# Retrieve number activation state

To avoid any risk factors when managing the activation state of numbers or accounts it is recommended that you retrieve and process number activation state information daily

This can be accomplished programmatically through the Number Activation State API to:

- Retrieve a list of network report metadata
- Retrieve a list of destination number activation state changes from a given report

For more details see the [Number Activation State API reference](https://www.infobip.com/docs/api/connectivity/number-activation-state)

## How does Infobip handle deactivated numbers

During the initial deactivation period any attempt to send a message to the number will fail with Infobip issuing an error code indicating the number's presence in the operator's deactivation list However after three days the mobile operator may reassign the deactivated number to another subscriber Sending a message at this point would succeed but the new end-user would receive an unsolicited text constituting spam and exposing the sender to Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) penalties

Infobip helps mitigate the risk of sending messages to deactivated numbers in the following ways:

- Providing number activation state lookup that contains information about deactivated numbers These reports originate from the mobile operators By making the reports available you can keep your records up to date
- Live traffic check when attempting to send your SMS and MMS messages The current list of deactivated numbers is checked If the number is on a deactivation list Infobip will fail the message request and return a 3041 (SMS) or 15017 (MMS) error code in the delivery report

For more information about error codes see [Response status and error codes](https://www.infobip.com/docs/essentials/api-essentials/response-status-and-error-codes)

Note
Although the majority of US mobile operators provide these reports most smaller operators do not See the full list of [operators providing reports](https://www.infobip.com/docs/essentials/usa-and-canada-registration/handling-deactivated-phone-numbers#mobile-operators-that-provide-deactivated-phone-number-reports)