Twilio setup for Voice
Connect your Twilio account to Pact Voice: exact Console pages, what each value looks like, and fixes for every validation error.
Twilio setup for Voice
Pact Voice runs on your own Twilio account (BYOK) — you keep the numbers, the billing, and the transcripts. This guide walks the exact same three steps as the setup wizard, with the precise Twilio Console page for every value.
Every Console link below was verified live on 2026-07-17.
Step 1 — Create a Twilio account (skip if you have one)
Sign up at twilio.com/try-twilio (~3 minutes). Trial accounts get free credit but can only call phone numbers you've verified and play a trial notice before each call — fine for testing, upgrade before going live.
Step 2 — Copy your Account SID and Auth Token
Open the Twilio Console home. Scroll to the "Account Info" panel at the bottom of the page.
| Value | Looks like | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Account SID | AC1a2b…3c4d (34 chars) | Always starts with AC. Safe to treat as an identifier. |
| Auth Token | 9f8e…7d6c (32-char hex) | Hidden by default — click Show. Rotating it in Twilio invalidates the old one everywhere. |
Prefer scoped credentials? Create an API key on the API keys page instead — Pact accepts either.
Step 3 — Paste in Pact and flip "Enable Voice" on
Go to Pact → Admin → Integrations → Twilio (/admin/integrations/twilio),
paste both values plus a from-number, and — this is the step everyone
misses — switch "Enable Voice" on at the bottom of the form. It defaults
to off so that SMS-only tenants can't be dialed accidentally; Voice features
stay dark until it's on.
Step 4 — Pick or buy a voice-capable number
Your numbers live on the Active numbers page. Each number has capability icons — a number without the Voice capability cannot make or take calls no matter what Pact does.
- Buy a voice-capable number on the number search page (filter by the Voice capability), or
- Let the Pact wizard's Step 2 buy and wire one for you automatically.
Step 5 — Check voice geo-permissions for your target countries
Twilio blocks outbound calls to most countries by default. If you'll call outside the US, enable each destination on the Voice geo permissions page.
Step 6 — Validate in the Pact wizard
Back in the setup wizard, click "Validate my Twilio setup". Pact checks your credentials against Twilio live and shows account status, per-number voice capability, and geo permissions — with a one-click fix or exact Console link for anything that's wrong.
Common errors and fixes
"Voice is off" / "Voice is switched off in Pact"
This is Pact's own toggle, not a Twilio problem. Your credentials are
saved but the "Enable Voice" switch on /admin/integrations/twilio is off
(it defaults to off). Fix: click "Enable Voice now" in the wizard's
validation panel — one click, nothing to do in Twilio.
"Twilio rejected these credentials (401)"
The SID/token pair doesn't authenticate. The usual causes:
- The Auth Token was regenerated in Twilio after you pasted it — re-copy both values from the Console home and re-paste.
- A stray space was copied with the value.
- You pasted an API key SID (
SK…) into the Account SID field (AC…).
"None of your numbers can make voice calls"
Every number on the account is SMS/MMS-only. Buy a voice-capable number on the search page, or check a specific number's Voice configuration from its page under Active numbers.
"Trial account — calls only reach verified numbers"
Twilio trials can only call caller IDs you've verified in the Console, and play a trial notice first. Upgrade your account for unrestricted calling — or keep testing against your own verified cell.
"Voice dialing to (country) is disabled"
Twilio's geographic permissions block that destination. Enable it on the geo permissions page, then re-validate.