SMS Character Limits: Plain Text vs Unicode (160 / 70)

The two encodings

Every SMS is sent in one of two encodings, and that choice decides the character limit:

SMS plain text and Unicode character limits — Plain GSM text fits more characters per SMS than Unicode.

Plain text (GSM 7-bit): the standard alphabet of English letters, digits and common punctuation.
Unicode (UCS-2): used the moment your message contains a character outside the GSM set, such as Hindi, Tamil, Telugu or Kannada script, or an emoji.

Plain text limits

A single plain-text SMS holds 160 characters. If your message is longer, it is split and sent as a concatenated (multipart) SMS, and each part then holds 153 characters, because some space in each part is used to stitch the parts back together on the handset.

Unicode limits

A single Unicode SMS holds only 70 characters, because each character takes more space. When a Unicode message is split, each part holds 67 characters. This is why a short message in Hindi or Tamil can still count as more than one SMS.

	Plain text (GSM 7-bit)	Unicode (UCS-2)
Single SMS	160 characters	70 characters
Per part (when joined)	153 characters	67 characters
Used for	English and basic Latin text	Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, emoji

Characters that count as two

A handful of symbols are not in the core GSM alphabet and use an escape character, so each one counts as two characters against your 160. These include the square and curly brackets [ ] { }, the backslash, the pipe |, the caret ^, the tilde ~ and the euro sign. Use them sparingly if you want to stay within one SMS.

When a message switches to Unicode

The moment you include even one character outside the GSM set, the whole message switches to Unicode and the limit drops from 160 to 70. So a mostly-English message with a single regional-language word or emoji is billed at the Unicode rate. If you need regional languages, plan for the 70-character limit, or keep promotional copy in plain GSM text where you can.

Tips to stay in one SMS

Keep plain-text messages to 160 characters, and Unicode to 70.
Avoid stray special characters that quietly count as two.
Remember your sender ID and template wording count toward the total.
A longer message is not blocked, it simply counts as more than one SMS for billing.

Sending through an API? See how counts apply in our SMS HTTP API guide, and pick the right route in the promotional vs transactional guide.

FAQs

SMS character limits, common questions

How many characters can one SMS contain?

A single plain-text (GSM 7-bit) SMS holds 160 characters. A single Unicode SMS holds 70 characters, because Unicode characters take more space.

Why does my SMS count as two messages?

Either the message is longer than one part (over 160 plain or 70 Unicode), or it contains a character outside the GSM set that switched it to Unicode, or a special character that counts as two.

How many characters can a Hindi or regional-language SMS contain?

Regional-language scripts use Unicode, so a single SMS holds 70 characters and each part of a longer message holds 67.

What are extended GSM characters?

Symbols like the square and curly brackets, backslash, pipe, caret, tilde and euro sign are not in the core GSM alphabet. Each uses an escape and counts as two characters.

What makes a message switch to Unicode?

A single character outside the GSM 7-bit set, such as a regional-language letter or an emoji, switches the entire message to Unicode and drops the limit from 160 to 70.

How is a long SMS split?

A long message is sent as a concatenated SMS. Each part holds 153 plain-text characters or 67 Unicode characters, and the handset joins the parts back into one message.

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