Consent and Opt-outs

Voqo automatically tracks consent for every contact you message. When someone opts out, their record is captured immediately and Voqo stops sending them messages. The Consent and Opt-outs screen gives you a complete, auditable view of every consent event across your workspace.

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The opted-out contacts list

The consent screen shows all contacts who have opted out — whether they replied STOP to a message or you added the opt-out yourself. Each row shows:

• Contact — name and mobile number. When Voqo recognises the number, the contact’s name is shown; otherwise you see the number alone.
• Source — how the opt-out was created: Customer STOP (the contact texted STOP) or Added by operator (someone on your team added it).
• Opted out on — the date and time the opt-out was recorded.
• Last event — the most recent consent-related activity (opt-out, re-subscription, or a HELP request).

Contacts on this list cannot receive SMS from your workspace until the opt-out is removed. Voqo enforces this automatically — no manual exclusion lists are needed. You can search the list by part of a mobile number or by contact name to find a specific record quickly.

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Consent events explained

Every consent change is recorded as an event, whether the contact triggered it or your team did: Every event that a team member performs records who did it, so the trail always shows who added or removed an opt-out.

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Adding an opt-out manually

To record an opt-out yourself — for example, a contact who asked to stop by phone or email — click Add opt-out and enter their mobile number. The row appears immediately with the Added by operator source, attributed to you, and the contact stops receiving SMS straight away. Adding the same number twice is safe — Voqo recognises it is already opted out and does not create a duplicate.

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Undoing an opt-out

You can undo an opt-out you no longer need — for example, one added by mistake, or a contact who has since given consent again. Open the contact and choose to remove the opt-out. Voqo shows a warning first, and the warning depends on how the opt-out was created:

• Added by operator — a standard confirmation: “Removing it means your organisation can message them again.”
• Customer STOP — a stronger, more cautious warning: “This person texted STOP. Removing their opt-out means your organisation may message them again. Only do this with their explicit consent.”

Both warnings carry the line “This action will be recorded as performed by you” — undoing an opt-out is always attributed to the person who did it, and the original opt-out event is never erased. Once you confirm, the contact becomes sendable again and an Opt-out removed event is added to their history.

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Per-contact consent history

Click any contact’s row to open their consent history. The history shows every consent event for that contact in chronological order — opt-outs, re-subscriptions, and HELP requests — with exact timestamps. This gives you a complete picture of a contact’s consent journey. If a contact claims they never opted out, their history shows precisely when the STOP reply arrived, from which number, and whether they have since re-subscribed.

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The audit trail

Every consent event is recorded in an append-only, hash-chained audit trail. This means:

• Events are never edited or deleted. Once a consent event is recorded, it cannot be changed. Every opt-out, re-subscription, and HELP request exists permanently in the record.
• The record is tamper-evident. Each entry is cryptographically linked to the one before it. Any attempt to alter the record breaks the chain and is immediately detectable.
• The record stands up to a compliance audit. If you are ever required to demonstrate that you respected a contact’s opt-out request, the audit trail provides timestamped, immutable evidence of every consent event in your workspace.

You do not need to do anything to maintain the audit trail — Voqo captures every event automatically.

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Exporting consent records

You can export your workspace’s consent record at any time for compliance, legal review, or internal reporting.

1. Open the Consent and Opt-outs screen.
2. Click Export.
3. Choose CSV or JSON.
4. The file downloads to your device immediately.

The export includes every consent event in your workspace: the contact’s name and mobile number, the event type, the timestamp, and the current consent status. CSV is useful for sharing with a compliance team or importing into a spreadsheet. JSON is useful for programmatic processing or submitting to a legal or regulatory body.

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Re-subscriptions

A contact who has opted out can re-subscribe themselves at any time by texting START to your sending number. Once they do:

• Their consent status updates immediately.
• They are removed from the opted-out list.
• A re-subscribed event appears in their consent history.
• You can include them in future campaigns and send them direct messages again.

A contact texting START is the cleanest path, because re-subscription is then an active, voluntary choice by the contact. Your team can also undo an opt-out manually — but only do so for a customer STOP when you have the contact’s explicit consent.

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Troubleshooting

How do I prove a contact opted out? Open the contact’s consent history. You will see a timestamped opt-out event showing when the STOP reply arrived. Export the record in CSV or JSON if you need to submit it as evidence. Can the audit log be edited or deleted? No. The audit trail is append-only. No one — including Voqo staff — can edit or remove a recorded event. The log exists permanently and its integrity is verifiable. A contact says they didn’t opt out but they’re on the list The consent history will show the exact timestamp and source of the opt-out — whether it was a customer STOP or added by a team member, and by whom. If the contact disputes it, the history is the authoritative record. The contact can re-subscribe by texting START, or your team can undo the opt-out if appropriate. Can I undo an opt-out? Yes. Open the contact and remove the opt-out. Voqo shows a warning first — a stronger one if the contact texted STOP — and records the removal against your name. The original opt-out event is never erased, and the contact becomes sendable again once you confirm. Only undo a customer STOP with the contact’s explicit consent. I removed an opt-out but the contact still isn’t receiving messages The SMS provider keeps its own separate opt-out list. If the contact opted out with the carrier directly, the provider may still block delivery even after you remove the opt-out in Voqo — you’ll see a Provider opt-out reason on the send. There is nothing you can change in Voqo to override the provider’s list. What happens if a contact opts out mid-campaign? Voqo stops sending to that contact immediately. Any message that was queued for them but not yet sent is cancelled. No further messages will go out to that contact for any campaign until they re-subscribe. Can I export just the opt-outs for one campaign? The current export covers your full workspace consent record. Use your spreadsheet software to filter the exported CSV by campaign name or date range after downloading. If you have a compliance question or need help with the consent record, contact support.

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Related docs

• Unified Inbox
• SMS Campaign Scheduling and Send Status