New in ATS | granular SMS and calls consent on application forms

Give applicants granular control over how they’re contacted — and stay aligned with A2P 10DLC, TCPA, and GDPR.

The application form’s consent section has been redesigned. Two mandatory SMS + calls checkboxes are now four optional, unbundled checkboxes — transactional SMS, transactional calls, marketing SMS, and marketing calls — each referencing the account name. A confirmation pop-up and a non-coercive disclosure message appear when an applicant declines transactional SMS, so candidates understand the trade-off before they continue.

What’s new

• Four optional, unbundled checkboxes replace the two bundled mandatory ones. Applicants choose any combination, including none, and can submit the form either way.

• Each checkbox references the account name, not the brand, so messages from any brand under the account are covered by the same consent.

• A non-coercive disclosure under the transactional SMS checkbox tells applicants that opted-in candidates get instant alerts at every next step and move through the process faster.

• “Continue without SMS” confirmation pop-up surfaces when an applicant clicks Continue without checking transactional SMS. Selecting the in-pop-up SMS checkbox flips the primary action back to Continue.

Why it matters

Carrier reviewers are rejecting A2P 10DLC campaigns where SMS consent is mandatory or bundled, and the FCC’s January 2026 one-to-one consent rule requires consent to be voluntary. Forced or bundled consent is the top TCPA litigation trigger of 2026, and GDPR adds further exposure. Granular, optional consent keeps your campaigns deliverable and your forms defensible. Expect some near-term softening in opt-in rates as the change rolls out — that’s the intended outcome of removing a coerced opt-in, and the non-coercive disclosure plus confirmation pop-up are designed to keep the SMS-eligible pool as high as possible.

What to expect

• The new four-checkbox form ships to all non-Enterprise customers in production and to Enterprise customers in sandbox first.

• API- and CSV-created applicants are out of scope — the source of truth for those records is the employer, not the Fountain form.

• Bundled-consent copy is preserved behind the feature flag for accounts pending legal re-approval. Speak with your Customer Success team if that applies to you.

Availability

Release type: New feature

Availability:

• Available to new customers starting May 14, 2026.

• Existing customers will have access on a phased rollout basis. Contact your Customer Success team for details.

Contact your Customer Success team for early access or any questions about timing.