Receiving Malagasy (+261) one-time passcodes for product testing

Who tests or operates on Malagasy numbers, and why?

Madagascar is a French-speaking market with Malagasy as the national language, and both are official. That bilingual setup makes it a useful checkpoint for any product that ships French copy to African users, because a sign-up screen that reads well in Paris can still break on a +261 number format or a mobile-first browser.

Teams that tend to need a Madagascar verification number include:

• Francophone support and BPO operations in Antananarivo that run business accounts on messaging and social platforms and want staff's personal phones kept out of them.
• Product teams expanding across the Indian Ocean and French-speaking Africa who need to confirm onboarding works before a marketing push.
• Diaspora-facing apps whose customers live abroad but register with a Malagasy number they already own.

In every case the goal is the same: see the real message arrive on a real +261 route rather than trusting a mock.

What does a +261 number look like in a database?

Domestically, Malagasy mobiles are written with a trunk 0 and ten digits, typically starting 03. In international form that 0 disappears and you get +261 followed by nine digits.

Practical rules for your user table:

• Remove the trunk 0 when you convert to E.164; +2610… is always wrong.
• Accept users typing the familiar grouped style with spaces, then strip everything that is not a digit or the leading plus.
• Check that exactly nine national digits remain for a mobile.

Messages from global apps usually come in French or English depending on the account language, and Malagasy-language texts are less common. Match the digits, not a translated word, when you extract the passcode.

Which services work on the Madagascar route?

More than 1,000 services can deliver codes to Madagascar numbers right now. Frequently used ones include WhatsApp, Facebook, Telegram, Google (Gmail & YouTube), TikTok, Instagram, Microsoft & Outlook, LinkedIn, Viber, imo, Signal and ChatGPT (OpenAI).

That lineup changes through the day, so read it live from GET /api/v1/services before a test run rather than assuming yesterday's list still holds.

How do I pull +261 codes into my own systems?

The REST API at https://otproute.com/api/v1 uses Bearer keys beginning or_live_. You can hold up to 10 keys and register 5 webhook endpoints per account, within a ceiling of 300 requests per minute.

For Madagascar the country id is mg. A clean sequence:

1. Fetch the price with GET /api/v1/prices?country=mg&service=telegram.
2. Create the activation through POST /api/v1/activations with {"service": "telegram", "country": "mg"}.
3. Type the returned number into the product being tested.
4. Receive activation.sms_received on your endpoint, or call GET /api/v1/activations/{id} if you prefer polling.
5. If the scenario is abandoned, POST /api/v1/activations/{id}/cancel ends it and refunds the hold.

Verify every webhook before trusting it: the X-OTPRoute-Signature header holds t=<unix>,v1=<hex>, and v1 must equal HMAC-SHA256 of <t>.<raw body> under the endpoint secret. Reject anything with an old timestamp, and key your writes on the activation id so a repeat delivery does no harm. The webhook capture guide walks through a full handler.

Is there a dashboard route for non-technical staff?

There is. An operations lead can log in, open the OTP Gateway, select Madagascar and a service, review the displayed price and place the order. The +261 number appears on an activation card, and the incoming text shows up on that same card. No terminal, no key management, and the 20-minute window behaves exactly as it does over the API.

A Madagascar code did not arrive. Now what?

Most misses come from the sending service, not from your setup. Before escalating:

• Give the activation its full 20 minutes; resends can come late.
• Check whether the service accepts virtual numbers. Some refuse them, which is why an unanswered activation refunds itself.
• Retry after a pause, or switch to another service route that exercises the same flow.
• Do not fire new orders in a tight loop; that wastes rate limit without improving delivery.

When no SMS arrives before the window closes, or you cancel, the whole amount returns to the wallet with no ticket needed.

Long-term lines and paying for usage

Madagascar has no self-serve long-term number on OTP Route. Our Dedicated Numbers cover only the United States and Canada, from $1.95/month; if you need a lasting +261 line, email [email protected] and the team will say whether local rules allow it, with no promise attached. The temporary vs dedicated numbers article explains which product fits which job.

Payment runs through one prepaid USD wallet: no subscription, no tier to choose. Fund it by card or with USDT/USDC and receive a PDF invoice by email for each top-up. Current rates per pair are on the pricing page. Developers can also request sandbox mode, which serves simulated numbers and codes so the integration is proven before real spend begins.

Frequently asked questions

Can I check my app's Malagasy sign-up flow without a local SIM?

Yes. Order a +261 number for your service on the OTP Gateway and the code appears in the dashboard or reaches your webhook. You pay only if it arrives.

Which country id does OTP Route use for Madagascar?

The id is mg, used in calls such as POST /api/v1/activations.

Should I keep the leading 0 when storing a Malagasy mobile?

No. Drop the trunk 0 and save +261 plus nine digits; reformat with spaces only for display.

What language will the passcode text be in?

That depends on the sender and the account settings. French and English are the usual cases, so parse for the numeric code instead of a fixed phrase.

Is a +261 number for testing reusable later?

Each activation is built for a single code within 20 minutes. Accounts that must log in again over time need a different approach, and long-term numbers are only self-serve in the US and Canada.

Are there usage rules?

Yes. Respect each service's terms and the OTP Route Acceptable Use Policy; use numbers to test your own product or run genuine business accounts, one account per real person or business.

Does OTP routing to Madagascar need a separate contract?

No. The same wallet and SMS verification API work for every country, and you can sign up with an email code or Google sign-in.

Service names are trademarks of their respective owners. OTP Route is not affiliated with them. Use numbers lawfully, follow each service's terms and our Acceptable Use Policy.