SMS messages have a basic limit of 160 characters using GSM-7 encoding or 70 characters with UCS-2 encoding. When these limits are exceeded, phones can still send longer messages by breaking them into smaller segments. Message 1 (GSM-7): 160 characters of basic text per segment. | Message 2 (UCS-2): 70 characters per segment when emojis or special characters are used. |
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Text: Good evening, <Name Personalization> from [Insert College Name]. Are you still interested in attending in the Spring? Classes are open for January and February start dates today! Reply STOP to unsubscribe. Message Length: 207 characters Calculation: 207 characters / 160 characters = 2 segments Recipients: 500 contacts Total Segments: 2 segments × 500 contacts = 1,000 segments
| Text: Good evening, <Name Personalization> from [Insert College Name]. Are you still interested in attending in the Spring? 📙 Reply STOP to unsubscribe. Message Length: 148 characters Calculation: 148 characters / 70 characters = 3 segments Recipients: 800 contacts Total Segments: 3 segments × 800 contacts = 2,400 segments
| Resource: Use an SMS Segment Calculator Resource to determine the exact segments for your messages based on encoding and message length. |
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