If your text message contains more than 160 characters, the system divides it into separate “segments” of 153 characters each. This number is less than the standard 160 due to space required for data that ensures the message is reassembled correctly. For example, a 161-character message is split into two segments – one with 153 characters and another with the remaining 8.

Special characters such as emojis or foreign language scripts reduce the maximum character count for a single segment to 70. Messages with more than 70 such characters are split into segments of 67 characters each.

To help manage costs, we offer a Smart Encoding feature. This function substitutes non-standard characters with standard ones, where possible. For instance, Smart Encoding replaces curly quotation marks with the straight ones that are part of the standard character set.

Remember, charges apply per segment sent, even if just one special character increases the total segment count. Our Smart Encoding feature can help avoid this by removing the special character where possible.