How to limit SMS signups for specific countries

STOQ lets you limit SMS signups for specific countries, so only customers from regions you choose can register for back-in-stock alerts by phone number. When a customer opens the "Notify me" form on your store, the phone input only shows the countries you have allowed.


This is useful when you want to:


  • Reduce SMS costs by restricting signups to countries with lower per-segment rates
  • Target a specific market where you ship or sell
  • Comply with local regulations for text-message marketing


Country restrictions apply to the signup form on your storefront. Customers in restricted countries still see the email registration option, but cannot enter a phone number for SMS alerts.


Before You Begin


Make sure the following are in place before you configure country restrictions:


  • A paid STOQ plan. SMS alerts are not available on the Free plan.
  • SMS alerts enabled. The SMS channel must be turned on in your notification channels. Go to Back in stock alerts >Customize "Notify me" > Form tab > Channels and confirm that SMS alerts is enabled
  • A default country selected. STOQ pre-selects a default country for the phone input. You can change this to any country in the dropdown.


Note: Country restrictions only affect new signups. Customers who already registered with a phone number from a now-restricted country keep their existing registration.



How to Limit SMS Signups to Specific Countries


Follow these steps to restrict which countries appear in the phone number dropdown on your "Notify me" form.


Step 1: Open the Form Content Settings


  1. In the STOQ app, go to Back in stock alerts.
  2. Select the Form tab at the top of the page.
  3. In the sidebar, click Form content.
  4. Scroll down to the Phone field section and click Show to expand the SMS channel controls.




Step 2: Set Your Default Country


  1. Under Default country selected, choose the country you want pre-selected in the phone input on your storefront.
  2. This country appears first when a customer opens the "Notify me" form. The default is United States.


Step 3: Choose Allowed Countries


You have two options to limit SMS signups for specific countries:


Option A: Allow Multiple Specific Countries


Use this method to allow signups from a defined list of countries.


  1. In the Allowed countries (optional) field, click the search box.
  2. Type a country name to filter the list.
  3. Select each country you want to allow. Selected countries appear as tags above the search box.
  4. To remove a country, click the X on its tag.
  5. Click Save at the top of the page.


Once saved, only the countries you selected appear in the phone input dropdown on your storefront. The help text below the field confirms: "Only customers from X selected countries can signup for SMS alerts."


Tip: Leave the Allowed countries field blank to allow all countries. This is the default behavior.



Option B: Restrict to a Single Default Country


Use this method to allow signups from only one country.


  1. Make sure the Allowed countries field is empty (no countries selected).
  2. Check the box labeled Restrict SMS registration to default country.
  3. Click Save at the top of the page.


When this option is enabled, only the default country you selected in Step 2 appears in the phone input. The country dropdown is locked and customers cannot change it.


Note: The Restrict SMS registration to default country checkbox only appears when the Allowed countries field is empty. If you have selected specific allowed countries, the checkbox is hidden because the allowed-countries list takes priority.



Step 4: Verify on Your Storefront


  1. Open your store in a new browser tab.
  2. Navigate to an out-of-stock product with the "Notify me" form.
  3. Switch to the SMS/phone registration option.
  4. Confirm that the country dropdown only shows the countries you allowed.



How Country Restrictions Work on the Storefront


When a customer visits your store and opens the "Notify me" form, STOQ checks your country settings and filters the phone input accordingly:


  • Allowed countries list is set -- Only the countries in your list appear in the dropdown. If you selected just one country, the dropdown is disabled and locked to that country.
  • Restrict to default country is enabled (and no allowed countries set) -- Only the default country appears. The dropdown is disabled.
  • No restrictions configured -- All countries are available in the dropdown (default behavior).


The restriction happens entirely on the storefront. Customers from restricted countries see no phone input option or see only the countries you have allowed. They can still register by email.



Advanced Tips


Use these tips to get the most out of country restrictions:


  • Combine with SMS cost awareness. SMS charges vary by country -- from $0.025 per segment (US/Canada) to over $1.00 per segment for some regions. Restricting countries helps you control costs.
  • Match your shipping regions. If you only ship to certain countries, restrict SMS signups to those same regions. This avoids collecting phone numbers you cannot use.
  • Use allowed countries instead of restrict-to-default. The allowed-countries multi-select is more flexible than the single-country restriction. You can pick two or more countries without locking the form to just one.
  • Check for blocked country codes. STOQ may block SMS to certain country codes for regulatory compliance. If you see a warning banner listing blocked codes (e.g., +1, +34), those restrictions are set by STOQ and cannot be changed by merchants. Contact support if you need more information.
  • Test with different countries. After saving your changes, test the signup form by checking that the country dropdown only shows your allowed countries.



Known Limitations


  • Paid plan required. SMS alerts and country restrictions are only available on Lite, Pro, or Unlimited plans.
  • Back-in-stock alerts only. Country restrictions are configured through the "Notify me" form editor and apply to back-in-stock SMS signups. Preorder SMS confirmations use the customer phone number collected at checkout, which is not filtered by these settings.
  • No retroactive filtering. Changing your allowed countries does not remove or block existing registrations from customers who signed up before the restriction was applied.
  • Allowed countries override restrict-to-default. If you select any countries in the allowed-countries list, the Restrict SMS registration to default country checkbox is hidden and has no effect. The allowed-countries list takes priority.
  • Blocked country codes are system-managed. Some country codes are blocked by STOQ for compliance reasons. These cannot be unblocked by merchants. A warning banner appears in the Channels and SMS settings panels when blocked codes exist.
  • Country dropdown locks with one allowed country. If you select only one country in the allowed-countries list, the dropdown on the storefront is disabled (locked), just like the restrict-to-default option.
  • Global setting. Country restrictions apply to all products and all "Notify me" forms across your store. You cannot set different allowed countries per product or collection.



Troubleshooting


Symptom

Cause

Fix

All countries still appear in the phone dropdown

Changes were not saved

Click Save at the top of the page after making changes

The Restrict SMS registration to default country checkbox is missing

You have countries selected in the Allowed countries field

Remove all selected countries to reveal the checkbox, or use the allowed-countries list instead

Customer from a restricted country already signed up

Restrictions only apply to new signups

Existing registrations are not affected. Remove the registration manually if needed

Phone input dropdown is locked but I want multiple countries

Only one country is in the allowed list, or restrict-to-default is enabled

Add more countries to the allowed-countries list, or uncheck restrict-to-default and select multiple countries

Warning banner shows blocked country codes (e.g., +1, +34)

STOQ has blocked these codes for regulatory compliance

These are system-level restrictions. Contact support for details

SMS channel controls are not visible

SMS alerts are disabled or you are on the Free plan

Enable SMS alerts in Channels and upgrade to a paid plan

Country I selected does not appear on the storefront

Browser cache is showing old form settings

Clear your browser cache or open the page in an incognito window



FAQs


Q: What happens if I leave the Allowed countries field blank?

A: All countries are available in the phone input dropdown on your storefront. This is the default behavior. Customers from any country can sign up for SMS alerts.



Q: Can I use both Allowed countries and Restrict to default country at the same time?

A: No. The Restrict SMS registration to default country checkbox only appears when the allowed-countries list is empty. If you select any countries in the allowed-countries field, the checkbox is hidden. The allowed-countries list takes priority.



Q: Do country restrictions affect email signups?

A: No. Country restrictions only apply to the phone number input for SMS signups. Email registration is not affected by these settings. Customers from any country can still sign up by email.



Q: What are blocked country codes and can I change them?

A: Blocked country codes are set by STOQ for regulatory compliance. They prevent SMS messages from being sent to phone numbers in certain regions regardless of your allowed-countries settings. You cannot change or remove blocked country codes. Contact support if you have questions about specific blocked codes.



Q: Can I set different country restrictions for different products?

**A: **No. Country restrictions are a global setting that applies to all "Notify me" forms across your entire store. You cannot configure different allowed countries per product, variant, or collection.


**Q: **Will existing SMS registrations be removed if I restrict a country?

A: No. Changing your allowed-countries list only affects new signups. Customers who registered before the restriction was applied keep their existing registration and will still receive SMS alerts when the product is restocked.



Q: How do I remove a country from the allowed list?

A: **In the **Allowed countries field, click the X on the country tag you want to remove. Then click Save. The country will no longer appear in the phone input dropdown on your storefront.



Q: Does this setting affect preorder SMS notifications?

A: No. Country restrictions apply to the "Notify me" signup form for back-in-stock alerts. Preorder SMS confirmations use the phone number collected during Shopify checkout, which is not filtered by these settings.



Updated on: 13/04/2026

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