step.
When Should You Use the SMS Step?
Use it when speed matters and guests want their photo on their phone immediately.
Typical reasons:
- Nightlife, festivals, and high-throughput events where every second in the queue counts
- Younger audiences who will post from their phone rather than open an inbox
- Events where guests are unlikely to type an email address correctly on a touchscreen
- Video-heavy workflows: the link approach avoids attachment-size problems entirely
Consider Email or a QR Code step instead when:
- The client wants an opt-in mailing list rather than a phone list
- The event is international and carrier rules or per-message costs make SMS expensive
- Guests should receive full-resolution files rather than a gallery link
- You want zero data entry, in which case a QR code is faster still
How the SMS Step Fits in the Workflow
Place it after the media exists, usually after Preview:
- Capture and processing steps
- Save Final Photo
- Preview
- SMS
- Print Copies, if printing
- Thank-you animation
- End Session
Notes on placement:
- Choose only media the workflow produces. An explicit Save Final Photo checkpoint guarantees the Final Photo exists at this exact point, but FMX can also prepare final media when a sharing step consumes it
- A short animation beforehand explaining "text your photo to yourself" measurably increases uptake
- Offering SMS, Email, and QR behind a Selection Screen lets guests choose, and is the most common shape at larger events
Country codes and number formats
Guests routinely enter local numbers without a country code. Brief attendants on this, and consider an on-screen hint showing the expected format for the country you are in. A mistyped number is a silently undelivered message: neither the guest nor the operator finds out at the booth.
Sender numbers and compliance
Foto Master Cloud sends from a shared number by default. Pro accounts can use their own number, which improves deliverability and looks better to the guest. Some regions have registration requirements for commercial messaging; check SMS Sharing before committing to SMS at an event in an unfamiliar market.
Why the SMS Step Is Useful
For event operators:
- The fastest digital delivery available, which keeps the line moving
- Very high open rates compared with email
- Works for large video files, because only a link is sent
For guests:
- The photo is on their phone within seconds, ready to post
- No inbox, no spam folder, no app to install
Common Mistakes
Requesting media the workflow never produces. Match the SMS media list to the actual photo, video, and GIF outputs. Add Save Final Photo before SMS when you need an explicit, fixed photo checkpoint.
No skip route. SMS has no timeout, so a guest who does not want to give a number needs a skip button or they will simply walk away and leave the booth stuck.
Assuming the file is attached. The message contains a link. If a client needs the actual file delivered, use Email.
Forgetting the video or GIF. Add Final Video or Final GIF to the media list, or the link will only show the photo.
Ignoring country codes. Numbers entered in local format may not deliver. Prompt for the full international format where it matters.
Was this helpful?
Related articles
Animation Steps: Single, Random, and Timeless
Animation steps are how your workflow talks to the guest. They play an image, video, or slideshow on the booth screen and hold the flow there until a trigger fires. Almost every sc
Live View: Overview
The Live View step turns the booth into a mirror. It starts the live camera feed on screen so guests can see themselves, adjust their pose, and get their group into frame before th
Save Final Photo: Overview
Save Final Photo is an explicit checkpoint. It composites the photos and processing results available at that point into the active layout and writes the session's Final Photo. The
Video from Photos: Overview
The Video from Photos step turns the still photos captured in a session into a short MP4 clip. It is the step behind the moving version of the photo strip that guests get alongside
Draw Me Offline: Overview
The Draw Me Offline step queues the media already captured in the current session for AI Draw Me processing, instead of sending it and waiting for the cloud to respond while the gu