SMS · 1 limit
One text holds 160 plain characters, or only 70 if a single character falls outside the GSM alphabet. Longer messages are split into parts of 153 or 67 characters, and each part is billed.
Last reviewed · How we measure
| Screen | Limit | When it’s too long | Where the number comes from | Reviewed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SMS messageAny phone | 160 characters (70 with Unicode) per part | It’s split into more parts, and each part is billed as a separate message. | Official limit · source |
The switch to Unicode is the expensive surprise. A curly apostrophe, a long dash or one emoji moves the whole message to Unicode, so a 150-character text becomes three billed parts instead of one.
Some GSM characters also count double: € [ ] { } ^ ~ | and \ each use two of the 160.
| Encoding | One message | Each part when split |
|---|---|---|
| GSM-7 (plain characters) | 160 characters | 153 characters |
| Unicode (UCS-2) | 70 characters | 67 characters |
FAQ
Something in it isn’t in the GSM alphabet, often a curly quote, a long dash or an emoji. Swap it for a plain look-alike and you’re back to 160.
Each part is billed as a separate message: 153 characters per part in GSM-7, 67 in Unicode.
No. Truncly checks and edits text; it doesn’t send messages.