How to Test Arattai Message Templates with Test Recipients
A test recipient is a real Arattai account you verify once, so your numbers can message it freely. Use it to run templates, workflows and mini apps end to end before a customer ever sees them.
What Test Recipients Are For
Because a test recipient can receive unapproved templates, they are how you try a new template or mini app without waiting on review or spending credits.
Test recipients are linked to a business, not your company. Each business keeps its own list.
A business can only message test recipients until it is verified.
The Test Recipients List
Column | What it shows |
Phone number | The recipient's registered Arattai phone number |
Reference name | A name used by your team to identify the recipient |
Arattai UID | The unique Arattai identifier for the recipient |
Last activity | When the recipient was last used |
Messages today | Message usage for the recipient for the current day |
How to Add a Test Recipient
Select the business to associate this recipient with.
Enter the Arattai number you want to use for testing.
The recipient receives a verification code as a system message in their Arattai account. Enter it to confirm.
Set a reference name. It is pre-filled from their Arattai profile and you can change it. Only your team can see this name in the console.
Note the Arattai UID shown, this is what identifies the recipient in your API calls and webhook events.
Confirm to add. The recipient gets a system message telling them they were added, and an audit entry records who did it.
Note: The number must be a registered Arattai account. If it is not, the recipient needs to create one before you can add them.What You Can Do with a Test Recipient
What | Detail |
Any template, approved or not | Including drafts. When you send an unapproved template, the latest saved draft is what goes out. |
No credits | Messages to test recipients are not charged. |
No throughput impact | They do not consume the number's production tier or throughput budget. |
Not in analytics | Test traffic does not distort your reporting. |
Full conversational and mini app behaviour | Everything works as it would for a real customer. |
Addressed normally | Target them by phone number or Arattai UID. Webhook entries carry the UID as usual. |
Test Receipients Limits
Limit | Value |
Test recipients per business | 5 |
Messages per test recipient per day | 500 |
Once a recipient's daily cap is reached, API calls to it are rejected until the next day. If you are at the five-recipient limit, remove one to add another.
Editing a Test Recipient
Only the reference name can be changed.
Open the menu at the end of the recipient's row.
Select Edit.
Update the Reference name.
Select Update to save the change.
Removing a Test Recipient
Open the menu at the end of the recipient's row and select Delete.
When you remove a test recipient:
The recipient receives a system message.
An audit entry records who removed them.
Messages to that number stop being free, they count against your normal limits, and template messages start consuming credits.
You can add the same number back at any time.
When a Test Recipient Is Removed Automatically
Situation | What happens |
The recipient's Arattai account is deleted | They are removed from the business (noted in the audit log where possible) |
The business is deleted | All of its test recipients are removed |
Note: One Arattai account can be a test recipient for several businesses at once. Adding it to one does not remove it from another.Related Articles