{"id":43399,"date":"2026-04-08T09:11:01","date_gmt":"2026-04-08T13:11:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.forsta.com\/?p=43399"},"modified":"2026-04-08T09:11:06","modified_gmt":"2026-04-08T13:11:06","slug":"ios-26-future-of-sms-surveys","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.forsta.com\/resources\/blog\/ios-26-future-of-sms-surveys\/","title":{"rendered":"iOS 26 and the future of SMS surveys: What CX leaders need to know now"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When Apple releases a new iOS update, most organizations think about user experience, app compatibility, or security.\u00a0But iOS 26 introduced a quieter shift;\u00a0one\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0already\u00a0impacting\u00a0how brands collect feedback at scale.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As this rollout includes&nbsp;features like \u201cScreen Unknown Senders,\u201d&nbsp;short message service (SMS)-based outreach, which has&nbsp;long considered one of the most effective channels for customer feedback, new sources of friction will inherently be introduced. And while the immediate impact may appear modest, the implications are much bigger.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This update may seem small in&nbsp;nature,&nbsp;but&nbsp;it\u2019s&nbsp;a&nbsp;clear&nbsp;signal of where customer experience (CX) is heading next.&nbsp;In this&nbsp;post,&nbsp;we will share what the future of SMS surveys may look like given the new iOS 26 update and how CX leaders can revolutionize their digital feedback strategy to align with shifts in the market.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What SMS responses look like post iOS update&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When analyzing how the iOS 26 update is&nbsp;impacting&nbsp;survey response rate, early analysis shows a&nbsp;<strong>slight but measurable decline in SMS response rates<\/strong>.&nbsp;This&nbsp;doesn\u2019t&nbsp;come as&nbsp;a surprise&nbsp;given the new hurdle customers have to face to receive notifications from a business.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Filtering unknown senders introduces an&nbsp;additional&nbsp;barrier between brands and customers. This is&nbsp;especially when messages come from numbers that&nbsp;aren\u2019t&nbsp;saved in a user\u2019s contacts, which is often the case.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This&nbsp;isn\u2019t&nbsp;alarming, given that response rates across digital channels have been declining for years.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What this\u00a0represents\u00a0an acceleration of an existing trend.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Customers are becoming more selective.&nbsp;More protective of their attention&nbsp;and what they consume.&nbsp;They\u2019re&nbsp;also becoming less&nbsp;tolerant of outreach that feels impersonal or interruptive.&nbsp;It may appear as though Apple is contributing to this&nbsp;imposition,&nbsp;but in reality, customer expectations are shifting simultaneously.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In other words, this&nbsp;isn\u2019t&nbsp;about Apple.&nbsp;It\u2019s&nbsp;about expectations.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Why this matters beyond SMS&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It would be easy to frame this as a tactical issue: adjust your outreach mix,&nbsp;optimize&nbsp;your SMS strategy,&nbsp;and&nbsp;move on.&nbsp;But that misses the bigger shift.&nbsp;What\u2019s&nbsp;happening with SMS is part of a broader reality:&nbsp;No single channel is guaranteed anymore.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What we are seeing is:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>SMS can be filtered\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Email can be ignored\u00a0and unsubscribed\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Push notifications can be turned off\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Apps can be muted\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Surveys can be abandoned\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The reliability of any&nbsp;of the traditional outreach&nbsp;channels&nbsp;is decreasing.&nbsp;That means CX programs built around channel optimization alone are becoming more fragile.&nbsp;The organizations that adapt fastest will be tasked with rethinking how they listen.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">From channel strategy to connected listening&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The real takeaway\u00a0isn\u2019t\u00a0SMS weakening.\u00a0It\u2019s\u00a0that fragmented listening strategies are\u00a0no longer sustainable.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When feedback lives in silos,&nbsp;small disruptions create&nbsp;outsized&nbsp;impact.&nbsp;A dip in one channel suddenly looks like a data&nbsp;problem. But&nbsp;it\u2019s&nbsp;actually a&nbsp;much larger&nbsp;visibility problem.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Leading organizations&nbsp;and CX leaders are&nbsp;responding by moving toward&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.forsta.com\/resources\/blog\/top-cx-listening-challenges\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\"><strong>connected listening<\/strong><\/a>, a strategy and practice that brings&nbsp;together:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Customer feedback across channels\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Behavioral and transactional data\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Operational signals\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Employee insights\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Unstructured feedback such as reviews, transcripts, and comments\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The goal is to&nbsp;reduce dependency on any&nbsp;single source&nbsp;of truth.&nbsp;Churn risk, dissatisfaction, and loyalty shifts&nbsp;show up in different channels which means you must listen to each to get the full picture of your CX efforts.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">What high-performing CX teams are doing differently&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mature CX businesses are leading the charge by focusing on building a resilient strategy. To do so,&nbsp;they\u2019re&nbsp;actively&nbsp;taking the following steps.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">1.<strong>&nbsp;<\/strong>Diversifying outreach without breaking measurement&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Email is proving to be a stable complement to SMS, especially as filtering increases.&nbsp;Additionally, email tends to be a reliable channel in terms of open rates, with the&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/mailchimp.com\/resources\/email-marketing-benchmarks\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">average open rate sitting at 35.63%<\/a>.&nbsp;But switching channels only&nbsp;works&nbsp;if you can&nbsp;maintain&nbsp;consistent measurement.&nbsp;This is where many&nbsp;CX&nbsp;programs struggle.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Without consistent measurement across channels, changes in outreach strategy can distort trendlines and erode confidence in insights.&nbsp;It\u2019s&nbsp;imperative that you have a connected listening system in place to ensure&nbsp;you\u2019re&nbsp;able to both diversify and compare.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">2. Reducing friction at the source&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Reducing friction at the customer-level is one&nbsp;of the most effective solutions&nbsp;and also&nbsp;one of the simplest to implement such as:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Encouraging customers to save contact numbers\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Using QR codes or in-moment prompts to build recognition\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Embedding feedback opportunities within existing journeys\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Continue to build trust with your audience with credible first- and third-party reviews\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Timing outreach to moments of highest relevance\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Leveraging omnichannel reinforcement\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Trusted senders get seen. Unknown senders get filtered.&nbsp;Experience and trust now influence deliverability.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">3. Moving from feedback collection to signal intelligence&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Even with optimized outreach, response-based feedback will always be partial.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The highest-performing organizations are expanding beyond surveys to include:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Digital behavior\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Service interactions\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Operational data\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Unstructured feedback (reviews, transcripts, comments)\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This creates a more complete picture,&nbsp;especially for the silent majority who&nbsp;often&nbsp;don\u2019t&nbsp;respond to surveys.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">4. Prioritizing action over volume&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">More responses&nbsp;don\u2019t&nbsp;automatically lead to better outcomes.&nbsp;In fact, many CX programs already have more data than they can act on.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The differentiator&nbsp;isn\u2019t&nbsp;how much feedback you collect&nbsp;but rather&nbsp;how quickly and effectively you act on it.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That\u2019s&nbsp;where&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.forsta.com\/resources\/blog\/closing-the-customer-insight-to-action-gap-with-ai\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">artificial intelligence<\/a>&nbsp;(AI)&nbsp;is increasingly playing a role&nbsp;by:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Identifying\u00a0emerging\u00a0risks\u00a0earlier\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Prioritizing issues by business impact\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Triggering workflows that drive response\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Triggering workflows that drive response\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Surfacing root causes across fragmented data sources\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Enabling real-time, closed-loop feedback across the organization\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In this model, CX shifts from listening at scale to acting with&nbsp;the precision and swiftness consumers have come to expect.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The bigger shift: CX in a post-channel world&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">iOS 26 is a&nbsp;great&nbsp;reminder that customer access is no longer guaranteed.&nbsp;Brands&nbsp;don\u2019t&nbsp;control the&nbsp;inbox,&nbsp;nor do they&nbsp;control the device.&nbsp;Increasingly, they&nbsp;don\u2019t&nbsp;control whether a message is even seen.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What they can control is how well they understand and respond to experience signals.&nbsp;That\u2019s&nbsp;why the future of CX&nbsp;isn\u2019t&nbsp;tied to any one channel.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s&nbsp;defined by&nbsp;connected listening systems and coordinated action.&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Where Forsta fits in&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">At Forsta, we see this shift clearly.&nbsp;We understand that organizations need a better way to connect&nbsp;data everywhere&nbsp;it lives.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By unifying customer, employee, and operational data into a single experience intelligence layer, Forsta helps organizations:&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Maintain visibility as channels evolve\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Link experience to revenue, cost, and risk\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Identify\u00a0emerging issues before they escalate\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Turn insight into coordinated, enterprise-wide action\u00a0\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Forsta\u2019s&nbsp;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.forsta.com\/platform\/hx-platform\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">HX Platform<\/a>&nbsp;allows you to connect these insights into one comprehensive view so you can act decisively and quickly. This allows you to, in turn,&nbsp;build a CX strategy that holds up&nbsp;no matter how the channels change.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The future of SMS surveys&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">SMS&nbsp;isn\u2019t&nbsp;going away. Email&nbsp;isn\u2019t&nbsp;replacing it. And iOS 26&nbsp;isn\u2019t&nbsp;the last change&nbsp;we\u2019ll&nbsp;see.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The path forward is clear.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Customers are setting the&nbsp;expectations,&nbsp;and technology is reinforcing them.&nbsp;CX programs need to evolve accordingly&nbsp;to keep up with customer demands.&nbsp;iOS 26 tells us CX practitioners that this&nbsp;isn\u2019t&nbsp;a temporary channel issue that we need to temporarily adjust our tactics for. It requires a&nbsp;structural shift&nbsp;that builds a stronger CX strategy, one in which connect, resilient, AI-powered listening and action takes place at scale.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Forsta can help you get there.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.forsta.com\/\">See what Forsta can do for you<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>When Apple releases a new iOS update, most organizations think about user experience, app compatibility, or security.\u00a0But iOS 26 introduced a quieter shift;\u00a0one\u00a0that\u2019s\u00a0already\u00a0impacting\u00a0how brands collect feedback at scale.\u00a0 As this rollout includes&nbsp;features like \u201cScreen Unknown Senders,\u201d&nbsp;short message service (SMS)-based outreach, which has&nbsp;long considered one of the most effective channels for customer feedback, new sources of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":53,"featured_media":43401,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","disable_featured_image":false,"temp_reference":0,"temp_parent":0,"pathfactory_url":"","webinar_link":"","webinar_link_text":"","start_date":"","start_time":"","end_date":"","end_time":"","pressganey_person_subtitle":"","pressganey_person_linkedin":"","pressganey_person_articles":"","pressganey_person_available":false,"url":"","menu_icon":"","is_mobile":false,"breadcrumb_base":"","author":0,"co_author":0},"categories":[501],"tags":[758,756,744,748,762,513,745,514,759,746,753,752,751,767,761,766,763,742,755,747,765,754,768,743,750,764,749,757,760],"class_list":["post-43399","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-customer-experience","tag-ai-in-cx","tag-apple-ios-update","tag-connected-listening","tag-customer-engagement","tag-customer-expectations","tag-customer-experience","tag-customer-feedback-channels","tag-customer-insights","tag-customer-journey-feedback","tag-cx-strategy","tag-cx-trends-2026","tag-digital-feedback-strategy","tag-experience-intelligence","tag-experience-management","tag-feedback-analytics","tag-forsta","tag-hx-platform","tag-ios-26","tag-multichannel-feedback","tag-omnichannel-cx","tag-real-time-cx","tag-screen-unknown-senders","tag-signal-intelligence","tag-sms-response-rates","tag-sms-surveys","tag-survey-optimization","tag-survey-response-decline","tag-unstructured-feedback","tag-voice-of-customer"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.forsta.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43399","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.forsta.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.forsta.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.forsta.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/53"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.forsta.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=43399"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.forsta.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43399\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":43403,"href":"https:\/\/www.forsta.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/43399\/revisions\/43403"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.forsta.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/43401"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.forsta.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=43399"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.forsta.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=43399"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.forsta.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=43399"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}