One SMS holds 160 characters. Go over that and the message is split into parts of 153 characters each. Use an emoji or a special character and the limit drops to 70, with parts of 67 after that.
The two modes
| Message type | One SMS | Longer messages, per part |
|---|---|---|
| Standard (letters, numbers, common symbols) | 160 characters | 153 characters |
| With emoji, curly quotes or special letters | 70 characters | 67 characters |
Why do longer messages hold fewer characters per part? Each part carries a small header that tells the phone how to join the pieces back together. That header takes 7 characters of space.
What counts as a character
Everything: letters, numbers, spaces, punctuation and line breaks. The characters ^ { } \ [ ] ~ | and € stay in standard mode but count as two characters each.
A quick example
A fee reminder of 150 characters is 1 SMS. Add one emoji and the whole message switches to 70-character mode, so the same reminder becomes 3 SMS. Sent to 5,000 parents, that is 10,000 extra SMS for the sake of one smiley face.
How to check before you send
Do not count by hand. Paste your message into the free Yoola SMS calculator. It shows the character count, the number of SMS per recipient and the total cost for your audience.
Tips to stay in one SMS
- Put the most important information first, then the sender name and a short call to action.
- Use a short link instead of a long web address.
- Write numbers and amounts compactly, for example UGX 350,000 instead of Uganda Shillings Three Hundred and Fifty Thousand.
- Skip emojis in bulk messages unless the engagement is worth the extra cost.
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