Overview
This troubleshooting guide covers the most common issues users encounter with GoBlue, providing step-by-step solutions and prevention strategies. Issues are organized by category with clear diagnostic steps and resolution paths.Quick Diagnostics
System Health Check
Run through this checklist to identify the general area of your issue:App Connectivity
Form Configuration
Message Queue
iOS Shortcuts
Message Delivery
Error Code Reference
API Errors (400-499)
API Errors (400-499)
Server Errors (500-599)
Server Errors (500-599)
GoBlue Specific Codes
GoBlue Specific Codes
Form and Webhook Issues
Webhook Not Triggering Messages
Problem: No messages created when webhook is sent
Problem: No messages created when webhook is sent
- Webhook appears to send successfully
- No new messages appear in GoBlue queue
- No error messages in external system
- Wrong Webhook URL
- Check form ID in URL matches your form
- Verify URL is copied correctly without extra characters
- Ensure using HTTPS, not HTTP
- Form is Inactive
- Open GoBlue app → Forms tab
- Check form status (should show “Active”)
- Toggle form off and on to reactivate
- Invalid JSON Format
- Validate JSON using online validator
- Ensure proper content-type header
- Check for special characters or encoding issues
- Missing Required Fields
- Verify
phoneNumberfield is included - Check field names match exactly (case-sensitive)
- Include all required fields defined in form
- Verify
Problem: Messages created but template not rendering
Problem: Messages created but template not rendering
- Messages appear in queue
- Template variables not replaced (showing instead of actual name)
- Messages sent with unreplaced variables
- Check message content in GoBlue app
- Verify webhook data structure
- Compare field names in webhook vs template
- Use consistent naming convention
- Test templates with sample data
- Document required field names
Problem: Webhook timeouts or errors
Problem: Webhook timeouts or errors
- External system reports webhook failures
- Intermittent success/failure pattern
- Timeout errors in logs
- Increase Timeout Values
- Set webhook timeout to 30+ seconds
- Implement retry logic in external system
- Reduce Payload Size
- Remove unnecessary fields from webhook data
- Split large payloads into multiple smaller ones
- Implement Queue System
Form Configuration Issues
Problem: Form appears inactive or grayed out
Problem: Form appears inactive or grayed out
- Form was manually deactivated
- Too many failed webhook attempts
- Account limits reached
- Reactivate Form:
- Open GoBlue app → Forms tab
- Tap the inactive form
- Toggle “Active” switch on
- Check Account Limits:
- Settings → Account Usage
- Verify you haven’t exceeded form limits
- Upgrade plan if necessary
- Reset Failed Attempts:
- Contact support to reset failed webhook counter
- Fix underlying webhook issues first
Problem: Message template syntax errors
Problem: Message template syntax errors
iOS Shortcuts Issues
Shortcut Not Running
Problem: iOS Shortcut never executes
Problem: iOS Shortcut never executes
- Messages stay in “queued” status
- No notification or indication shortcut ran
- Manual shortcut execution works fine
- Automation Not Set Up
- Open Shortcuts app → Automation tab
- Verify GoBlue automation exists and is enabled
- Check automation trigger conditions
- Background App Refresh Disabled
- Settings → General → Background App Refresh
- Ensure “Shortcuts” is enabled
- Enable “Background App Refresh” globally
- Low Power Mode Active
- Low Power Mode disables background automation
- Disable Low Power Mode or run shortcuts manually
- iOS Focus Modes
- Focus modes can block automation
- Check Focus settings for automation permissions
Problem: Shortcut runs but doesn't send messages
Problem: Shortcut runs but doesn't send messages
-
Check Shortcut Logs:
- Open Shortcuts app
- Run GoBlue shortcut manually
- Look for error messages or failed steps
-
Test API Connection:
-
Verify Permissions:
- Messages app permissions
- Network access permissions
- Contact access (if using contact data)
- Update Shortcut Configuration:
- Re-import latest shortcut from GoBlue docs
- Check API key is correctly entered
- Verify URL format is correct
- Fix Message Format Issues:
Problem: Messages sent to wrong recipients
Problem: Messages sent to wrong recipients
- Messages delivered to incorrect phone numbers
- Recipient complaints about receiving wrong messages
- Cross-contamination between campaigns
- Contact Data Corruption
- Shortcut Logic Errors
- Race Conditions in Processing
Performance and Reliability Issues
Problem: Slow message processing
Problem: Slow message processing
- Long delays between queue and delivery
- Messages sent hours after scheduled time
- iOS device feels sluggish during processing
-
Batch Size Optimization:
-
Reduce API Calls:
- Cache message data locally
- Batch status updates
- Only fetch new messages, not entire queue
-
Optimize Shortcut Logic:
- Remove unnecessary steps
- Use efficient text processing
- Minimize network requests
Problem: Shortcut crashes or fails intermittently
Problem: Shortcut crashes or fails intermittently
- Memory issues with large message batches
- Network timeouts
- iOS version compatibility
- Corrupted shortcut data
- Reduce batch sizes
- Add error handling to each step
- Update iOS and Shortcuts app
- Rebuild shortcut from scratch if corrupted
Message Delivery Issues
iMessage vs SMS Problems
Problem: Messages not delivering to some recipients
Problem: Messages not delivering to some recipients
- Are failing recipients iPhone users or Android users?
- Do failures happen consistently for same recipients?
- Are messages over 160 characters?
- iPhone → iPhone: Should use iMessage (blue bubbles)
- iPhone → Android: Falls back to SMS (green bubbles)
- International: Verify country code format
- Landlines: Cannot receive text messages
Problem: Message content formatting issues
Problem: Message content formatting issues
Rate Limiting and Throttling
Problem: Messages being rate limited
Problem: Messages being rate limited
- Some messages fail with rate limit errors
- Delays in message processing
- Inconsistent delivery times
- iOS Shortcuts: ~30 messages per minute
- GoBlue API: 1,000 requests per hour
- Carrier Limits: Varies by provider
Data and Contact Issues
Contact Creation Problems
Problem: Duplicate contacts being created
Problem: Duplicate contacts being created
- Same person appears multiple times in contacts
- Phone number variations creating separate records
- Different forms creating duplicate entries
Problem: Missing or corrupted contact data
Problem: Missing or corrupted contact data
Data Synchronization Issues
Problem: Contact status not updating
Problem: Contact status not updating
- Messages sent but contact status stays “New”
- Manual status updates not saving
- Status changes not reflected in reports
- Verify iOS Shortcut is sending status updates
- Check network connectivity during updates
- Manually refresh contact list in app
Performance and Scaling Issues
High Volume Processing
Problem: System slows down with large contact lists
Problem: System slows down with large contact lists
-
Pagination Implementation:
-
Database Query Optimization:
- Use indexes on frequently queried fields
- Limit returned fields to necessary data only
- Implement proper caching strategies
-
Memory Management:
- Process contacts in batches
- Clear processed data from memory
- Monitor memory usage during operations
Problem: Queue backup and delayed processing
Problem: Queue backup and delayed processing
- Increase processing frequency
- Add additional iOS devices for processing
- Implement priority queuing
- Optimize message templates for faster processing
Account and Authentication Issues
API Key Problems
Problem: API authentication failures
Problem: API authentication failures
- Expired or Invalid API Key
- Incorrect Key Format
- Key Not Properly Configured
- Regenerate API Key:
- Open GoBlue app → Settings
- Tap “Regenerate API Key”
- Update key in all integrations
- Verify Key Format:
Problem: Account limits exceeded
Problem: Account limits exceeded
- Monthly message limit
- Active forms limit
- API request rate limit
- Storage limit
- Upgrade account plan
- Optimize message efficiency
- Archive unused forms
- Implement better targeting to reduce waste
Network and Connectivity Issues
Connection Problems
Problem: Intermittent network failures
Problem: Intermittent network failures
- Some API calls succeed, others fail
- Timeouts during webhook processing
- Inconsistent message delivery
- Implement retry logic with exponential backoff
- Use redundant network connections
- Cache data locally when possible
- Monitor network quality over time
Getting Additional Help
Information to Gather Before Contacting Support
Technical Information
Technical Information
- iOS version
- GoBlue app version
- Shortcuts app version
- Device model
- Exact error messages
- Screenshots of issues
- Steps to reproduce
- Frequency of occurrence
- Form IDs experiencing issues
- API key (last 4 characters only)
- Webhook URLs being used
- Message templates causing problems
Usage Context
Usage Context
- Number of forms
- Daily message volume
- Number of contacts
- Peak usage times
- External systems connected
- Zapier workflows
- Custom API integrations
- Third-party tools used
Self-Service Resources
Community Discord
Status Page
API Documentation
Video Tutorials
Support Escalation Process
Self-Diagnosis
Community Support
Email Support
Priority Support
Prevention and Best Practices
Monitoring and Alerting
Set Up Monitoring
- Track message delivery rates
- Monitor API response times
- Watch for error patterns
- Set up automated alerts
Regular Maintenance
- Update iOS and apps regularly
- Clean up old test data
- Review and optimize workflows
- Archive unused forms
Testing Strategy
- Test changes in sandbox first
- Validate templates before deploying
- Monitor new integrations closely
- Have rollback plans ready
Documentation
- Document your configurations
- Keep integration details updated
- Share knowledge with team
- Maintain troubleshooting logs