If “SMS sender ID ban” has been floating around your feed this week, you’re probably wondering whether your appointment reminders are about to stop working.
They’re not. But we get why you’re asking.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has introduced new rules around how businesses in Australia send text messages. It’s been covered widely, and the headline sounds alarming if you only catch a fragment of it. So here’s the full picture, plainly.
What’s actually changing?
From 1 July 2026, businesses in Australia that send SMS under a branded sender name, think “AusPost” or “myGov” appearing at the top of the message instead of a phone number, need to register that name on a new ACMA register.
If they don’t, their messages will arrive labelled “Unverified” and get grouped alongside potential scam texts on the recipient’s phone. For businesses relying on that branded name to reach customers, it’s a real problem.
The rule exists for good reason. Scammers have been impersonating trusted brands via SMS for years, and this register makes that significantly harder.
Does this affect Kitomba?
No. And here’s why.
Kitomba sends your appointment reminders and client notifications from a phone number, not a branded name. When your clients get a text from Kitomba, they see a phone number at the top, not a word like “Kitomba”. The ACMA register only covers businesses sending SMS under a branded name, so these rules don’t apply to us.
Your reminders will arrive exactly as they do today. No “Unverified” label. No disruption. Nothing you need to do.
What if a client asks?
Some clients may have seen the same coverage you did and wonder whether their texts from you are affected.
You can tell them: the reminders they get from your salon come through Kitomba, and Kitomba has looked into this. The new rules don’t apply. Nothing is changing.
That’s it. No caveats, no asterisks.
Anything you need to do?
Nothing at all on your end.
If that changes, we’ll let you know directly. That’s the kind of thing we keep an eye on so you don’t have to.