# Check a list first

> Screen any list for blue-bubble reachability before you build a campaign, so you never burn a number messaging phones that cannot receive blue messages.

## Why this exists

Before you text a list, you want to know which numbers can actually receive blue-bubble messages. Sending blue messages to phones that cannot receive them wastes attempts, distorts your reply rate, and damages the sending number's reputation. Checking is read-only: nothing is delivered to anyone, and nobody on the list sees anything.
Run this before every campaign. It takes seconds and it is the cheapest insurance you have.

## The team workflow

  Open ScreeningIn Beam, open the Screening tab.
  Paste the listOne number per line, or paste a CSV export straight from your CRM. Beam finds the phone column, skips the header row, and understands (212) 555-0199, +1 212 555 0199, and 2125550199 equally well.
  Name it and checkGive it a name you will recognize later, then press check. Progress updates live.
  Download the blue-bubble listExport just the blue-bubble numbers for your blue campaign, or export everything to split blue and text traffic into separate sequences.

## What the results mean

  
| Result | What it means | What to do | 
  
| Blue bubble | This number can receive blue-bubble messages. | Safe for your blue campaign. | 
  
| Text only | A real number, but it cannot receive blue messages. | Send as a normal text instead. | 
  
| Not a valid number | Not a usable phone number: bad formatting, too few digits, or a stray value from a spreadsheet. | Remove it, or fix the source record. | 
  
| Couldn't check | The check could not be completed for that number right now. | Leave it out of the blue campaign, or re-run the list later. Never assume it is text-only. | 

Why "couldn't check" is its own resultGuessing "text only" when a check does not complete would push a blue-bubble lead onto the text path permanently. Beam reports uncertainty honestly instead of guessing.

## Reading the blue rate

The percentage on a finished list is the share of real, reachable numbers that support blue bubbles. Invalid numbers and unchecked numbers are excluded so a messy export does not make a healthy list look bad. A typical consumer list in the United States lands somewhere around half. A very low rate usually means the list skews toward business landlines or was poorly sourced.

## Cleaning a list with an AI assistant

Lists rarely arrive clean. If yours has duplicates, mixed formats, or extra columns, paste it into any AI assistant with this instruction, then paste the result into Screening:
PromptCopy
```
Here is a contact list. Return ONLY the phone numbers, one per line,
with no header, no names, no extra columns, and no commentary.
Format every number in E.164 (like +12125550199). Assume US (+1) when
no country code is present. Remove duplicates. Skip any row without a
usable phone number.
```

Then paste those lines into the Screening tab and check them. You can also send the list straight through the API below if you would rather automate the whole path.

## Limits

  - Up to 25,000 numbers per check.
  - Recent results are reused for 24 hours, so re-checking the same list is instant and does not re-run every number.
  - Checking never sends a message and never notifies the person.