Verify API - Get started with RCS

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NOTE:

To add this product to your account, contact a Telesign expert. This product is available for full-service accounts only.

This page walks you step-by-step through how to use the Telesign Verify API to send an RCS message to an end user with a one-time passcode (OTP) and how to create and use a custom RCS template. It also explains how to complete the verification process, either to test the end user's asserted OTP or so you don't get charged for any unnecessary messages.

Understanding content available in RCS templates

In addition to the text message in the template, include a one-time passcode (OTP) placeholder, {{otp_code}} to designate the location of the OTP in your message.

Your template can also include other types of content. For more information, contact our Customer Support Team.

Before you begin

1. Make sure Telesign Verify is enabled for your account. Contact our Customer Support Team to enable this product.
2. Make sure you have set up a RCS integration with your account.

Create your template

1. Decide what information to include in your new RCS template.

2. Include the {{otp_code}} placeholder in the body of the text where you want the end user's OTP. Once your template is in place, you will be able to pass the value for an OTP in each request to the API that uses it. If you don't pass the value, Telesign generates an OTP for you.

3. Decide the name for the template you want to create. The template name must include only lowercase letters and underscores. For example: vero_finto_verify. Our Customer Support Team can assist you with any additional requirements for your template name or any other required content that you need to supply when you set up email in your account. You will include this template name in your API requests to select the new template.
   
   

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   CAUTION:

   The template name is specified only once in the POST request. This means that if you use fallback methods, the same template name is applied to all methods. Therefore, you need to ensure that each active channel has a template with that name. While the content can differ, the name must remain the same.

4. Contact our Customer Support Team to let them know you want to add a RCS template to use with Verify API. Include all the details from the steps above. We may ask additional questions or ask you to provide more details that we need for the template.

5. Once we have all necessary requirements from you, we create a RCS template and add it to the configuration for your account.

6. We then notify you that the RCS template is in place. You can begin sending requests to the Verify API using the new template. Once your RCS template is ready to use, follow the steps below to send a RCS message to an end user with a one-time passcode (OTP).

Send OTP via RCS

Keep the reference pages Create a verification process and Update a verification process open in another window while you work on these steps.

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NOTE:

Updating a verification process using the procedure explained in Complete verification and get delivery status is a mandatory step when using Verify API. This step allows Telesign to know the real state of your verification as well as control all the features related to a verification process such as fallback, callback, and pricing. If your end user has verified themselves but the verification process is not updated, these features might not work as intended which can lead to extra costs or incorrect billing.

Send the request

1. Send a Create a verification process request to the Verify API. Include the following param values:

   Parameter	Value	Description	Required?
   recipient.phone_number	Digits without spaces or special characters, beginning with the country dialing code.	The recipient's phone number	yes
   verification_policy[0].method	rcs	One of the verification methods included in a verification policy.	Required only if RCS is not already defined as the primary verification method for this account's default verification policy.
   verification_policy[0].fallback_time	A time in seconds.	The time window in seconds that the service waits before abandoning the current verification method and then initiating verification using the next method.	No. In case you don’t specify the fallback time, default fallback time is used.
   verification_policy[1].method	sms	One of the verification methods included in a verification policy. This is your backup method.	No, but recommended in case your recipient cannot be reached by RCS.
   security_factor	A numeric code, formatted as a string.	The OTP to include in the message to the end user.	No. Can be used if you wish to define your own OTP instead of allowing Telesign to generate an OTP.
   message_template.name	A string consisting only of lowercase alpha characters and underscores.	A name of the template that is used for this request.	No. If you do not declare a template, Verify API will use a default template.

   Request

   HTTP

   POST /verification HTTP/1.1
   Authorization: Basic 12345678-9ABC-DEF0-1234-56789ABCDEF0:Uak4fcLTTH/Tv8c/Q6QMwl5t4ck=
   Content-Type: application/json; charset=utf-8
   Host: verify.telesign.com
   {
     "recipient": {
       "phone_number": "11234567890"
     },
     "verification_policy": [
       {
         "method": "rcs",
         "fallback_time": 30
       },
       {
         "method": "sms",
         "fallback_time": 30
       }
     ]
   }
   

2. The service then sends an RCS message to your end user, inserting a randomly generated OTP in the message.

3. Save the value of the property reference_id from the response. You will need it to complete the verification flow.

4. The status.code and status.description properties in the response indicate the preliminary delivery status of the message.

   Response

   HTTP

   HTTP/1.1 200 OK
   Content-Type: application/json
   {
     "reference_id": "0123456789ABCDEF0123456789ABCDEF",
     "recipient": {
       "phone_number": "11234567890"
     },
     "state": "ONGOING",
     "verification_policy": [
       {
         "method": "rcs",
         "fallback_time": 30
       },
       {
         "method": "sms",
         "fallback_time": 30
       }
     ],
     "status": {
       "code": 3901,
       "description": "Request in progress"
     }
   }
   

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   NOTE:

   The status.code property gives you status of delivery to the destination carrier, not necessarily all the way to the end user.

Complete verification and get delivery status

Once your end user has submitted a potential code through your application, complete the verification flow with a second API call.

1. Send an Update a verification process request to the Verify API. This is to provide Telesign with the asserted OTP from the end user.

   Parameter	Value	Description	Required?
   action	finalize	Specifies how you want to change the verification state for this verification process.	yes
   security_factor	A string consisting of a series of numeric digits.	The end user's asserted one-time passcode (OTP).	yes

   Request

   HTTP

   PATCH /verification/0123456789ABCDEF0123456789ABCDEF/state HTTP/1.1
   Authorization: Basic 12345678-9ABC-DEF0-1234-56789ABCDEF0:Uak4fcLTTH/Tv8c/Q6QMwl5t4ck=
   Content-Type: application/json; charset=utf-8
   Host: verify.telesign.com
   {
     "action": "finalize",
     "security_factor": "5724433"
   }
   

   Response

   HTTP

   HTTP/1.1 200 OK
   Content-Type: application/json
   {
     "status": {
       "code": 3900,
       "description": "Verified"
     }
   }
   

2. If Telesign generated the OTP, and the value of the status.description property is Verified, the verification process completed successfully.