In most geographical locations around the world, a single SMS segment represents a maximum of 160 standard GSM characters. Spaces between words are also counted as characters. When typing your message, be aware that the longer it gets, the more it costs.
Long SMS messages
SMS messages containing more than 160 standard GSM characters are known as long messages. Smartphone handsets can combine or stitch multiple SMS segments into a single message. This is a concatenated message.
When segments are stitched together, seven characters are sacrificed per segment to help with concatenation. Therefore, the maximum character count for long messages are:
2 message segments: 153+153=306 standard GSM characters
3 message segments: 153+153+153=459 standard GSM characters
4 message segments: 153+153+153+153=612 standard GSM characters
GSM character sets
Standard
The standard GSM set contains the most widely used characters in everyday language: all Latin characters (A-Z), digits (0-9), plus a few special characters such as Ö and è. For each standard GSM character typed into a message, a single character space is consumed from the SMS segment.
Extended
In addition to standard GSM characters, certain characters from the extended GSM character set, such as € and { symbols, can be used in SMS messages. The 160 segment count remains, however these characters use 2 spaces per character.
Unicode
Non-standard GSM characters are referred to as Unicode characters. Unicode provides a set of additional characters, including punctuation marks, mathematical symbols, technical symbols, arrows, and characters making up non-Latin alphabets, such as Thai, Chinese, or Arabic script, and Emojis.
While Unicode is supported in SMS messaging, be aware that its usage affects your message length, and therefore, cost.
Adding a single Unicode character to your message content changes the character encoding to Unicode (UCS-2) and immediately reduces the segment character limit from 160 to 70 characters for a single message.
When messages are stitched together with Unicode characters included, three characters are sacrificed per segment. Therefore:
2 message segments with Unicode: 67+67=134 characters
3 message segments with Unicode: 67+67+67=201 characters
4 message segments with Unicode: 67+67+67+67=268 characters
Emojis
Emoji use is supported in SMS messaging. All emojis are treated as Unicode characters, reducing message segments to 70 characters. Older 16-bit emojis count as a single character and newer 32-bit emojis count as two characters in a message.
Unicode alert
When you include Unicode in your SMS message, you get an alert in a blue banner to let you know there's Unicode in the message. If you meant to include Unicode, you can ignore it, but if you didn’t, you can select SHOW MORE to open a side panel which shows you what characters are Unicode.
If you included Unicode by accident, such as copying and pasting an apostrophe from Microsoft Word, you can delete this in the editor and replace it and the Unicode alert disappears. You can keep some Unicode—such as emojis—in your message, but they might affect the length and cost of your message.
Microsoft programs and Unicode
Microsoft programs and Unicode
If you use Microsoft Office applications to create your content for SMS, then you are at high risk of including unwanted Unicode characters in your messages.
This is because Microsoft's Smart Quotes system changes apostrophes and speech marks into their Unicode curly equivalents, and the GSM character used initially is replaced by the Unicode counterpart.
Use the guides below to find your Microsoft Office application and some steps to prevent this from happening.
Microsoft Outlook 2016, 2013, and 2010
On the File tab, select Options.
In Outlook Options, select the Mail tab, and then select Editor Options.
In Editor Options, select AutoCorrect Options.
In the AutoCorrect box, do the following:
Select the AutoFormat As You Type tab, and under Replace as you type, clear the "Straight quotes" with "smart quotes" check box.
Select the AutoFormat tab, and under Replace, clear the "Straight quotes" with "smart quotes" check box.
Select OK.
Microsoft Word 2016, 2013, and 2010
On the File tab, select Options.
Select Proofing, and then select AutoCorrect Options.
In the AutoCorrect box, do the following:
Select the AutoFormat As You Type tab, and under Replace as you type, clear the "Straight quotes" with "smart quotes" check box.
Select the AutoFormat tab, and under Replace, clear the "Straight quotes" with "smart quotes" check box.
Select OK.
Microsoft PowerPoint 2016, 2013, and 2010
On the File tab, select Options.
Select Proofing, and then select AutoCorrect Options.
In the AutoCorrect box, select the AutoFormat As You Type tab.
Under Replace as you type, clear the "Straight quotes" with "smart quotes" check box.
Select OK.
Microsoft Publisher 2016, 2013, and 2010
On the File tab, select Options.
Select Proofing, and then select AutoCorrect Options.
In the AutoCorrect box, select the AutoFormat As You Type tab.
Under Replace as you type, clear the "Straight quotes" with "smart quotes" check box.
Select OK.