SMS Character Limit: How to Avoid Split Text Messages

The standard SMS character limit is usually 160 characters for plain text. But if your message goes over that limit — or uses emojis, smart quotes, or special characters — it may be split into multiple SMS segments, or switch to a shorter per-message limit entirely.

Knowing this before you send saves you from accidentally sending a two-part message when you intended one clean, concise text.

What Is the Standard SMS Character Limit?

Standard SMS messages use an encoding called GSM-7. In GSM-7 encoding, a single SMS message can hold up to 160 characters. This includes every letter, number, space, punctuation mark, and line break.

GSM-7 supports the standard Latin alphabet, digits, and a defined set of common punctuation. Most everyday English-language messages fall within this encoding and can reach the full 160-character limit.

The 160-character limit is set at the protocol level — it is a fundamental part of how SMS was designed, not a platform-specific rule. It applies regardless of whether you are sending from a phone, a business SMS platform, or an automated alert system.

This limit matters most for:

• Marketing and promotional SMS — where cost and deliverability depend on message count
• Automated reminders and alerts — where message format needs to be consistent and predictable
• Customer service texts — where split messages can appear unprofessional
• Two-factor authentication codes — where brevity and clarity are essential

What Happens When You Go Over 160 Characters?

If a message exceeds 160 characters, the SMS system does not simply cut it off. Instead, the message may be sent as multiple SMS segments — sometimes called a long SMS or concatenated SMS.

In a concatenated SMS, each segment is typically 153 characters rather than 160. The remaining 7 characters per segment are used by the system to carry information that tells the recipient’s device how to reassemble the parts into one continuous message.

From the recipient’s perspective, the message often appears as one single text. However, from a sending and billing perspective, you may be charged for each segment individually depending on your SMS provider and platform.

What this means in practice:

Message length	Segments	Characters available per segment
1–160 characters	1 segment	160 characters
161–306 characters	2 segments	153 characters each
307–459 characters	3 segments	153 characters each

A 170-character message uses 2 segments. A 310-character message uses 3 segments. Whether each segment is billed separately depends entirely on your SMS provider — always check your platform’s billing terms before sending at scale.

Emojis, Unicode, and the 70-Character Trap

This is where SMS character counting gets complicated.

GSM-7 only supports a limited character set. When you include an emoji, a smart quote (” ” rather than ” ”), a non-Latin character, or certain symbols not in the GSM-7 character table, the entire message may switch to a different encoding called Unicode (UCS-2).

When a message uses Unicode/UCS-2 encoding:

• The single-message limit drops from 160 to around 70 characters
• If the message is split, each long-SMS segment holds around 67 characters rather than 153

This means a message that appears to be 80 characters long — well within what looks like the limit — may actually be sent as two SMS segments simply because it contains one emoji or one smart quote.

Common triggers for Unicode encoding:

• Emojis of any kind 😊 📱 ✅
• Smart or curly quotes (” ” ’ ’) — often inserted automatically by phones and word processors
• Non-Latin scripts (Arabic, Chinese, Cyrillic, Hebrew, Korean, Japanese, etc.)
• Some accented characters beyond the GSM-7 table
• Certain symbols such as the euro sign (€) — note: € is technically in the GSM-7 extended table but counts as 2 characters

The safest rule: if character count or SMS segment count matters to you, avoid emojis and use straight quotes. Draft in plain text and check your character count before sending.

Practical SMS Examples

Example 1 — Plain text, under 160 characters (1 segment)

Your appointment is confirmed for Friday at 10am. Reply STOP to unsubscribe.

That message is 75 characters. One segment, plain GSM-7 encoding.

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Example 2 — Plain text, just over 160 characters (2 segments)

Hi Sarah, your order has shipped and is expected to arrive by Thursday. Your tracking number is [link]. Let us know if you have any questions.

At around 144 characters this stays within one segment — but adding “Reply HELP for support. Reply STOP to unsubscribe.” pushes it to 195 characters and into a second segment.

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Example 3 — Emoji present, 70-character limit applies

Your order is on the way! 🚚 Track it here: [link]

That message is 51 characters — but the 🚚 emoji switches the encoding to Unicode. The 70-character limit now applies. This particular message still fits in one segment, but there is very little room left before it splits.

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Example 4 — Clean marketing SMS without emoji (1 segment)

Get 20% off this weekend only. Use code SAVE20 at checkout: [link]. Reply STOP to opt out.

90 characters. Plain GSM-7. One segment. Clean and safe.

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The pattern is clear: plain text stays predictable. Adding one emoji or one special character changes the rules for the entire message.

Best Practices for SMS Marketers and Businesses

1. Write short from the start Aim for under 160 characters in plain text. If your message regularly needs 2–3 segments, consider whether some content belongs in a landing page linked from the SMS instead.

2. Avoid emojis if segment count matters Emojis add visual appeal but can cut your per-segment limit by more than half. If cost per message or deliverability is important, stick to plain text.

3. Use short links Long URLs consume a large portion of your character budget. Use a link shortener or a custom short domain for SMS campaigns.

4. Remove filler words Words like “please,” “kindly,” “we wanted to let you know that” — remove them. SMS is a direct channel and benefits from direct language.

5. Watch for smart quotes If you are copying text from a word processor or document, smart quotes (” ”) may have been inserted automatically. Replace them with straight quotes (” ”) before sending.

6. Check spaces and line breaks Every space counts. Line breaks count too. Remove trailing spaces and unnecessary blank lines before finalising your SMS.

7. Test before sending at scale Always send yourself a test message before a campaign. Check how it displays on your own device and whether it arrived as one message or two.

8. Keep your CTA clear and close to the start If a recipient only reads the first 30 characters before deciding to act (or delete), your call to action should be reachable without reading the whole message.

Draft and Check Your SMS with TextLimits

The most reliable way to know your character count before sending is to paste your draft into a live counter and read the number directly.

Paste your SMS draft into the TextLimits character counter before sending. You can see exactly how many characters your message uses — including spaces, punctuation, and line breaks — and edit it down until it fits comfortably within your target limit.

TextLimits counts characters with spaces, characters without spaces, words, and reading time, all updating live as you type. Your text stays in your browser — nothing is stored or sent anywhere.

If you want to understand more about how character counting works in general, these guides may help:

• Do Spaces Count as Characters? — explains how spaces, punctuation, and line breaks are counted
• How Many Words is 1,000 Characters? — useful for understanding the relationship between character count and word count

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the maximum character limit for a text message? For standard plain-text SMS using GSM-7 encoding, the limit is 160 characters. If your message uses emojis, smart quotes, or non-Latin characters, the encoding may switch to Unicode and reduce the limit to around 70 characters per segment.

Do spaces count as characters in SMS? Yes. Every space counts as one character in an SMS message. Line breaks also count. See our full guide: Do Spaces Count as Characters?

Why did my SMS split into two messages? Either your message exceeded 160 characters in plain text, or it contained a character that triggered Unicode encoding (such as an emoji or smart quote), which reduced the single-segment limit to around 70 characters. Check your character count before sending to avoid this.

Do emojis reduce the SMS character limit? Yes. Emojis and certain special characters switch the message encoding from GSM-7 to Unicode/UCS-2, which reduces the single-message limit from 160 to around 70 characters. If a long-SMS is needed, each segment holds around 67 characters rather than 153.

Is SMS the same as WhatsApp or iMessage? No. SMS (Short Message Service) is a mobile network standard that works without internet access and has a 160-character limit rooted in the GSM protocol. WhatsApp, iMessage, and similar apps are internet-based messaging services with much higher or no practical character limits. The 160-character limit only applies to SMS.

How can I avoid split SMS messages? Keep your plain-text message under 160 characters, avoid emojis and smart quotes, use short links, and remove any unnecessary words or spaces. Paste your draft into the TextLimits character counter to check the exact count before sending.

Can TextLimits tell me my exact SMS billing cost? TextLimits can help you check and reduce your character count, which directly affects how many SMS segments your message uses. However, exact SMS billing depends on your SMS provider, the encoding applied, your sending platform, and your contract terms — TextLimits does not calculate billing costs. Check your provider’s documentation for accurate pricing.