A standard text message holds 160 characters. Add one emoji, and that limit can fall to 70. Cross the line, and your carrier splits the message into parts and bills each one.
This guide explains the text message character limit in plain words. You will learn why it exists, how SMS segments work, and six rules to keep every text short, clear and cheap to send in the US.
Table of Contents
What Is the Short Character Limit for Text Messages?
The SMS character limit is the most characters one text message can carry. Letters, numbers, spaces and punctuation all count.
Clear and concise text messages are important, especially when sharing essential information where every character counts. This is particularly true for truck drivers, who rely on short, effective safety messages to stay alert, communicate hazards, and prevent accidents on the road.
How many characters for 1 SMS? A single SMS holds 160 characters in GSM-7 encoding or 70 in Unicode (UCS-2).
Why does SMS have a 160 character limit? The old GSM standard (GSM 03.38) capped one message at 140 bytes. That equals 1,120 bits, or 160 characters at 7 bits each. Texts had to squeeze into spare space between network signals.
The number also came from research. As the history of SMS records, engineer Friedhelm Hillebrand checked postcards and telex messages in the 1980s. Most were under 160 characters, so that became the cap.
Is SMS still limited to 160 characters? Yes. A single SMS still has that cap today. Longer texts are cut into parts and stitched back together on the phone. This is called message concatenation.
GSM-7 vs Unicode: Text Message Character Limits Explained
Your text’s character encoding sets how many characters fit. The table below shows the numbers.
What forces Unicode? Emojis, curly quotes, accented letters and non-Latin scripts such as Arabic or Chinese. One such character switches the whole message to the smaller limit.
Some GSM-7 symbols count double. These are the euro sign, ^, {, }, [, ], ~, | and . Many emojis also take two units, not one. A short text can go over the limit faster than you expect.
6 Critical Rules for the Short Character Limit for Text Messages
These rules keep your text message length low and your SMS deliverability high. Each one comes from how carriers count and bill messages.
Stay at or under 160 characters. Carriers bill each segment. A 161-character message sends as two segments: 153 characters, then 8. Here is a clean sample that uses only 95 characters.
Hi Sam, your order #4821 ships today. Track it here: example.com/t/4821. Reply STOP to opt out.
Skip emojis and smart quotes. One Unicode character cuts the limit from 160 to 70. Smart quotes sneak in from word processors. iPhone’s Smart Punctuation setting can also turn straight quotes into curly ones. This next sample has one emoji. It now needs two segments.
Hi Sam, your order is on its way! 🎉 Track it here: example.com/t/4821. Reply STOP to opt out.
Count everything, not just your main copy. Links, coupon codes, brand names and personalization tags all use space. A long first name can push a message over the edge. The line “Reply STOP to opt out.” alone takes 22 characters, so plan for it.
Test every message before you send it. Use an SMS character counter or segment calculator. It shows your encoding, segment count and characters left. Many platforms also offer auto character replacement, such as swapping curly quotes for straight ones. This is called SMS transliteration. Also paste your draft into a plain text editor first. It strips hidden symbols that word processors add.
Shorten links the smart way. A short link saves space. But US carriers often filter public link shorteners, because spammers use them. CTIA, the US wireless trade group, discourages them in its messaging guidelines. Use a branded short domain instead.
Write for US carrier rules, not just length. Marketing texts need consent under the Telephone Consumer Protection Act. Businesses that send A2P (app-to-person) texts on local numbers register through 10DLC with The Campaign Registry. Name your business and include opt-out words. Oversized, unclear messages risk being filtered.
How to Send a Text Message Longer Than 160 Characters
How do I send a text message longer than 160 characters? Just type it. Your phone or platform splits it into concatenated SMS segments of 153 characters each. Most modern phones show it as one message. Each segment is still billed.
You have other options too.
MMS carries longer text, images and links. Pricing and limits vary by carrier.
RCS (Rich Communication Services) supports long text, verified sender names, cards and carousels. Providers publish different caps, from about 1,000 to 1,600 characters. Check your provider’s number before you plan around it. RCS works on Android and, since iOS 18, on iPhone.
iMessage between iPhones has no practical 160-character cap. But it falls back to SMS when the other person is not on iMessage, so the SMS rules still apply.
The simplest fix is a short text with a link to a page. Put the details there.
One truth stays fixed: you cannot raise the limit of a single SMS. You can only split, switch channels or trim.
FAQs
How do I send a text message longer than 160 characters?
Send it as a concatenated SMS. Your phone splits it into 153-character segments and rejoins them on the other end. Each segment is billed. For richer or longer content, use MMS or RCS, or send a short text that links to a page.
How many characters for 1 SMS?
One SMS holds 160 characters in GSM-7 encoding. If the text has an emoji, curly quote or non-Latin letter, it switches to Unicode and holds only 70 characters. Spaces and punctuation count in both cases.
Is SMS still limited to 160 characters?
Yes. A single SMS is still capped at 160 GSM-7 characters or 70 Unicode characters. Longer messages are not blocked. They are split into segments of 153 or 67 characters, and each segment is billed on its own.
Why does SMS have a 160 character limit?
The original GSM standard allowed 140 bytes per message. At 7 bits per character, that fits 160 characters. Engineers also found that most short notes and postcards were already under that length, so the cap stuck.
Conclusion
The short character limit for text messages is simple once you know the numbers. Keep each text near 160 characters, avoid Unicode, count your links and opt-out line, and test before you send. Do this, and your messages stay clear, cheap and ready for US carriers.
Founder & Content Writer, ShortMesages.com
William Sanwal is the founder and lead writer behind ShortMesages.com, a website dedicated to helping people find the right words for every moment in life.
