Church Admin Plugin

e.164 Phone format

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e164 is an internationally recognised phone number format required by Twilio for SMS delivery. Church Admin stores mobile numbers in both their original format and in e164 format — the e164 version is what’s used when sending SMS messages.

What e164 looks like

An e164 number always follows this structure:

  • A + sign
  • The international country calling code (no leading zeros)
  • The local area code (with any leading zero removed)
  • The local phone number
  • No spaces, dashes, brackets, or other characters

Examples

UK example

A UK mobile number stored as 07911 123456 becomes +447911123456 in e164:

  • UK international code: 44
  • Remove the leading 0 from the local number: 7911123456
  • Combined: +447911123456

US example

A US number stored as (202) 456-1414 becomes +12024561414 in e164:

  • US international code: 1
  • Local number without formatting: 2024561414
  • Combined: +12024561414

Australian example

An Australian mobile stored as 0412 345 678 becomes +61412345678 in e164:

  • Australian international code: 61
  • Remove the leading 0: 412345678
  • Combined: +61412345678

How Church Admin handles e164 conversion

You don’t need to enter numbers in e164 format manually. Church Admin converts mobile numbers stored in the directory to e164 automatically using the default country code set in Church Admin → Communications → SMS settings. Two conversion methods are available:

  • Check for directory issues — running this converts all mobile numbers in the directory to e164 format in one go, using the default country code. This is the recommended first step before sending your first SMS. See Check for directory issues.
  • Individual records — when you add or edit a person record, Church Admin attempts to convert the mobile number to e164 automatically when you save. The e164 version is stored separately alongside the original number.

Border areas and international congregations

The automatic conversion uses a single default country code — so if your congregation includes people with phone numbers from multiple countries, some numbers may be converted incorrectly. This is common for churches near national borders or with internationally mobile congregations.

For individuals with numbers from a different country, open their person record and manually correct the e164 number in the e164 field directly. Enter the full e164 number including the + and the correct country code for that person’s number.

Finding country calling codes

A full list of international country calling codes is available at Wikipedia — List of country calling codes.

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