ADT Alarm MessengerTM FAQs

ADT uses the next generation of home security monitoring platforms, called SMART (System Monitoring and Response Technology). The ADT SMART MonitoringTM platform includes several technologies and platforms, including Alarm Messenger, working together to get our customers help faster.

ADT SMART Monitoring, through Alarm Messenger, notifies you of an intrusion alarm at your protected location. If an alarm is triggered, you and your designated emergency contacts will receive a text message with a link to an Alarm Messenger group chat. Verifying an emergency or canceling a false alarm is as fast and easy as answering a text message. Verified alarms reach 911 centers 8x* faster vs. traditional voice handling speeds. 

 

* For participating 911 centers connected to ADT’s SMART monitoring, vs. traditional voice handling speeds (ADT call handling data Oct 2021-March 2022).

 

Here’s how it works:

  1. Upon enrollment, you AND your designated emergency contacts will receive a welcome message from ADT.

  2. Then, if there’s an event, ADT receives an alarm from your system and automatically sends you and your designated emergency contacts a message through a secure text link. The link takes you to an Alarm Messenger group chat platform, where you can message directly with your emergency contacts.. 

  3. Once you’ve clicked on the link and you’ve started the Alarm Messenger, you can either quickly verify the alarm and request emergency response or cancel the false alarm. You or one of your emergency contacts can add 60 more seconds once per session if additional time is needed.

  4. If your session expires, we’ll call the premises and the designated emergency contacts to verify the alarm.

  5. If we still don’t get a response, we’ll dispatch first responders.

Unanswered calls take away precious seconds during a potential emergency. Alarm Messenger helps address the issue by giving you a fast, easy way to let ADT know if it’s a real emergency. This results in fewer false alarms – which can come with expensive fees from local first responders – and faster priority response during an actual emergency.

Alarm Messenger lets you quickly verify or cancel an alarm via text message. In the event of an emergency, the ADT agent sends the verified alarm to the 911 center electronically – bypassing the need for a phone call – and getting the alarm to them 8x* faster vs. traditional ADT voice handling speeds. This results in fewer false alarms, which can come with expensive fees from local first responders, and a faster emergency response from first responders when every second counts.

 

* For participating 911 centers connected to ADT’s SMART monitoring, vs. traditional voice handling speeds (ADT call handling data Oct 2021-March 2022).

 

You get the help you need, sooner. Most alarm companies verify alarms via phone, which can delay response times. But ADT has access to the largest network for electronic transmission of verified alarms to 911 centers without a phone call. So when you verify an alarm with Alarm Messenger, it reaches first responders faster and is given the same priority as direct 911 calls.

With ADT Alarm Messenger, verifying an emergency or canceling a false alarm is as fast and easy as answering a text message. Alarm Messenger lets you quickly review information about your alarm, chat with your designated emergency contacts and connect directly to the monitoring center to verify or cancel the alarm with the tap of a button – often within a matter of seconds.

After you verify an alarm, ADT Alarm Messenger electronically sends critical alarm event info about your emergency to an ADT agent, who then passes it along to 911. That means first responders will already have potentially life-saving details about your emergency when they arrive.

In an emergency where every second counts, trust ADT SMART Monitoring for a faster response from first responders. Once an alarm is verified through Alarm Messenger, the ADT agent sends the alarm to the 911 center electronically, bypassing the need for a phone call, and getting the alarm to them 8x* faster vs. traditional ADT voice handling speeds. Only ADT has access to the largest network for electronic transmission of verified alarms to 911 centers, so your alarm reaches them faster. 

 

* For participating 911 centers connected to ADT’s SMART monitoring, vs. traditional voice handling speeds (ADT call handling data Oct 2021-March 2022).

 

Alarm Messenger makes it quick and easy to cancel costly false alarms. You never have to worry about missing a call from an ADT agent. You can verify your alarm or cancel a false alarm through a secure text message link. Alarm Messenger alarm verification has reduced the number of 911 responses to false alarms for ADT customers by more than 50% according to 2021 ADT call center data. With Alarm Messenger, ADT has prevented over 2 million false alarms since January 2021 according to ADT monitoring data.

Current Process:

  1. An alarm is triggered at your premises.
  2. The security system send event-based information to ADT.
  3. An ADT agent attempts to call you and/or your emergency contacts to verify the alarm.

Alarm Messenger Process:

  1. An alarm is triggered at your premises.
  2. The security system sends event-based information to ADT.
  3. The Alarm Messenger service sends a secure link to a group chat to you and your designated emergency contacts with information about the event.
  4. You and your contacts assess the situation to verify the alarm is real and request emergency response or cancel the false alarm. You can add an extra 60 seconds once per session if needed.
  5. If the alarm is verified, an ADT agent sends the alarm information electronically to the 911 center for dispatch, getting the alarm to them 8x* faster vs. traditional ADT voice handling speeds.
  6. If your session expires, we’ll call the premises and the designated emergency contacts to verify the alarm.

 

* For participating 911 centers connected to ADT’s SMART monitoring, vs. traditional voice handling speeds (ADT call handling data Oct 2021-March 2022).

 

It lets you quickly alert an ADT agent to call and have the local police dispatched to the protected location.

 

It lets you inform ADT that an alarm is false, so we know not to take any action. However, it doesn’t cancel the alarm at your panel. Which means you’ll have to cancel it either directly on the panel in your home, or via the ADT app, if you have remote system control as part of your service.


The +60 sec button gives you additional time – another 60 seconds once per session – to determine if the alarm is false and should be canceled, or whether it’s verified and you need to request police assistance. Once you or one of your emergency contacts has added 60 seconds to a session, you cannot add any additional time.

Anyone on your designated emergency contact list with a valid mobile number will receive the Alarm Messenger text message with the link, unless they’ve opted out of Alarm Messenger by replying STOP to the phone number. All ADT Alarm Messenger text messages come from the same SMS 5-digit phone number, which can be saved in your mobile device contacts.

  • Their contact number isn’t a mobile number. Alarm Messenger only works with mobile numbers.
  • Their mobile number isn’t valid.
  • They typed STOP to the text message from the Alarm Messenger SMS 5-digit phone number.
  • They called and asked us to remove them from Alarm Messenger.

If you don’t get to Alarm Messenger and select an option within the allotted time (you have 80 seconds to select Cancel Alarm, Request Police, or +60 sec to add additional 60 seconds once per session), the signal will move to an agent and we’ll follow our normal procedure of calling you to verify the alarm. We will not call any of your designated emergency contacts that have already been notified via Alarm Messenger.

You have 80 seconds to respond to the alarm by selecting the Cancel Alarm, Request Police, or +60 sec buttons. You or one of your emergency contacts can tap the +60 sec button, which adds an additional 60 seconds and is allowed only once per session. 

The countdown begins when our monitoring system receives your alarm.

Once an Alarm Messenger contact selects one of the responses to the alarm (Cancel Alarm or Request Police), all option buttons will be grayed out and none of the chat participants can make additional selections.

Yes. Call ADT at (800) ADT-ASAP.

If you took an action within the Alarm Messenger, such as Cancel or Request Police, we won’t need to call you.

The Alarm Messenger link is active for one hour. However, you and your designated emergency contacts only have 80 seconds to respond to the Alarm Messenger, with an additional 60 seconds once per session if anyone on the list requests more time. Alarm Messenger contacts can still click on the link to review the incident for one hour after the alarm was received.

If another alarm comes through for the same account, the hold time is immediately terminated and the response buttons within Alarm Messenger are disabled. The ADT monitoring center will follow the normal procedure of calling you and your designated emergency contacts to verify the alarm.

If you’re unsure and want to check if you’re enrolled in Alarm Messenger, go to MyADT.com and follow these steps:

  1. Access your account at MyADT.com.
  2. Click on Account, then click the Emergency Contacts tab to verify your Alarm Messenger enrollment.

To enroll or reenroll in Alarm Messenger, or to check if you’re enrolled, please call (800) 872-2177. When you’re enrolled, you and your designated emergency contacts will receive a text message that looks something like this:

“ADT added you to ADT Alarm Messenger TM for <FIRST_NAME><LAST_NAME>. Text STOP to stop or HELP for help/FAQ. MsgFreqVaries. Msg&DataRatesMayApply.”

Alarm Messenger only works with mobile phone numbers, so be sure to check and update your designated emergency contact list at MyADT.com.

If you wish to have one of your emergency contacts opted out of receiving Alarm Messenger alerts, call (800) 872-2177 or follow these steps:

  1. Access your account at MyADT.com.
  2. Click on Account, then click the Emergency Contacts tab.
  3. Locate the contact you wish to opt out. Click the three dots icon for that contact, then select Edit Contact.
  4. Under Alarm Messenger, select “No.”
  5. Click Done to save the change.

If you cancel an alarm on your keypad while the Alarm Messenger session is active, the cancellation will display in the Activity Feed and you will no longer be able to select an option via Alarm Messenger.