SMS charges can be higher than expected when a message is split into multiple SMS segments. This happens because SMS messages have a character limit per segment, and certain characters — such as emojis, accented letters, or non-Latin characters — reduce that limit significantly.
When a message exceeds the character limit for a single segment, it is automatically divided into multiple segments. Each additional segment increases the cost.
The character limit per segment depends on the characters used:
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Standard characters (letters, numbers, and common punctuation and symbols such as @, !, ?) allow up to 160 characters per segment.
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Non-standard characters — including emojis, accented letters (such as é, ü, or ð), or non-Latin characters (such as Hebrew, Chinese, or Cyrillic) — reduce the limit to 70 characters per segment.
When any non-standard character is included, the entire message switches to the lower character limit. This means a message may be split into multiple segments even if it appears short.
Example 1: Standard characters
A message with 150 standard characters uses 1 segment.
Example 2: Adding one emoji
A message with 150 characters that includes one emoji will use the lower character limit and may be split into multiple segments.
Example 3: Non-Latin characters
Messages written in non-Latin characters (for example Hebrew or Chinese) use the lower character limit and may require multiple segments.
To keep SMS costs predictable, follow these practices:
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Use standard characters whenever possible.
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Avoid emojis and accented characters in long messages.
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Keep messages short when non-Latin characters are required.
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Review message templates regularly for emojis or special characters.
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