Understanding SMS Length in SMS Gateways: What You Need to Know
The SMS character limit varies depending on the encoding scheme used and the country in which the message is sent. Here are some general guidelines for SMS character limits:
1. GSM-7 SMS (English Text)
In most countries, including India, SMS is encoded using the GSM-7 Alphabet. It includes the Alphabet and familiar characters such as “Full stop, Comma, Colon,” etc.
With this encoding scheme, SMS is calculated to be 160 characters. If your SMS contains more than 160 characters, the SMS will be concatenated, and you will be charged multiple credits.
For example:
- 1 standard SMS message = up to 160 characters
- 2 concatenated SMS messages = up to 306 characters
- 3 concatenated SMS messages = up to 459 characters
- etc. (153 x number of individual concatenated SMS messages)
2. Unicode SMS:
You can use a Unicode encoding if you need to send messages in languages that use characters not included in the GSM-7 Alphabet. Sending a text in regional languages other than English or using one or more emojis in a text is considered a Unicode SMS.
Since Unicode is more complex than the Alphabet and requires more data to be stored, a Unicode SMS is calculated to be 70 characters. If the Text is beyond 70 characters, then you will be deducted multiple credits.
For example:
- 1 standard SMS message = up to 70 characters
- 2 concatenated SMS messages = up to 134 characters
- 3 concatenated SMS messages = up to 201 characters
- etc. (67 x number of individual concatenated SMS messages)
Frequently Asked Questions – SMS Character Limit
1. What is Concatenated SMS?
Suppose you need to send a message longer than 160 characters. In that case, the SMS gateway use concatenated SMS technique in which the longer Text splits into multiple SMS and reassembles on the recipient’s phone. With concatenated SMS, you can usually send between 900-1600 characters in length, depending on the end-device support.
2. How to check the character count of my SMS?
If you’re using the Digimiles SMS platform, we provide a feature that displays the Text’s character count and credit cost as you compose it.
This feature can help you stay within the SMS character limit and monitor spending.
3. How long an ideal SMS should be?
Although the Digimiles platform supports up to 1600 characters using the GSM-7 technique, we recommend sending an SMS between 160-400 characters to ensure the best user experience and SMS deliverability.
4. Can we send emojis in an SMS?
Yes, emojis can be sent in an SMS and are considered Unicode Text. Please note Digimiles don’t support emojis yet.
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