Subscriber statuses explained
This guide explains each subscriber status in Sender, where to find it, and how it affects your ability to send emails and SMS messages to your contacts.
Where to Find This Feature
In the Sender dashboard, go to: Subscribers
You will see your full subscriber list with columns for Subscriber, Status, Groups, First name, Last name, Phone number, Location, and Date added. The Status column displays colored icons — an envelope icon for email status and a chat bubble icon for SMS status. Green icons indicate an Active status, while red icons indicate a non-active status such as Unsubscribed, Bounced, or Non-subscribed.
At the top of the page, use the Email status and SMS status dropdown filters to filter your list by a specific status. Hover over any subscriber's status icons to see a tooltip showing their current email, SMS, transactional email, and transactional SMS statuses.
Steps to View and Understand Subscriber Statuses
Step 1 — Filter your subscriber list by status
On the Subscribers page, click the Email status or SMS status dropdown at the top of the list. A panel appears with checkboxes for each status under two sections: EMAIL (or SMS) and TRANSACTIONAL EMAIL (or TRANSACTIONAL SMS). Select one or more statuses to filter the list. Only subscribers matching the selected statuses will appear in the list below.
Step 2 — Check an individual subscriber's status
Hover over the status icons in the Status column next to any subscriber's name. A tooltip displays the subscriber's current status for each channel — for example, "Email: active" and "Transactional Email: active." Green icons represent Active status, and red icons represent a non-active status. This lets you quickly assess a subscriber's deliverability without opening their profile.
Step 3 — View detailed status on a subscriber's profile
Click the arrow (>) next to a subscriber's name to open their Subscriber's profile. The profile page displays the Email campaign section and the SMS campaign section, each with a status badge in the top-right corner (for example, ACTIVE in green). This view also shows the subscriber's email address, phone number, source, group memberships, and a Subscriber activity timeline on the right side.
Step 4 — Take action based on subscriber status
From the Subscriber's profile, click the Actions dropdown in the top-right corner to access Unsubscribe or Delete. Alternatively, on the main Subscribers list, select one or more subscribers using the checkboxes, then click the Actions dropdown to choose from bulk actions including Add group, Remove group, Unsubscribe, Resubscribe, and Delete. The Resubscribe option is only available for subscribers whose current status is Unsubscribed.
Subscriber Status Reference
Active — The subscriber is opted in and eligible to receive your email and SMS campaigns. This is the default status for newly added or imported subscribers who have a valid email address or phone number. All campaigns and automations will be delivered to subscribers with this status.
Unsubscribed — The subscriber has opted out of receiving your campaigns. This happens when a subscriber clicks the unsubscribe link in an email, or when you manually unsubscribe them via the Actions dropdown. Unsubscribed contacts remain in your account but will not receive any future campaigns. This action is reversible — you can resubscribe a contact if you have their explicit consent.
Bounced — The subscriber's email address or phone number has generated a delivery failure. A hard bounce means the address is permanently invalid (e.g., it does not exist), while a soft bounce indicates a temporary issue (e.g., a full mailbox). Bounced subscribers are automatically excluded from future sends to protect your sender reputation.
Reported spam — The subscriber marked one of your emails as spam with their email provider. Sender automatically flags these contacts and excludes them from future sends. Continuing to send to contacts who have reported spam can damage your sender reputation and deliverability.
Non-subscribed — The subscriber exists in your account but has not been subscribed to email or SMS campaigns. This status typically applies to contacts who were added without opting in to a specific channel — for example, a subscriber with an active email status but no SMS subscription will show as Non-subscribed for SMS. Non-subscribed contacts do not receive campaigns on that channel.
Management Tips
Use status filters regularly — Click the Email status or SMS status dropdown on the Subscribers page to quickly isolate contacts by status. This helps you review bounced or unsubscribed contacts without scrolling through your entire list.
Unsubscribe instead of deleting — If you want to stop sending to a subscriber but keep their data and activity history, use Unsubscribe from the Actions dropdown. Deleting a subscriber permanently removes their profile and cannot be undone.
Monitor bounced contacts — Review subscribers with a Bounced status periodically. A high number of bounced contacts can indicate outdated list data and may affect your overall sender reputation.
Check both email and SMS statuses — A subscriber can have different statuses for email and SMS channels. Hover over the status icons in the Status column or open the subscriber's profile to verify their status for each channel before taking action.
Use bulk actions for efficiency — Select multiple subscribers using the checkboxes on the left side of each row, then use the Actions dropdown to Unsubscribe, Resubscribe, or Delete contacts in bulk rather than updating each subscriber individually.
Common Issues
Status icons appear red but the subscriber was recently added → The red icon indicates a Non-subscribed status for that channel. This happens when a subscriber was added without a phone number (for SMS) or without opting in to a specific channel. Open the subscriber's profile to confirm which channel is affected.
The Resubscribe option is greyed out in the Actions dropdown → Resubscribe is only available for subscribers with an Unsubscribed status. If the subscriber is Active, Bounced, or Non-subscribed, this option will not be selectable. Verify the subscriber's current status before attempting to resubscribe.
A subscriber shows as Bounced after a single send → A hard bounce means the email address is permanently invalid and will not resolve on its own. If you believe the address is correct, confirm it directly with the contact and re-add them with the corrected address if needed.
Subscriber was unsubscribed but still appears in the list → Unsubscribed subscribers are not removed from your account. They remain visible in your subscriber list with their status changed. Use the Email status filter and select Active to view only subscribers who can receive campaigns.
FAQs
What is the difference between Unsubscribed and Non-subscribed?
Unsubscribed means the subscriber previously had an Active status but opted out or was manually unsubscribed. Non-subscribed means the subscriber was never opted in to that specific channel. For example, a contact added with only an email address will show Non-subscribed for SMS.
Can I resubscribe a contact who unsubscribed?
Yes. Select the subscriber on the Subscribers list using the checkbox, click the Actions dropdown, and choose Resubscribe. Ensure you have the subscriber's explicit consent before reactivating them to comply with anti-spam requirements.
Does a subscriber's status apply to all channels at once?
No. Each subscriber has separate statuses for email campaigns, SMS campaigns, transactional email, and transactional SMS. A subscriber can be Active for email but Non-subscribed for SMS. Check both the Email status and SMS status filters or hover over the status icons to see each channel's status.
What happens when I delete a subscriber?
Deleting a subscriber permanently removes their profile and all associated data from your account. This action cannot be undone. If you want to stop sending without losing data, use Unsubscribe instead.
Do bounced subscribers count toward my subscriber limit?
Bounced subscribers remain in your account unless you delete them. Check with your current plan details to confirm how bounced contacts affect your subscriber count.
Can I filter my list to see only active subscribers?
Yes. On the Subscribers page, click the Email status dropdown and select the Active checkbox. The list will update to show only subscribers with an Active email status. You can apply the same filter using the SMS status dropdown for SMS.
What does the Reported spam status mean for my account?
A Reported spam status means the subscriber flagged your email as spam with their email provider. Sender automatically suppresses these contacts from future sends. A high spam complaint rate can harm your sender reputation, so monitor this status regularly.