How long is the data retention period of the sieve number system? Practical Guide to Optimal Rescreening Rhythm and Data Refresh

In the daily operations of acquiring overseas customers, the screening system is almost a standard tool for every team. It took a few minutes to submit a task, and I got tens or hundreds of thousands of “open”, “active” and “male” numbers. Immediately afterwards, the team began to introduce private messaging tools, arrange communication techniques, and send messages in batches—only to find that the delivery rate was not as high as expected, and the response rate was gradually declining. Is it a quality problem with the number itself, or is the data provided by the screening system not “fresh” enough?

In fact, each test result output by the screen number system is a snapshot at a certain point in time. The expiration speed of number status is closely related to user behavior, cancellation rate, and activity patterns of each platform. If you don’t know the data retention period, no matter how accurate the screening system is, your customer acquisition costs will be dragged down by inefficient reach. This article will focus on the data retention period of the sieving system, give suggestions on the re-screening rhythm of different platforms, and help you formulate a scientific data refresh plan.

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Why do the results of the screening system need to be “preserved”?

Just because a number is determined to be “Telegram registered” or “WhatsApp active” does not mean that it will never change. The reasons behind it are very practical:

• Users actively log out or change devices: Some users will frequently change their mobile phone numbers and log out old numbers, especially in foreign trade and cross-border scenarios.
• Platform policy tightening: Telegram and WhatsApp will clean up zombie or illegal accounts from time to time, causing some numbers to change from “valid” to “invalid”.
• Activity Decline: The user has installed the app but has not been online for half a year. The other party may not be able to see it at all when the private message is reached.
• Gender, age and other attributes change very little, but they are not permanent: Although social platform users rarely modify their personal information, there are still cases where background data synchronization is delayed or erased.

Therefore, the result filtered out by the sieve number system is essentially a time-sensitive data set. If you treat it as a permanently valid list and do not re-screen it for a long time (for example, more than half a year), the proportion of “invalid numbers” will gradually increase, eventually leading to a decrease in both the private message delivery rate and the response rate, which indirectly increases the customer acquisition cost of each effective contact.

Introducing the concept of “Data Refresh” allows the number screening system to recheck your number database regularly, eliminate numbers that have expired or changed status, and use the latest results to guide your marketing actions. Next time, when you hear “My screening system is not accurate”, there is a high probability that it is because - the data has expired.

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How long is the shelf life of the screening results on different platforms?

The following gives empirical reference values ​​by platform. Note that these are not precise numbers, but estimates based on typical user behavior and platform rules. The actual shelf life will be affected by region, user age group, operational activities, etc. Please make fine adjustments based on your own feedback.

Telegram filter: activated / active / timeliness of gender data

• Opening Test (tg Registration Test): Once a Telegram number is registered, the cancellation rate is relatively low, and most numbers remain valid within one year. However, there are cases where individual numbers are blocked by the platform or users actively log out. Shelf life is approximately 6–12 months.
• Activity Detection: If you use windows such as “Active in the past 3 days” or “Active in the past 7 days”, these results will change the fastest. A number that is active today may no longer be logged in next month. It is recommended that the rescreening frequency should be maintained at once every 1–2 weeks, especially if you need to reach active people with a high reach rate.
• Gender/Age Field: These data come from user profiles, which are rarely modified by users and change very slowly. Can be re-screened quarterly or semi-annually**. Note: The age field is the detected age group (such as 25–34), not the exact age of the ID card. Do not over-interpret it.

WhatsApp screens: The changing rhythm of activation and activity

• Activation Detection: The number registration status of WhatsApp is relatively stable, but there are many cases where users change devices or cancel old accounts. Shelf life is approximately 3–6 months.
• Activity Detection: The daily usage habits of WhatsApp users change rapidly, especially in areas with intensive marketing promotions (such as Southeast Asia and the Middle East), and the activity rate may decline on a monthly basis. It is recommended to re-screen monthly. If it is a high-conversion marketing activity, it can be shortened to once every two weeks.

Line / Zalo / iMessage and other platform screening numbers: special considerations for shelf life

• Line (commonly used in Taiwan and Southeast Asia): Line numbers are often bound to devices, and the cancellation rate is medium. The shelf life of the activated state is 3-6 months, and it is recommended to re-screen the active state every 2-4 weeks. Line gender detection has certain reference value for screening male users.
• Zalo (Vietnam core social platform): Zalo has higher loyalty among Vietnamese users, but the number replacement cycle is shorter (mostly young people). It is recommended to activate the test and rescreen every 2-3 months, and the activity level once a month.
• iMessage (for iOS devices only): The effectiveness of iMessage depends on your Apple ID and iMessage on status. If the user switches phones, upgrades the system, or turns off iMessage, the number may become invalid. The shelf life is short (1-3 months). If it is used for blue drainage, it is recommended to re-screen frequently.

Generally speaking, the shelf life of activity detection is usually much shorter than that of activation detection; static attributes such as gender/age can extend the period appropriately. If you have extremely high data quality requirements for a certain platform, it is best to shorten the re-screening interval and verify it with actual access data.

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Data refresh and rescreening rhythm: best practices in different scenarios

Mapping business goals to rescreening frequency can help you control costs and effects more accurately.

Universal mass messaging/ice-breaking marketing scenario

• Goal: Ensure that the number is still available, and the response rate is not high (such as sending a notification once, no strong interaction is required).
• Recommended rescreening period: once every 1–3 months. Suitable for teams with limited budgets, large rosters, and early icebreakers. Balance costs with effectiveness.
• Detection type: Mainly based on activation detection, which can be appropriately matched with the activity level in the past 30 days.

Accurate customer acquisition / specific groups of people reaching the scene

• Goal: high response rate, low harassment reporting rate. Needs precise targeting by gender and activity window.
• Recommended rescreening cycles: monthly or even weekly. If using the Telegram 3-Day Active + Male Screener, it is recommended to rescreen once a week.
• Cause: Activity changes rapidly. Using an expired “active” number to send private messages is more likely to be marked as harassment, resulting in increased account risks.

Long-term database maintenance/number cleaning scenario

• Goal: Maintain the health of the database and avoid accumulating too many expired numbers.
• Recommended rescreening cycle: Quarterly or semi-annually. Combined with the data deduplication warehouse, it avoids repeated detection of the same number.
• Operation: Run the deduplication task first, and then submit the screening number. Only new numbers or expired numbers from the last detection will be detected to save balance.

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How to scientifically arrange the re-screening plan of the screening system? (including list)

Once you have a rough re-screening rhythm, you need to turn it into an executable SOP. Below is a checklist you can apply directly to your own projects.

1. Task naming convention: Each screening task name contains “Platform_Detection Type_Date_Remarks”, for example TG_开通+活跃7天+男性_20250315_第一轮. To facilitate subsequent comparison.
2. Batch submission: It is recommended to split a large list (for example, more than 500,000 items) into multiple tasks of less than 200,000 items for concurrent or serial submission to avoid long waiting time for a single task. The KK-DATA console supports nested CSV import, which can be split first and then operated in batches.
3. Set notifications: Turn on the “Telegram notification of screen number completion” in the console, so you don’t need to log in repeatedly to check the task status. Notification will be sent to your customer service number or channel.
4. Export and Backup: After each re-screening, immediately download the valid results (such as CSV format), save the folder in a separate folder, and name it with the date.
5. Duplication removal and comparison: Use the platform’s “Data Deduplication Warehouse” function to compare historical valid numbers with numbers to be screened in this round before a new round of screening, and exclude numbers that have been detected and whose status has not changed. Every time you skip a repeat test, you save a balance.

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3 key points to note when re-screening the sieve number system

Re-screening is not mindless re-submission of tasks. The following three pitfalls should be avoided in advance.

Pay attention to the price changes of different detection types

The unit price for each platform and each detection type (such as Telegram activity vs. Line gender vs. WhatsApp activation) may be adjusted based on market conditions. Before submitting the task, the console will automatically display the estimated cost. Be sure to confirm before submitting. If you find that the price of a certain type of testing has become higher, you can re-evaluate whether all types must be rescreened, or only core testing (such as enabled + active) should be retained.

Comparative analysis with historical data after re-screening

After each re-screening result is exported, spend 30 minutes comparing the status changes of the last valid number in this round. For example:

• How many of the numbers that were active on TG last time have become inactive this time?
• What percentage of the numbers activated by WhatsApp last time are invalid this time?

By recording these two data, you can gradually establish your own shelf life parameters instead of relying on the “general 3 months” given by others. The comparison results can also help you quantify the effect improvement brought by re-screening - for example, the private message reply rate increased by X% after re-screening, which directly proves the value of fresh data.

Avoid wasting balance by repeated detection - use deduplication warehouse

The most easily overlooked thing is: When re-screening, the historical valid numbers may not change. If your list is large and the status of more than 50% of the numbers is exactly the same as the last time it was checked, then “rechecking” these numbers will be a waste of money.

Recommended approach: First use the platform’s “Data Deduplication Warehouse” to deduplicate the current batch of numbers and historical filtered numbers, and only retain newly added numbers or numbers whose last detection exceeds the specified number of days (for example, numbers older than 90 days need to be rechecked). This saves a lot of money on your balance. The deduplication warehouse function is in the console → Data Management → Deduplication Warehouse.

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The impact of data freshness on the conversion rate of overseas customer acquisition (case perspective)

Let’s deduce it logically: If you have 100,000 numbers, the number screening result shows that the activation rate is 80% (80,000 are valid). You used these 80,000 numbers for a year without re-screening them. A year later, the actual activation rate of these numbers may drop to 60% or even lower. When you use this batch of data for private message promotion, 40% of the contacts will fail, but it still consumes the same sending time and account resources as effective contacts, and bears the risk of account closure.

On the other hand, if you rescreen every quarter and only spend a small detection cost each time, you can eliminate about 20%-30% of the invalid numbers and ensure that the remaining 70%-80% of the numbers are still valid. This means that with the same batch of sending times, you can reach more real customers and the response rate will naturally be higher.

The more expired numbers, the higher the invalid contact cost. Calculate this cost clearly, and you will know that rescreening is not a “superfluous expense”, but a “necessary investment to improve ROI.” The most valuable thing about the screening system is that it can help you continue to keep your database fresh.

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Summary: Key actions to maximize the value of the screening system

• Develop a re-screening plan based on business scenarios: general mass distribution once every 1-3 months, precise customer acquisition once a week/month, and database maintenance once a quarter.
• Make good use of the platform’s deduplication warehouse: Reduce repeated testing and control costs.
• Make full use of the real-time price and notification functions of the console: avoid task delays and flexibly adjust detection combinations.
• Insist on data comparison and analysis: Build your own shelf life model and continuously optimize decisions.

Continuous data refresh is the core of upgrading the screening system from a “one-time tool” to a “long-term customer acquisition engine”. Log in to the console now and check how long has it been since your last round of screening tasks? If it’s been more than three months, it’s time to consider a rescreening.

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FAQ

**Q: How long will it take for the numbers filtered out by the screening system to become “stale”? ** A: There is no fixed number of days, it depends on the platform and test type. For example, Telegram registration status may remain valid for half a year to a year, while activity detection (such as 7-day activity) may change after a few weeks. It is recommended to set a re-screening cycle based on business goals (1-3 months for regular, monthly or even weekly for high-intensity customer acquisition).

**Q: Does every re-screening require the entire balance to be consumed again? ** Answer: Yes, fees will be deducted on a per-item basis after each number screening task is completed. However, the platform’s data deduplication warehouse can be used to avoid repeated screening of numbers that have been detected and whose status has not changed. It is recommended to export the last valid number first, and then use the deduplication function to compare it with the current round of data to be screened to reduce redundant detection.

**Q: I did the screening, but found that the private message reply rate is still very low. Is it related to the preservation of the screening results? ** Answer: It’s possible. If the number screening time is more than 1-3 months ago, some numbers may have been canceled or user activity has decreased, resulting in invalid contact. It is recommended to shorten the rescreening interval and verify the type of detection you are using (such as whether the “activity” filter is checked). In addition, the response rate is also affected by many factors such as wording skills and sending time.

**Q: How to judge when to refresh data? ** Answer: You can pay attention to two indicators: first, the date of the last screening; second, whether the actual customer acquisition effect (such as private message delivery rate, response rate) has declined significantly. It is recommended to export and back up the historical screening task results, and compare the changes in the proportion of invalid numbers at regular intervals. When the failure ratio exceeds 10%-20%, rescreening can be considered.

**Q: Does the KK-DATA platform support one-click re-screening? Do I need to re-upload my number? ** Answer: The platform provides historical task records. You can directly resubmit the screening number based on the original task (the detection type and number list can be reused), or import the updated number list. No need to manually repeat the combination every time. For specific operations, please refer to the official documentation https://docs.kkdata.cc/.

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I hope this article can help you establish a correct understanding of the data preservation of the screening system. After making a rescreening plan, don’t forget to take action immediately: 👉 Log in to the console to start screening, or contact customer service https://t.me/kkdata_robot for technical support. You can also continue to follow Official Blog to get more practical content on overseas customer acquisition.