# What is AWS End User Messaging SMS?
**Note**
The SMS, MMS, and voice (text to speech) features of Amazon Pinpoint are now called AWS End User Messaging.
[AWS End User Messaging SMS](https://aws.amazon.com/end-user-messaging/sms/) is an application-to-person (A2P) SMS, MMS, RCS, and voice messaging service which provides the global scale, resiliency, and flexibility required to deliver messaging in any web, mobile, or business applications. SMS messages are used for their most important and urgent communications as SMS proves to be the most effective and ubiquitous communication channel available. Customers prioritize time critical and must-deliver use-cases such as one-time password (OTP) login and authentication, marketing messages, citizen outreach, delivery status updates, or appointment reminders to name a few.
Multimedia messaging service (MMS) is an extension of SMS that provides the ability to send media messages to a mobile phone which includes image, audio, text, or video files. You can use MMS to improve engagement through a variety of branding, workflow, and marketing use cases.
Rich Communication Services (RCS) for business provides verified brand identity, delivery receipts, and improved messaging performance for your messages. AWS End User Messaging SMS supports sending text messages via RCS with automatic SMS fallback when RCS is unavailable. You create an AWS RCS Agent to represent your brand, and use phone pools to enable seamless RCS-to-SMS fallback. For more information, see [RCS messaging](rcs.md).
The information in this user guide is intended for all AWS End User Messaging SMS users, including marketers, business users, and developers. This guide contains information that's especially helpful for users who mainly interact with AWS End User Messaging SMS by using the AWS Management Console.
**Note**
AWS End User Messaging SMS uses the `pinpoint-sms-voice-v2` API namespace.
There are several other documents that are companions to this document. The following documents provide reference information related to the AWS End User Messaging SMS APIs:
+ [AWS End User Messaging SMS and Voice v2 API](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/pinpoint/latest/apireference_smsvoicev2/Welcome.html)
+ [AWS End User Messaging SMS and Voice v2 AWS CLI reference](https://docs.aws.amazon.com//cli/latest/reference/pinpoint-sms-voice-v2/)
AWS End User Messaging SMS includes an API (called the AWS End User Messaging SMS and Voice v2 API) that was designed for sending SMS, MMS and voice messages. While the Amazon Pinpoint API is focused on sending messages through scheduled and event-driven campaigns and journeys, the AWS End User Messaging SMS and Voice v2 API provides dedicated features and capabilities for sending SMS, MMS, and voice messages directly to individual recipients. You can use AWS End User Messaging SMS and Voice API v2 independently of the Amazon Pinpoint campaign and journey features, or you can use both at the same time to accommodate different use cases. If you already use Amazon Pinpoint to send SMS, MMS, or voice messages, your account is already configured to use this API. Here are some key feature differences between the two APIs.
****
| APIs | Amazon Pinpoint API | AWS End User Messaging SMS and Voice v2 API |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Features | [See the AWS documentation website for more details](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/sms-voice/latest/userguide/what-is-sms-mms.html) | [See the AWS documentation website for more details](http://docs.aws.amazon.com/sms-voice/latest/userguide/what-is-sms-mms.html) |
| Number of AWS Regions | 13 AWS Regions | 32 AWS Regions |
This API is a good solution for users who have a multi-tenant architecture, such as Independent Software Vendors (ISVs). This API can be used to establish that event data, origination phone numbers, and opt-out lists are separated for different tenants.
When you use the SMS and Voice v2 API, we recommend that you set up phone pools, configuration sets and event destinations. The SMS and Voice v2 API doesn't automatically emit event data for the messages that you send. Setting up event destinations to capture important event data, such as message delivery and failure events.
Version 2 of this API was preceded by Version 1. If you currently use Version 1 of this API, it will continue to be available, and you can continue to use it. However, if you migrate to Version 2, you will gain additional features, such as the ability to create pools of phone numbers, request new phone numbers programmatically, and enable or disable certain capabilities of phone numbers.
**Topics**
+ [Are you a first-time AWS End User Messaging SMS user?](#first-time-user)
+ [Features of AWS End User Messaging SMS](#servicename-feature-overview)
+ [Accessing AWS End User Messaging SMS](#acessing-servicename)
+ [Regional availability](#sms-regions)
+ [How does SMS messaging work](what-is-sms.md)
+ [AWS End User Messaging SMS concepts](what-is-concepts.md)
## Are you a first-time AWS End User Messaging SMS user?
If you're using AWS End User Messaging SMS for the first time, we recommend that you first read the following sections:
+ [How Short Message Service (SMS) works](what-is-sms.md)
+ [Tutorial for sending a message using AWS End User Messaging SMS](getting-started-tutorial.md)
## Features of AWS End User Messaging SMS
AWS End User Messaging SMS provides the following features and capabilities:
**Global application-to-person messaging**
Application-to-person messaging provides SMS and MMS messaging to mobile phone numbers.
**Registration of origination identities**
Use AWS End User Messaging SMS to register your phone numbers or sender IDs and track the registration status.
**SMS simulator**
Use the SMS simulator to test your messaging environment.
**RCS messaging**
Send verified, branded text messages via Rich Communication Services (RCS) with automatic SMS fallback. RCS provides verified brand identity, delivery receipts, and improved messaging performance. For more information, see [RCS messaging](rcs.md).
**Notify – managed OTP and verification messaging**
Send templated SMS and voice verification messages using AWS-managed phone numbers. No origination identity provisioning required. For more information, see [What is AWS End User Messaging Notify?](notify.md).
## Accessing AWS End User Messaging SMS
You can request and manage your AWS End User Messaging SMS origination identities (phone number or sender ID) using the following interfaces:
**AWS End User Messaging SMS console**
The web interface where you create and manage AWS End User Messaging SMS resources. If you've signed up for an AWS account, you can access the AWS End User Messaging SMS console from the AWS Management Console.
**AWS Command Line Interface**
Interact with AWS services using commands in your command line shell. The AWS Command Line Interface is supported on Windows, macOS, and Linux. For more information about the AWS CLI, see [AWS Command Line Interface User Guide](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/latest/userguide/). You can find the AWS End User Messaging SMS commands in the [AWS CLI Command Reference](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/cli/latest/reference/).
**AWS SDKs**
If you're a software developer that prefers to build applications using language-specific APIs instead of submitting a request over HTTP or HTTPS, AWS provides libraries, sample code, tutorials, and other resources. These libraries provide basic functions that automate tasks, such as cryptographically signing your requests, retrying requests, and handling error responses. These functions help make it more efficient for you to get started. For more information, see [Tools to Build on AWS](https://aws.amazon.com/developer/tools/).
## Regional availability
AWS End User Messaging SMS is available in several AWS Regions in North America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania. In each Region, AWS maintains multiple Availability Zones. These Availability Zones are physically isolated from each other, but are united by private, low-latency, high-throughput, and highly redundant network connections. These Availability Zones are used to provide very high levels of availability and redundancy, while also minimizing latency.
To learn more about AWS Regions, see [Specify which AWS Regions your account can use](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/accounts/latest/reference/manage-acct-regions.html) in the *Amazon Web Services General Reference*. For a list of all the Regions where AWS End User Messaging SMS is currently available and the endpoint for each Region, see [Endpoints and quotas](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/general/latest/gr/end-user-messaging.html) for AWS End User Messaging SMS and Voice v2 API and [AWS service endpoints](https://docs.aws.amazon.com/general/latest/gr/rande.html#pinpoint_region) in the *Amazon Web Services General Reference* or the following table. To learn more about the number of Availability Zones that are available in each Region, see [AWS global infrastructure](https://aws.amazon.com/about-aws/global-infrastructure/).
**Region availability**
| Region name | Region | Endpoint | Supports SMS/MMS channel | Supports voice channel |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| US East (N. Virginia) | us-east-1 | sms-voice.us-east-1.amazonaws.com
sms-voice-fips.us-east-1.amazonaws.com | Yes | Yes |
| US East (Ohio) | us-east-2 | sms-voice.us-east-2.amazonaws.com
sms-voice-fips.us-east-2.amazonaws.com | Yes | Yes |
| US West (N. California) | us-west-1 | sms-voice.us-west-1.amazonaws.com
sms-voice-fips.us-west-1.amazonaws.com | Yes | Yes |
| US West (Oregon) | us-west-2 | sms-voice.us-west-2.amazonaws.com
sms-voice-fips.us-west-2.amazonaws.com | Yes | Yes |
| Africa (Cape Town) | af-south-1 | sms-voice.af-south-1.amazonaws.com | Yes | Yes |
| Asia Pacific (Hyderabad) | ap-south-2 | sms-voice.ap-south-2.amazonaws.com | Yes | No |
| Asia Pacific (Jakarta) | ap-southeast-3 | sms-voice.ap-southeast-3.amazonaws.com | Yes | No |
| Asia Pacific (Melbourne) | ap-southeast-4 | sms-voice.ap-southeast-4.amazonaws.com | Yes | No |
| Asia Pacific (Mumbai) | ap-south-1 | sms-voice.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com | Yes | Yes |
| Asia Pacific (Osaka) | ap-northeast-3 | sms-voice.ap-northeast-3.amazonaws.com | Yes | Yes |
| Asia Pacific (Seoul) | ap-northeast-2 | sms-voice.ap-northeast-2.amazonaws.com | Yes | Yes |
| Asia Pacific (Singapore) | ap-southeast-1 | sms-voice.ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com | Yes | Yes |
| Asia Pacific (Sydney) | ap-southeast-2 | sms-voice.ap-southeast-2.amazonaws.com | Yes | Yes |
| Asia Pacific (Tokyo) | ap-northeast-1 | sms-voice.ap-northeast-1.amazonaws.com | Yes | Yes |
| Asia Pacific (New Zealand) | ap-southeast-6 | sms-voice.ap-southeast-6.amazonaws.com | Yes | No |
| Asia Pacific (Taipei) | ap-east-2 | sms-voice.ap-east-2.amazonaws.com | Yes | No |
| AWS GovCloud (US-East) | us-gov-east-1 | sms-voice.us-gov-east-1.amazonaws.com
sms-voice-fips.us-gov-east-1.amazonaws.com | Yes | No |
| AWS GovCloud (US-West) | us-gov-west-1 | sms-voice.us-gov-west-1.amazonaws.com
sms-voice-fips.us-gov-west-1.amazonaws.com | Yes | Yes |
| Canada (Central) | ca-central-1 | sms-voice.ca-central-1.amazonaws.com
sms-voice-fips.ca-central-1.amazonaws.com | Yes | Yes |
| Canada West (Calgary) | ca-west-1 | sms-voice.ca-west-1.amazonaws.com
sms-voice-fips.ca-west-1.amazonaws.com | Yes | No |
| Europe (Frankfurt) | eu-central-1 | sms-voice.eu-central-1.amazonaws.com | Yes | Yes |
| Europe (Ireland) | eu-west-1 | sms-voice.eu-west-1.amazonaws.com | Yes | Yes |
| Europe (London) | eu-west-2 | sms-voice.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com | Yes | Yes |
| Europe (Milan) | eu-south-1 | sms-voice.eu-south-1.amazonaws.com | Yes | No |
| Europe (Paris) | eu-west-3 | sms-voice.eu-west-3.amazonaws.com | Yes | Yes |
| Europe (Spain) | eu-south-2 | sms-voice.eu-south-2.amazonaws.com | Yes | No |
| Europe (Stockholm) | eu-north-1 | sms-voice.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com | Yes | Yes |
| Europe (Zurich) | eu-central-2 | sms-voice.eu-central-2.amazonaws.com | Yes | No |
| Israel (Tel Aviv) | il-central-1 | sms-voice.il-central-1.amazonaws.com | Yes | No |
| Middle East (Bahrain) | me-south-1 | sms-voice.me-south-1.amazonaws.com | Yes | Yes |
| Middle East (UAE) | me-central-1 | sms-voice.me-central-1.amazonaws.com | Yes | No |
| South America (São Paulo) | sa-east-1 | sms-voice.sa-east-1.amazonaws.com | Yes | Yes |