It's possible to have a spam-free SMS inbox in India

Mushkil hai, par namumkin nahi

Mar 12, 2023

If there’s something almost no one takes seriously in the post-Jio era of India, it’s the SMS inbox. Although operators are generously bundling 100s of SMSes with their recharge packs these days, not a lot of Indians use SMS for daily communications or chit-chat. This is unlike the U.S. where iMessage and text messages are deeply entrenched in the daily lives of customers.

While one could argue that a driving factor to this phenomenon is the fact that India has a solid userbase for instant messaging apps like WhatsApp and Telegram, we should not overlook the aspects that make SMS unusable. Despite recent improvements like RCS, an overarching majority have long ignored SMS for use cases other than OTPs and bank alerts for one primary reason — spam messages.

However, it’s not all that bad. Do you want to get rid of the spam SMS you’ve been ignoring for years? I’ve got you covered. Presenting my three-part solution to a ✨sane✨ SMS inbox experience:

Part 1: Analyzing your SMS Inbox

Bringing sanity to your inbox starts with taking a look at what’s annoying you in the first place. Is it the relentless credit card sign-up lure? Play rummy online for free? Or worse, I’m lonely, please call me on number x?

You should take some time to analyze the kind of messages and note the SMS sender ID. This is typically something along the lines of XX-XXXXX. You’ll need this later (spoiler - in Part 3).

In my case, the worst offenders were Freecharge and Nobroker. I swear, Freecharge
👏just👏won’t👏stop👏 sending SMS messages despite clearly turning it off in their app. I had to send a bunch of emails and hop on a couple of customer service calls to finally get rid of their texts.

Coming to Nobroker, I just wanted to scream at that point. House hunting in Bangalore is a nightmare on its own and Nobroker’s relentless SMS “alerts” leave you in an overwhelming, frustrating, annoying, and tiring mess. Unlike Freecharge, however, stopping these texts was relatively seamless — contacted in-app chat support and they took care of it (dil se thank you to whoever did it🥺).

Part 2: Politely decline phone number requests in shopping malls

This is one of my pet peeves that had been dormant for a couple of years now. But not anymore. Seriously, why do you need my phone number to process a bill for oranges? You see, that’s where the trouble begins. They send you a billing confirmation alert, it becomes a couple, and before you know it, your inbox is flooded with promotional messages enticing you to buy stuff you don’t want.

If they insist on the number and you really need the stuff in your cart, walk out (if it’s not an urgent need, obviously) and buy from their online store. They probably have better deals online anyway (I know you’ll likely need to use your phone number to access their online store, but that’s a rant for another day).

I have started making it a conscious decision to politely decline when the billing staff asks me for my phone number during payment. I’m still beta-testing this approach though. Your mileage may vary.

Part 3: Activate DND on operator apps / NDNC India Registry

This is one of the practical solutions you can execute for damage control. It’s not complicated. All you have to do is send “START 0” to 1909 to get your number enrolled in the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI)’s National Do Not Call Registry (NDNC).

You could also check out your telecom operator’s app for DND settings. For instance, I used Airtel’s app to activate DND on my number. I also use it to report complaints whenever I get spam SMS from an unknown sender using the sender ID.

So yes, following these three parts judiciously can hopefully help eliminate (or reduce) distraction while you’re scrolling through the nth YouTube video or Instagram Reel. But hey, I’m not judging, we’re all in the same boat!

Hold on, why not use an app like Microsoft SMS Organizer, you ask? Well, it’s the easy way out, but it doesn’t fix the problem. It’s more of a flex tape solution, you could say. And I like finding the root cause of issues and solving them from within (adds problem solver to resume).

On to why I wrote all these in the next section.

It’s only after a job interview with a certain customer relationship management startup that I became enlightened about how corporations exploit all channels of communication to get your attention, especially if you are a “high-value customer”. So, who is a high-value customer? Let me make it easy for you: If you order food online more than 15 times a month, consider yourself a high-value customer. Not quite the “Top 1%” league, but somewhere right in the total addressable market.

But Subin, isn’t all this a hassle and a lot of effort? Listen, I hear you, I do. It’s easier to ignore and dismiss these SMS-es. But then, there’s something called consent, no? You should have the option to choose to receive these spams (Idk who in their right mind would choose to, but there’s that) rather than being coerced into it.

If you’re still not convinced, hear me out. If an uncle can challenge the Indian judiciary and fight years of legal battles over 20 rupees, if big corporations can pull off massive layoffs and get away with it, if a chaiwala can become the prime minister of the country (this is an overrated analogy, but it works), you can take control over your SMS inbox now (wow, I should’ve been a motivational speaker).

Ah, it feels nice to share stuff without worrying about SEO-friendly titles, say something along the lines of stop spam texts or block spam SMS (Wait, did I just do sneaky keyword stuffing here? You never know 🫣).

Wishing you a sane SMS experience. Stay tuned for a possible future post where I attempt to achieve the great Inbox-zero email status (stares at 6,208 unread emails, sigh. Okay, I should a put real emphasis on the word attempt). Will I succeed? Or will I fail miserably? ~~Find out in the next episode of Dragon Ball Z.~~ I will keep you posted.

Treat corner: Hmm, Academy Awards 2023 is happening tonight. I really hope Triangle of Sadness or Everything Everywhere All At Once wins in the Best Picture category. Or you know, anything other than Avatar: The Way of Water. In other news, I discovered a chill indie pop song called Crush this weekend. It has a nice groove to it, check it out!

Before I wrap up, I’ll leave you with a video recommendation. If you’re a fan of HBO’s Succession, I urge you to watch this How Money Works video where they break down the business side of things in the deals and negotiations you see in the show. Now that we’re on the subject, here’s a 1-hour version of the theme song for you to bask in its glory. Season 4 (last season sadly, but at least they’re not milking the franchise) drops March 26, yaaaaaaay!

Until next time!

Stay sane,

Subin

subin

Discussion about this post