Toll-free numbers in Dispatch Bros: what works and what does not

Toll-free (8xx) numbers work in Dispatch Bros with one big caveat: voice is first-class — calls, call flows, everything a local number does — but texting is off by default. A new toll-free number shows Voice only with the note "SMS is not enabled for toll-free numbers." until you submit it for Toll-Free Verification; once carriers approve it, it reads Ready and texts exactly like a local number. Toll-free also can't serve as a masking (outbound caller-ID) line — those must be local.

What works out of the box

• Voice — buy a toll-free number in Acquire Numbers by setting Number Type to Toll Free (buying guide), assign a call flow, and it rings like any other line.
• Inbound texts are not part of the voice-only state — a toll-free number that hasn't been verified simply doesn't text. The Numbers table collapses this honestly to a Voice only pill rather than an eternal pending state.

What needs Toll-Free Verification

Carriers require every toll-free number to pass verification before it can text. To submit yours:

1. Open Phone System → 10DLC Verification.
2. Click Add Toll-Free Verification.
3. In the "Verify toll-free numbers" dialog, tick the numbers to submit and press the submit button. The dialog explains: "Carriers require every toll-free number to pass verification before it can text." — it uses your business profile, and review usually takes a few days.
4. While in review, the number's SMS Status shows Verification pending — "Toll-Free Verification in progress — usually 1–3 business days."
5. On approval the status flips to Ready automatically, and the number sends like a local one.

Toll-free verification requests appear alongside your 10DLC campaigns on the same tab, with the live carrier status on each card.

What toll-free can never do

• Masking / dedicated outbound caller ID — carriers reject toll-free caller ID on outbound call legs, so only local numbers can be reserved as a job source's masking number. The masking pickers in Dispatch Bros simply don't offer toll-free lines.
• 10DLC campaigns — toll-free numbers never join a 10DLC campaign; their texting path is Toll-Free Verification instead. That also means a toll-free number never counts against a campaign's 49-number cap.

Troubleshooting

• The verification dialog says there's nothing to submit — all of your toll-free numbers are already verified or in review. Numbers you buy later appear there automatically until they're verified.
• A toll-free row shows Voice only forever — verification is never automatic; you have to submit the number once from Phone System → 10DLC Verification.
• Verification pending for more than a few days — check the request's card on the 10DLC Verification tab for carrier feedback, and use Refresh to pull the latest status straight from the carrier side.
• Inbound calls don't ring — like any number, a toll-free line routes calls only once a call flow is assigned. See the Inbound Call Flow column on the Numbers tab.