WooCommerce SMS integration: order texts from your own phone with one code snippet

What you need

• A WordPress site with WooCommerce and the free Code Snippets plugin (Snippets in the admin menu). Any host that lets PHP make outbound HTTPS requests, which is nearly all of them.
• A textbee account with the Android app installed on the phone that holds the SIM, and an API key from the dashboard.
• Phone numbers the send endpoint can use. The snippet adds a default country code to numbers typed without one.
• The textbee app on the phone. Download the app, then create an API key in the dashboard.

Send SMS from WooCommerce

WooCommerce fires a hook on every order status change. The snippet listens once, picks the template for the new status, and sends. Each status is texted once per order, recorded in order meta, so a status that flips back and forth does not text twice.

1. 1

   Install Code Snippets

   In Plugins, add Code Snippets and activate it. A Snippets item appears in the admin menu. Snippets run from the database, so they stay in place when you switch or update the theme, and a snippet that throws a fatal error is switched off instead of taking the site down.

2. 2

   Add the API key to wp-config.php

   Put the key in a constant above the line that says stop editing. It then stays out of the database and out of snippet exports. If you cannot edit wp-config.php, the snippet defines the same constant at the top.

   wp-config.php

   Copy

   define( 'TEXTBEE_API_KEY', 'YOUR_TEXTBEE_API_KEY' );

3. 3

   Create the send snippet

   Open Snippets, then Add New. Name it textbee order texts, paste the code below, keep the scope on Run snippet everywhere, and click Save Changes and Activate.

   textbee-order-texts.php

   Copy

   // textbee order texts: one SMS per order status change.
   if ( ! defined( 'TEXTBEE_API_KEY' ) ) {
   	define( 'TEXTBEE_API_KEY', 'YOUR_TEXTBEE_API_KEY' );
   }
   define( 'TEXTBEE_DEFAULT_COUNTRY_CODE', '+1' ); // Added to numbers typed without one.
   
   add_action( 'woocommerce_order_status_changed', 'textbee_sms_on_status_change', 10, 4 );
   
   function textbee_sms_on_status_change( $order_id, $old_status, $new_status, $order ) {
   	$templates = array(
   		'processing' => 'Hi {name}, order #{order} is confirmed. Total {total}. We will text you when it ships.',
   		'completed'  => 'Hi {name}, order #{order} has shipped. Reply to this text if you have a question.',
   		'on-hold'    => 'Hi {name}, order #{order} is on hold until we receive your payment.',
   		'cancelled'  => 'Hi {name}, order #{order} was cancelled. Reply to this text if that is a mistake.',
   	);
   	if ( empty( $templates[ $new_status ] ) ) {
   		return;
   	}
   	$meta_key = '_textbee_sms_' . $new_status;
   	if ( $order->get_meta( $meta_key ) ) {
   		return; // Already texted for this status.
   	}
   	$phone = textbee_e164( $order->get_billing_phone() ?: $order->get_shipping_phone() );
   	if ( '' === $phone ) {
   		$order->add_order_note( 'textbee: no phone number on the order.' );
   		return;
   	}
   	$message = strtr( $templates[ $new_status ], array(
   		'{name}'  => $order->get_billing_first_name() ?: 'there',
   		'{order}' => $order->get_order_number(),
   		'{total}' => number_format( (float) $order->get_total(), 2 ) . ' ' . $order->get_currency(),
   	) );
   	$result = textbee_send_sms( $phone, $message );
   	$order->update_meta_data( $meta_key, $result );
   	$order->update_meta_data( '_textbee_phone', $phone ); // Lets the reply snippet find the order.
   	$order->save();
   	$order->add_order_note( 'textbee: ' . $result );
   }
   
   function textbee_send_sms( $phone, $message ) {
   	$response = wp_remote_post( 'https://api.textbee.dev/api/v1/gateway/send-sms', array(
   		'timeout' => 15,
   		'headers' => array(
   			'x-api-key'    => TEXTBEE_API_KEY,
   			'Content-Type' => 'application/json',
   		),
   		'body'    => wp_json_encode( array(
   			'recipients' => array( $phone ),
   			'message'    => $message,
   		) ),
   	) );
   	if ( is_wp_error( $response ) ) {
   		return 'error ' . $response->get_error_message();
   	}
   	$code = (int) wp_remote_retrieve_response_code( $response );
   	if ( $code < 200 || $code >= 300 ) {
   		return 'error ' . $code . ' ' . wp_remote_retrieve_body( $response );
   	}
   	$body = json_decode( wp_remote_retrieve_body( $response ), true );
   	return 'sent ' . ( $body['data']['smsBatchId'] ?? '' );
   }
   
   // Turns "(201) 555-0123" into "+12015550123". Numbers that start with + are kept as they are.
   function textbee_e164( $phone ) {
   	$phone  = trim( (string) $phone );
   	$digits = preg_replace( '/\D/', '', $phone );
   	if ( '' === $digits ) {
   		return '';
   	}
   	if ( str_starts_with( $phone, '+' ) ) {
   		return '+' . $digits;
   	}
   	if ( str_starts_with( $digits, '00' ) ) {
   		return '+' . substr( $digits, 2 );
   	}
   	return TEXTBEE_DEFAULT_COUNTRY_CODE . ltrim( $digits, '0' );
   }

4. 4

   Adjust the templates and the country code

   Edit the $templates array: one line per status, with {name}, {order} and {total} filled from the order. Remove a status to skip it, or add the slug of a custom status a shipping plugin creates. Set TEXTBEE_DEFAULT_COUNTRY_CODE to the calling code of the country most customers type numbers for.

5. 5

   Test with one order

   Create an order with your own number and move it to Processing, then Completed. Each change sends one text, and the order notes show textbee: sent with the batch id, or the error text. You never have to open a log file.

Receive SMS in WooCommerce

A second snippet registers a REST route that textbee posts replies to. It checks the signature, finds the newest order texted from that number, and adds the text as an order note, where the person handling the order sees it.

1. 1

   Create the receive snippet

   Add a second snippet named textbee replies with the code below, scope Run snippet everywhere, and activate it. The signature check is the authentication, so the route needs no login.

   textbee-replies.php

   Copy

   // textbee replies: adds each incoming SMS to the newest order texted from that number.
   define( 'TEXTBEE_WEBHOOK_SECRET', 'YOUR_SIGNING_SECRET' );
   
   add_action( 'rest_api_init', function () {
   	register_rest_route( 'textbee/v1', '/inbound', array(
   		'methods'             => 'POST',
   		'callback'            => 'textbee_receive_sms',
   		'permission_callback' => '__return_true', // The signature check below is the authentication.
   	) );
   } );
   
   function textbee_receive_sms( WP_REST_Request $request ) {
   	$raw       = $request->get_body();
   	$expected  = hash_hmac( 'sha256', $raw, TEXTBEE_WEBHOOK_SECRET );
   	$signature = (string) $request->get_header( 'x-signature' );
   	if ( ! hash_equals( $expected, $signature ) ) {
   		return new WP_REST_Response( array( 'error' => 'bad signature' ), 401 );
   	}
   	$payload = json_decode( $raw, true );
   	if ( ( $payload['webhookEvent'] ?? '' ) !== 'MESSAGE_RECEIVED' ) {
   		return new WP_REST_Response( array( 'ok' => true ), 200 );
   	}
   	$seen = 'textbee_' . md5( $payload['idempotencyKey'] ?? $raw );
   	if ( get_transient( $seen ) ) {
   		return new WP_REST_Response( array( 'ok' => true, 'duplicate' => true ), 200 );
   	}
   	set_transient( $seen, 1, DAY_IN_SECONDS );
   
   	$orders = wc_get_orders( array(
   		'meta_key'   => '_textbee_phone',
   		'meta_value' => $payload['sender'],
   		'limit'      => 1,
   		'orderby'    => 'date',
   		'order'      => 'DESC',
   	) );
   	if ( empty( $orders ) ) {
   		return new WP_REST_Response( array( 'ok' => true, 'matched' => false ), 200 );
   	}
   	$orders[0]->add_order_note( 'SMS reply from ' . $payload['sender'] . ': ' . $payload['message'] );
   	return new WP_REST_Response( array( 'ok' => true, 'matched' => true ), 200 );
   }

2. 2

   Register the webhook in textbee

   In the textbee dashboard create a webhook with the URL https://yourstore.example/wp-json/textbee/v1/inbound, the MESSAGE_RECEIVED event and a signing secret. Put the same secret in the snippet.

3. 3

   Test it

   Text the phone from the number on a test order. Within seconds the order gets a note with the message. A text from a number with no texted order answers matched false and stays in your textbee account.

4. 4

   Answer from the store

   textbee_send_sms() from the first snippet can be called from any other snippet, for example a custom order action, with the number stored in _textbee_phone. The answer goes out from the same number the customer texted.

Ask your AI agent to set it up

The prompt below carries the endpoints, the payloads and the WooCommerce details from this page. Change the line that starts with What I want, paste the prompt into your agent, and it walks you through the setup with your own field names and numbers.

I want to connect textbee to WooCommerce. textbee is an SMS gateway that sends and receives SMS through my own Android phone. Help me set it up step by step.

Facts about the textbee API. Use only these. Do not invent endpoints or fields.
- Send an SMS: POST https://api.textbee.dev/api/v1/gateway/send-sms with the header x-api-key: <TEXTBEE_API_KEY> and a JSON body like {"recipients": ["+12015550123"], "message": "Hello"}. recipients must be a JSON array of E.164 numbers, even for one number. Optional fields: deviceId, simSubscriptionId, scheduledAt (ISO 8601, in the future). The response is {"data": {"success": true, "smsBatchId": "..."}}.
- Check delivery or read replies: GET https://api.textbee.dev/api/v1/gateway/messages with the same header. Filters: direction=received, smsBatchId=<id from the send>, from and to as ISO timestamps. Each row has a status such as sent, delivered, failed or received.
- Receive an SMS: textbee posts JSON to a webhook URL I register in the dashboard. A MESSAGE_RECEIVED delivery has these top-level fields: smsId, message, deviceId, webhookSubscriptionId, webhookEvent, idempotencyKey, sender, receivedAt. The header X-Signature holds an HMAC-SHA256 hex digest of the raw body, keyed with the signing secret I set on the webhook. Retries reuse the same idempotencyKey.
- Limits: One Android phone sends roughly 10 to 15 messages a minute. Text only, no MMS. Messages over 160 characters are split into segments.

What I want: Text the customer from my own phone when a WooCommerce order is confirmed and when it is completed, and add their replies to the order as a note. The code must live in the Code Snippets plugin, not in the theme.

WooCommerce specifics you should know:
- WooCommerce fires woocommerce_order_status_changed with $order_id, $old_status, $new_status and the WC_Order object. Status slugs are pending, processing, on-hold, completed, cancelled, refunded and failed, without the wc- prefix.
- Read order fields with the getters: get_billing_phone(), get_shipping_phone(), get_billing_first_name(), get_order_number(), get_total(), get_currency(). Store state with update_meta_data() and save(), which work with and without high-performance order storage.
- Send with wp_remote_post() and wp_json_encode(); check is_wp_error() and wp_remote_retrieve_response_code(). Record the result with add_order_note() so it shows on the order.
- The code goes in the free Code Snippets plugin (Snippets, Add New, scope Run snippet everywhere), never in functions.php. Keep the API key in a wp-config.php constant.
- WooCommerce stores phone numbers as typed; normalise to E.164 with a default country code before sending.
- Replies come in through a REST route registered with register_rest_route on rest_api_init. Verify the X-Signature header with hash_hmac over the raw request body and hash_equals, and ignore repeated idempotencyKey values.

Give me:
1. The exact clicks and field values in WooCommerce, using its real field labels.
2. The request body or field mapping, with placeholders for my API key and phone numbers. Never ask me to paste the real key into this chat.
3. A test with one number and what a correct result looks like.
4. The three most likely failure causes and how to check each one.

Automations that work well

Confirmed and shipped

The processing and completed templates, which nearly every order passes through. Add the slug of a shipped status if your fulfilment plugin creates one, and drop completed to avoid two texts.

Cash on delivery confirmation

An on-hold template that asks for a YES reply, and three lines in the receive snippet that move the order to processing when the reply matches.

Low stock alert to the owner

A third snippet on woocommerce_low_stock that calls textbee_send_sms() with your own number and the product name.

New order to the owner

A second call to textbee_send_sms() in the processing branch with your number and a short line: New order #{order}, {total}. Many shops start with only this.

Why teams move WooCommerce SMS to their own phone

The bill

SMS plugins for WooCommerce charge a licence and pass on a per-message fee from a cloud provider, so the cost rises with every order. A phone on a flat plan sends the same texts for the plan price.

The reply rate

A shipping text from the shop’s own mobile number is one the customer can answer and call. Texts from a rented number get ignored, and replies to them go nowhere.

Code you can read

Sixty lines in a snippet, one endpoint, no plugin with access to every order and customer. When something changes, you edit a template line, not a settings maze.

A cloud SMS provider in WooCommerce vs textbee in WooCommerce

Per-message prices by provider and country, with sources and dates, are on the provider comparison pages.

What works and what does not

What WooCommerce charges

Code Snippets is free on WordPress.org, and PHP snippets that run on every request are part of the free version. WooCommerce itself is free. wordpress.org, checked on September 30, 2026. textbee itself charges a flat monthly plan with messages included; see pricing.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

1. wordpress.org, checked on September 30, 2026
2. developer.woocommerce.com: Using the Code Snippets plugin, checked on September 30, 2026
3. developer.wordpress.org: HTTP API, checked on September 30, 2026
4. woocommerce.github.io: WC_Order reference, checked on September 30, 2026
5. developer.wordpress.org: register_rest_route, checked on September 30, 2026

Read next

• Shopify order texts with Shopify Flow
• Order and delivery notifications with SMS from your own Android number
• Send and receive SMS in PHP
• Tutorial: WooCommerce SMS notifications without a plugin
• Webhooks documentation
• GoHighLevel SMS integration: send and receive texts through your own phone
• Zapier SMS integration: send and receive texts with Webhooks by Zapier
• All integrations