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Send SMS and WhatsApp from your own phone, with one HTTP request

Everything a developer needs to plug SharkSMS into their own software: the REST API for sending, webhooks for replies, and the Android gateway that does the sending. Public, no login, examples you can paste.

Quick start

Three calls stand between a new account and a delivered text.

  1. Pair a phone. In your dashboard open Devices and add an Android device: scan the QR code with the gateway app. Its device ID appears in the list. Details.
  2. Create an API key. Tools → API Keys → Add. Tick sms_send (and wa_send if you will use WhatsApp). Copy the secret.
  3. Send.
curl -X POST "https://sharksms.com/api/send/sms" \
  -d "secret=YOUR_API_SECRET" \
  -d "mode=devices" \
  -d "device=YOUR_DEVICE_ID" \
  -d "sim=1" \
  -d "phone=+15551234567" \
  -d "message=Hello from SharkSMS"
{"status":200,"message":"Message has been queued for sending!","data":{"messageId":123}}

Everything the API returns is HTTP 200; the real result is the status field in the JSON. Why, and the full list of codes.

What people build with it

  • Transactional texts from your own app: order confirmations, appointment reminders, "your car is ready", one-time codes for a login you control. One POST per message, sent from the phone in your shop.
  • Two-way support on a number customers already have: replies come back by webhook, so a "C" to cancel or a "2" to book can update your own system, not just an inbox.
  • WhatsApp with attachments: a PDF quote, a photo of the finished job, a listing flyer, from the WhatsApp account you linked, to a person or a group.
  • Store notifications without code: the WooCommerce plugin, or a Zapier or Make step, calling the same endpoint.

What it is not built for: carrier-grade throughput or guaranteed delivery SLAs. A consumer phone sends at a human pace; several phones send in parallel. If you need a million OTPs an hour, use a route-based provider; if you need your customers texted from a number they recognise at a flat cost, keep reading.

Ready-made examples

Interactive reference. Signed-in accounts also get an interactive OpenAPI reference for every endpoint (contacts, groups, devices, WhatsApp accounts, scheduled campaigns) under Docs → API in the dashboard. These public pages cover the endpoints most integrations need.