Why SMS has a limit at all
SMS was designed decades ago to carry short messages. A single standard SMS can hold 160 characters. Anything longer is split into parts and joined back together on the phone. You still see one message, but you are charged for each part.
The numbers to remember
- Standard text: up to 160 characters in one SMS.
- Longer standard text: each part holds 153 characters, because a few characters are used to join the parts together. So 161 to 306 characters is 2 parts, 307 to 459 is 3 parts, and so on.
- Messages with special characters: a single SMS holds only 70 characters, and each part of a longer one holds 67.
What counts as a special character?
Standard SMS uses a basic character set. If your message contains something outside it, the whole message switches to a different encoding that holds fewer characters. Common causes:
- Emojis
- Curly quotes and long dashes that come from copying text out of Word or a website
- Some letters used in local languages, such as certain accented or extended letters
One emoji in an otherwise plain 100-character message can turn it from one SMS into two.
Simple ways to save credit
- Count before you send. Our compose screen shows you the character count and the number of parts.
- Type quotes and dashes from your keyboard rather than pasting them from another document.
- Skip emojis in bulk campaigns unless they really matter.
- Put the important part first. Name, offer and action in the first 160 characters.
- Cut filler words. "Dear valued customer, we would like to inform you that" can almost always become "Hello,".
An example
Instead of: "Dear valued customer, we would like to kindly remind you that your outstanding balance is now due for payment. Please make the payment at your earliest convenience."
Write: "Hello Mary, your balance of K450 is due 15 May. Pay by mobile money. – Unity SACCO"
The second message says more, is clearer and costs one credit instead of two.
Know your cost before you send
Multiply the number of parts by the number of people on your list. A 2-part message to 1,000 people costs 2,000 credits, not 1,000. A quick check before sending prevents surprises.
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