How to Send iMessages from PHP (Laravel & WordPress)

PHP developers can send iMessages using the Sendblue REST API with plain cURL, Laravel's HTTP client, or WordPress's wp_remote_post. This guide covers all three approaches with complete code examples for sending messages, receiving webhooks, and handling media.

Prerequisites

You need:

PHP 8.0+ with the cURL extension enabled (standard on most installs)
Sendblue API credentials — sign up free to get your API key and secret
For Laravel: Laravel 10+ with the HTTP client (included by default)
For WordPress: WordPress 5.0+

The Sendblue API uses standard JSON over HTTPS, so no special PHP extensions are needed beyond cURL.

Plain PHP with cURL

Here's how to send an iMessage using PHP's built-in cURL functions:

<?php
function sendImessage(string $number, string $content, ?string $mediaUrl = null): array
{
    $payload = [
        'number' => $number,
        'content' => $content,
    ];

    if ($mediaUrl) {
        $payload['media_url'] = $mediaUrl;
    }

    $ch = curl_init('https://api.sendblue.co/api/send-message');
    curl_setopt_array($ch, [
        CURLOPT_POST => true,
        CURLOPT_RETURNTRANSFER => true,
        CURLOPT_HTTPHEADER => [
            'Content-Type: application/json',
            'sb-api-key-id: ' . $_ENV['SENDBLUE_API_KEY'],
            'sb-api-secret-key: ' . $_ENV['SENDBLUE_API_SECRET'],
        ],
        CURLOPT_POSTFIELDS => json_encode($payload),
    ]);

    $response = curl_exec($ch);
    $httpCode = curl_getinfo($ch, CURLINFO_HTTP_CODE);
    curl_close($ch);

    return json_decode($response, true);
}

// Send a message
$result = sendImessage('+15551234567', 'Hello from PHP!');
print_r($result);

This works on any PHP installation with cURL enabled — shared hosting, VPS, Docker, or serverless.

Laravel Integration

Laravel's HTTP client makes API calls much cleaner. Create a service class:

<?php
// app/Services/SendblueService.php
namespace App\Services;

use Illuminate\Support\Facades\Http;

class SendblueService
{
    private string $baseUrl = 'https://api.sendblue.co';

    public function sendMessage(
        string $number,
        string $content,
        ?string $sendStyle = null,
        ?string $mediaUrl = null
    ): array {
        $payload = compact('number', 'content');

        if ($sendStyle) $payload['send_style'] = $sendStyle;
        if ($mediaUrl) $payload['media_url'] = $mediaUrl;

        $response = Http::withHeaders([
            'sb-api-key-id' => config('services.sendblue.key'),
            'sb-api-secret-key' => config('services.sendblue.secret'),
        ])->post("{$this->baseUrl}/api/send-message", $payload);

        return $response->json();
    }

    public function evaluateService(string $number): array
    {
        $response = Http::withHeaders([
            'sb-api-key-id' => config('services.sendblue.key'),
            'sb-api-secret-key' => config('services.sendblue.secret'),
        ])->get("{$this->baseUrl}/api/evaluate-service", [
            'number' => $number,
        ]);

        return $response->json();
    }
}

Add your credentials to config/services.php:

// config/services.php
'sendblue' => [
    'key' => env('SENDBLUE_API_KEY'),
    'secret' => env('SENDBLUE_API_SECRET'),
],

Now use it anywhere in your Laravel app:

// In a controller or command:
$sendblue = new SendblueService();

$sendblue->sendMessage(
    number: '+15551234567',
    content: 'Your appointment is confirmed for tomorrow at 2pm.',
    sendStyle: 'celebration'
);

WordPress Integration

WordPress has its own HTTP helper that works without any additional plugins:

<?php
function sb_send_imessage($number, $content, $media_url = null) {
    $body = [
        'number'  => $number,
        'content' => $content,
    ];

    if ($media_url) {
        $body['media_url'] = $media_url;
    }

    $response = wp_remote_post('https://api.sendblue.co/api/send-message', [
        'headers' => [
            'Content-Type'       => 'application/json',
            'sb-api-key-id'      => get_option('sendblue_api_key'),
            'sb-api-secret-key'  => get_option('sendblue_api_secret'),
        ],
        'body' => wp_json_encode($body),
    ]);

    if (is_wp_error($response)) {
        error_log('Sendblue error: ' . $response->get_error_message());
        return null;
    }

    return json_decode(wp_remote_retrieve_body($response), true);
}

// Example: Send message when a WooCommerce order is placed
add_action('woocommerce_order_status_completed', function($order_id) {
    $order = wc_get_order($order_id);
    $phone = $order->get_billing_phone();

    sb_send_imessage(
        $phone,
        "Your order #{$order_id} has shipped! Track it here: https://example.com/track/{$order_id}"
    );
});

Store your API credentials in WordPress options or wp-config.php constants for security.

Receive Webhooks in Laravel

Set up a webhook route and controller to handle incoming messages:

<?php
// routes/api.php
Route::post('/webhooks/sendblue/receive', [WebhookController::class, 'receive']);

// app/Http/Controllers/WebhookController.php
namespace App\Http\Controllers;

use Illuminate\Http\Request;
use App\Services\SendblueService;

class WebhookController extends Controller
{
    public function receive(Request $request)
    {
        $fromNumber = $request->input('from_number');
        $content = $request->input('content');
        $mediaUrl = $request->input('media_url');
        $service = $request->input('service'); // iMessage, SMS, or RCS

        \Log::info("Received {$service} from {$fromNumber}: {$content}");

        // Save to database
        \App\Models\Message::create([
            'from_number' => $fromNumber,
            'content' => $content,
            'media_url' => $mediaUrl,
            'service' => $service,
        ]);

        // Auto-reply
        (new SendblueService())->sendMessage(
            number: $fromNumber,
            content: 'Thanks for your message! Our team will reply shortly.'
        );

        return response()->json(['status' => 'ok']);
    }
}

Make sure to exclude this route from CSRF protection in app/Http/Middleware/VerifyCsrfToken.php. Set your webhook URL in the Sendblue dashboard.

Send Media and Contact Cards

Attach images, PDFs, videos, or vCards to any message:

// Send an image
$sendblue->sendMessage(
    number: '+15551234567',
    content: 'Here is your receipt:',
    mediaUrl: 'https://example.com/receipt.pdf'
);

// Send a contact card (vCard)
$sendblue->sendMessage(
    number: '+15551234567',
    mediaUrl: 'https://example.com/agent.vcf'
);

Contact cards are a powerful feature unique to Sendblue. When a recipient saves the vCard, your business name appears on all future messages. This is especially effective for sales outreach and customer support.

Error Handling

Always handle API errors gracefully. Here's a robust pattern for Laravel:

public function sendMessage(string $number, string $content): array
{
    try {
        $response = Http::withHeaders([
            'sb-api-key-id' => config('services.sendblue.key'),
            'sb-api-secret-key' => config('services.sendblue.secret'),
        ])
        ->timeout(30)
        ->retry(3, 1000)
        ->post('https://api.sendblue.co/api/send-message', [
            'number' => $number,
            'content' => $content,
        ]);

        if ($response->failed()) {
            \Log::error('Sendblue API error', [
                'status' => $response->status(),
                'body' => $response->json(),
            ]);
        }

        return $response->json();
    } catch (\Exception $e) {
        \Log::error('Sendblue exception: ' . $e->getMessage());
        return ['error' => $e->getMessage()];
    }
}

Laravel's HTTP client supports built-in retries and timeouts, which is ideal for reliable message delivery.

Next Steps

You're now sending iMessages from PHP. Explore further:

Full API documentation — Group messaging, typing indicators, reactions, and more
Webhook integration guide — Handle all 7 webhook types
CRM integrations — Connect iMessage to HubSpot, Salesforce, and other tools
Build an AI agent — Connect Claude or GPT to iMessage

Get your free API keys and start sending iMessages from PHP today.

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