NEW requirement for text verification to receive text reminders

​@MichaelMacco Calendly seem completely unresponsive to how destructive this change is to many businesses. We rolled our first client to Cal.com last week as the trial case as the change has created so much havoc in their business. It’s looking good and will likely look to roll the rest of our client base soon. Few things it’s lacking but overall does the job.

Has anyone had any luck in fixing this? 

99% of our customers aren’t tech savvy so we have to set meetings for them for front end sales. The moment they find out they are getting codes on text, they get anxious about engaging with us all because of Calendly. 

Been a user of Calendly for years, but i just might discontinue because of this. 

Hi Calendly Team,

Regarding the SMS verification requirement for text reminders, asking invitees to verify their phone number every single time they book a different Event Type creates unnecessary friction for recurring clients.

Could you please update this setting so that a phone number only needs to be verified once per phone number (or per account/user) rather than once per phone number AND per Event Type?

If a client has already verified their number for one meeting, they shouldn't have to go through the OTP process again just because they selected a different meeting link with the same host.

Thanks for considering this improvement!

Awful change. Very disapointing.

why do this? booking tools like lunacal dont have any such requirement

sFs

the student has to confirm their phone number/consent for SMS, but you should not have to verify it yourself each time. Calendly’s current documentation says that when you book on behalf of an invitee, Calendly sends the invitee a text with a confirmation link; text notifications begin after the invitee confirms.CCalendly.com+1

So your workflow should be:

1. You schedule the student normally.

2. Calendly sends the student a text asking them to confirm.

3. The student taps the confirmation link.

4. Calendly can then send the automated SMS reminders.

please revert or change this new “feature” - it is fully messing up our booking process!

We will certainly change the provider, really said as it worked fine before that!

It’s now the 11th of October 2026.  I have multiple different appointment booking types.  Each different type of appointment is associated with a different automated workflow.  I’ve only just realised that more than half my clients are now not getting their SMS appointment reminders and one of my clients just asked what the calendly verification messages were about - they thought it was a scam so weren’t responding.  What are you even sending my clients? Why does the message you send out not explain what appointment the verification is for?

I’ve been a loyal customer of Calendly for over 6 years now; it’s the backbone of my our booking system.   If you guys don’t sort this out pretty soon I will be looking for a new provider.  It’s literally the only reason I chose Calendly over the other options at the time. I have a lot of other options available to me now to choose from. 

Agree.  there are better ways to allow people to opt out of sms message reminders.