Understanding Character Limits

An important part of messaging is understanding character limits because this can affect the number of credits you use when sending a message.

There's a maximum amount of characters you can use before your message goes from one SMS using one credit, to one SMS becoming multi-part and requiring two, sometimes even 3 credits. Now that might not seem like a big deal when you're sending 1:1 messages, but if you're sending campaigns to large groups of contacts, your budget can double or triple in a blink and it can result in a nasty shock when the invoice rolls in.

Messages containing only "standard" (GSM) characters: 160 characters

• After 160 characters your message will become "multi-part" with a limit of 153 characters per part.

Messages containing "special" (Unicode) characters: 70 characters

• After 70 characters your message will become "multi-part" with a limit of 67 characters per part.
• These limits will apply to any message containing special characters, even if there are standard characters present as well.

Multi-part message breakdowns:

Why do the character limits change for multi-part messages?

When your message is split into multiple parts, some characters get used up by invisible headers and footers, which are used to identify which part of the message is being sent (e.g. Part 1 of 2).

Avoid accidental Unicode characters with Smart Encoding

When copying & pasting message content from an external source like a Word document, it's possible your message might contain Unicode characters without it being obvious, particularly if you've copied across any paragraph formatting like "tab" or "whitespace" characters. This can cause a nasty surprise on your invoice if you're sending large broadcasts.

In the Messaging Hub, Smart Encoding can identify common accidental Unicode characters and replace them with their equivalent GSM character, ensuring the message goes out as GSM and not inadvertently triggering a 70-character limit on the whole message.

A full table of replacements is attached at the bottom of this article.

If you want Smart Encoding to be turned on for your Messaging Hub account, just submit a request with our support team using the link below this article.

Can I Send Emojis?

• Yes you can, provided that the recipient network supports it. If the recipient network doesn't support emojis, they'll be stripped out.
• Using emoji changes the encoding of the message to Unicode - emojis are counted as 2 Unicode characters each.
• Emojis can be copied and pasted into the message content field from an external source, or via the emoji button if you're writing your message from the inbox in the Messaging Hub.
• This webpage includes a full table of emojis that can be copied and pasted into the Messaging Hub.