SMS Character Counter
Count characters for SMS messages with multi-message support
SMS Character Limits
SMS Character Encoding
GSM 7-bit (Standard)
Supports basic Latin characters, numbers, and common symbols. Allows 160 characters per message.
UCS-2 (Unicode)
Supports all characters including emojis, accented letters, and non-Latin scripts. Limited to 70 characters per message.
Concatenated SMS
Long messages are automatically split into multiple parts. Each part has a small header, reducing the character limit slightly.
SMS Character Counter FAQ
Why is my SMS limited to 70 characters instead of 160?
Your message likely contains emojis, accented characters, or non-Latin scripts, which triggers Unicode encoding (UCS-2). This reduces the limit to 70 characters per message.
What are SMS segment limits for long messages?
A single GSM SMS supports 160 characters and Unicode SMS supports 70 characters. Long messages are split into 153-character GSM segments or 67-character Unicode segments.
Will my long SMS arrive as one message?
Yes, most modern phones automatically reassemble multi-part SMS messages. However, older phones might display them as separate messages.
Can I use emojis in SMS messages?
Yes, but emojis trigger Unicode encoding, which reduces your character limit to 70 per message and may increase costs.
