SMS Character Limit 2026 – GSM-7, Unicode & Segments
A standard SMS is limited to 160 characters — but add a single emoji and that limit drops to 70. Send a message over 160 characters and it quietly splits into multiple messages, each one billed separately by your carrier. This guide explains exactly how SMS character limits work, why emojis reduce your limit by more than half, and how to write effective SMS campaigns within the constraints.
Paste your text below to check your SMS content length in real time — the SMS limit is pinned to the top of the checker.
Platform Limit Checker
SMS Character Limits at a Glance (2026)
| Content Type | Character Limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| GSM-7 (standard SMS) | 160 | Latin alphabet, numbers, basic symbols |
| Unicode (SMS with emoji/special chars) | 70 | Any emoji or non-Latin character |
| Multi-part GSM-7 segment | 153 | Each segment in concatenated message |
| Multi-part Unicode segment | 67 | Each segment when Unicode used |
| MMS (multimedia message) | ~1,600 | Includes images/video |
| iMessage (Apple) | No limit | Data-based |
| WhatsApp message | 65,536 | Data-based |
GSM-7 vs Unicode: Why Emojis Cut Your Limit in Half
This is the most important and most misunderstood aspect of SMS character limits. Standard SMS uses the GSM-7 encoding standard, which supports 128 characters including the Latin alphabet, numbers, and common punctuation. Any message using only these characters has a 160-character limit. The moment you include anything outside GSM-7 — an emoji, a curly apostrophe, an accented character (like é or ñ), or any non-Latin script — the entire message switches to Unicode (UCS-2) encoding. Unicode supports far more characters, but at a cost: the per-message limit drops from 160 to 70 characters.
Key points
- ✓Call us today for 50% off! — 28 characters, GSM-7, 1 SMS segment
- ✓Call us today for 50% off! 🎉 — 30 characters but now Unicode, still 1 segment (under 70)
- ✓We're having a sale! 🎉🎉🎉 Don't miss our biggest discount of the year, valid this weekend only! — 95 characters, Unicode, SPLITS into 2 segments = 2x cost
Multi-Part Messages: How Splitting Works
When a message exceeds the single-segment limit, your phone (or SMS platform) automatically splits it into multiple concatenated messages. Each segment includes a small header that links the parts together — and that header consumes characters: GSM-7 messages: 160 chars per single message → 153 chars per segment in multi-part. Unicode messages: 70 chars per single message → 67 chars per segment in multi-part.
- •For SMS marketing campaigns, this matters enormously
- •A 200-character GSM-7 message isn't one message — it's two
- •That doubles your cost per send
- •On a campaign of 10,000 messages, the difference between 155 and 165 characters could cost thousands of pounds extra
5 Rules for Writing Effective SMS Within the Limit
Strategic guidelines for SMS marketing:
- •Stay under 160 characters and avoid emojis in marketing messages — test every message in a character counter before sending
- •Avoid 'smart quotes' and curly apostrophes — these are Unicode characters. Always use straight quotes and apostrophes
- •Front-load your offer — SMS is read within 3 minutes of receipt 90% of the time. Get your offer, discount, or action in the first sentence
- •Include a clear single CTA — one action per message. 'Click here, call us, or visit our store' is three CTAs — pick one
- •Always include opt-out instructions — required by law in most countries. 'Reply STOP to unsubscribe' adds 24 characters
Frequently Asked Questions
A standard SMS is 160 characters using GSM-7 encoding. If your message contains an emoji or any non-standard character, it switches to Unicode encoding and the limit drops to 70 characters.
The message automatically splits into multiple parts. Each part in a GSM-7 multi-part message is 153 characters (not 160). This means a 180-character message becomes two segments — billed as two messages by most carriers and SMS platforms.
Yes, and they do more than just count — they switch the entire message to Unicode encoding, reducing your limit from 160 to 70 characters. Standard emojis take 2 Unicode characters each. Complex emojis with modifiers can take more.
No. WhatsApp, iMessage, and other messaging apps use internet data, not the SMS protocol. WhatsApp allows up to 65,536 characters. The SMS character limit only applies to traditional cellular text messages.
Use our free character counter and check the SMS bar. It will show your character count against the 160-character GSM-7 limit in real time. Remember to manually check if your message contains any Unicode characters.
Check Your SMS Character Count Now
Scroll back up to the counter on this page, or open the full character counter. Either one shows whether you’re within the recommended range — along with limits for Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Meta Description, and more at the same time.
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