SMS Character Limits and Segments Explained

A single SMS text message holds 160 characters when it uses only the standard GSM-7 character set, and 70 characters when it contains anything outside that set, such as an emoji, a curly apostrophe or many non-Latin characters. Longer messages are split into segments of 153 characters (GSM-7) or 67 characters (UCS-2), and each segment counts as a separate message for sending and, usually, billing.

Those numbers come from Twilio's documentation on SMS character limits, and they matter to any business that texts customers: a reminder that is 161 characters, or has one smiley face in it, costs twice as much to send and is more likely to be split awkwardly on older phones.

The two encodings

Encoding	Used when	Single message	Each segment of a long message	Maximum (Twilio)
GSM-7	Only standard letters, digits and common symbols	160 characters	153 characters	1,600 characters
UCS-2	Any character outside GSM-7 (emoji, curly quotes, many accented and non-Latin characters)	70 characters	67 characters	700 characters

Long messages lose a few characters per segment because each part carries a small header that tells the receiving phone how to reassemble the pieces.

Worked examples

• 150 characters, plain text: 1 segment
• 161 characters, plain text: 2 segments (153 + 8)
• 65 characters plus one emoji: 1 segment (under 70)
• 100 characters with one emoji: 2 segments (many emoji count as two characters in UCS-2, so leave extra room)
• 300 characters, plain text: 2 segments (153 + 147)
• 300 characters with one curly apostrophe: 5 segments

That last example is the expensive surprise.

Characters that push you to UCS-2

The common culprits in business texts:

• Emoji of any kind
• Curly quotes and apostrophes (" " ' ') that word processors and some phones insert automatically. Twilio's documentation calls this out specifically.
• Em dashes and en dashes typed by some keyboards
• Ellipsis character (one character "…" rather than three periods)
• Characters from many non-Latin alphabets

Some accented letters used in Western European languages are part of GSM-7; others are not. If you send in Spanish, French or another language, test your templates.

Some platforms automatically swap curly quotes for straight ones; Twilio calls this Smart Encoding. Do not assume your platform does it. Write templates in a plain-text editor, or check the character count your tool shows.

Why this matters for a business

1. Cost. Many providers bill per segment, so a 2-segment message costs twice a 1-segment one.
2. Throughput. Carrier rate limits on business texting are often counted in segments.
3. Readability. Older devices may show segments as separate messages, sometimes out of order.
4. Clarity. A text that needs three segments probably should have been a call or an email.

Writing texts that fit in one segment

Aim for under 160 plain characters for routine texts like reminders, confirmations and "running late" messages.

Too long (189 characters):

"Hello Mr. Johnson, this is a friendly reminder from Lakeside Dental Group that you have an appointment scheduled with Dr. Patel on Tuesday, October 14th at 2:30 in the afternoon. Thank you!"

Fits (126 characters):

"Lakeside Dental: reminder of your appt with Dr. Patel Tue Oct 14 at 2:30pm. Reply C to confirm or call 555-012-3456 to change."

Techniques:

• Lead with the business name, then the point.
• Use "Tue Oct 14 2:30pm" style dates.
• Cut greetings and sign-offs on routine automated texts; keep them on personal conversations.
• Replace "please do not hesitate to contact us" with a number.
• Use straight quotes and hyphens.
• Skip emoji in templates unless your brand depends on them and you accept the 70-character limit.

For more templates that respect the limit, see business text message templates and appointment reminder scripts.

Opt-out language takes space too

Industry guidance from CTIA expects businesses to tell people how to opt out, especially in the first message of a program and in recurring messages. "Reply STOP to opt out" is 21 characters. Build it into your character budget instead of pushing the message into a second segment. See handling STOP and opt-outs.

Links and MMS

• A full link can eat half your message. Use a short link on your own domain or your tool's domain.
• Messages with images are sent as MMS, which handles longer text differently and is usually priced differently. Check your provider's rates.

A quick pre-send check

• Under 160 characters for routine messages
• No emoji, curly quotes, em dashes or ellipsis characters, unless you accept the 70-character limit
• Business name in the message
• Opt-out language where required, counted in the length
• Link short and on a recognizable domain
• Tested by sending to your own phone

When a text is the wrong tool

If you cannot say it in a couple of segments, consider whether it belongs in a call or an email. Our guide to when to text vs call a customer covers that decision, and business texting etiquette covers tone.

Common business templates, measured

Here is how typical messages come out in plain GSM-7 characters. Counts include spaces and punctuation.

Template	Example	Characters	Segments
On my way	"Hi Ana, it's Jake from Bayside Plumbing. On my way, arriving about 9:15."	72	1
Reminder with opt-out	"Bayside Plumbing: reminder of your visit Thu Oct 9, 8-10am. Reply C to confirm. Reply STOP to opt out."	102	1
Running late	"Hi Ana, Jake at Bayside. Running about 30 min behind, now arriving around 9:45. Sorry for the wait!"	99	1
Quote with link	"Hi Ana, your quote from Bayside Plumbing is ready: $1,950 total. Details: [short link]. Good for 30 days."	around 110, depending on the link	1

Add one emoji to any of these and the 70-character limit applies, which would push every message in this table into two segments, since each is already over 70 characters.

Counting tools

Most business texting tools show a live character or segment count as you type; use it. If yours does not, paste the message into a plain-text editor with a character counter, and check for curly quotes by retyping apostrophes. When you save a template, note its length in the template name or description so teammates know how much room is left for names and times that get filled in.

Texting with Callata

Callata's shared texting inbox sends from your business number with saved templates and delivery receipts, so you can write a short template once, check it fits, and have the whole team reuse it. Messages are saved to each contact's history alongside calls and voicemails. Business texting from a local number starts after carrier registration, a one-time $49 fee, usually approved in 3 to 10 business days.

Callata Office is $99 a month and includes five users. Set up Callata.