How many characters fit in one text message?

For text-only SMS, the usual single-message limit is 160 standard characters, or 70 Unicode units when the message contains emoji or other characters outside the standard SMS alphabet. Exceeding that limit creates multiple SMS segments.

Once a message exceeds the single-segment limit, every segment has less room because some space is reserved for reassembly instructions. For example, 161 ordinary letters use two segments; 307 use three. For toll-free numbers sending to the US or Canada, the longer-message capacities are 152 and 66 instead. See Twilio’s SMS length guidance.

Why can a short-looking message use more than one segment?

Emoji, curly quotation marks, and some other punctuation or language characters can switch the entire message to Unicode. A visible emoji can occupy more than one unit, so 70 Unicode units does not guarantee room for 70 visible symbols. Use a segment calculator for the exact text rather than counting what you see on screen. See Twilio’s Unicode guidance.

Some standard SMS symbols, such as braces and square brackets, count twice without switching the message to Unicode. Spaces and line breaks also take space. See Twilio’s standard SMS character guidance.

What should I check in GiveCampus before sending?

• Check the final recipient-specific text, including the recipient’s merged name, other personalized values, the actual URL, and any opt-out text that will be included. Different recipients can receive different message lengths.
• The Outreach editor’s Estimated Character Count is a draft estimate, not an SMS segment count. It does not calculate encoding or the final length after recipient personalization, opt-out additions, and any supported link shortening.
• The editor’s warning around 350 characters is a readability/display tip, not a promise that messages below 350 fit into one SMS segment. Some conversation screens instead show 160 (recommended); that also does not account for all encoding differences.
• Keep required opt-out wording. Shorten the main message if needed rather than removing the unsubscribe instruction.
• Use a representative recipient when previewing or testing personalized content, and check the received text. A sample with a short name does not establish the length for everyone in the audience.

How can I check the number of SMS segments?

Paste a representative final message into Twilio’s Message Segment Calculator and use the SMS results. It identifies the encoding and segment count. Leave Smart Encoding off unless Support has confirmed it is enabled for your sending setup; do not assume punctuation will be converted automatically.

Will the recipient see two separate messages?

Not necessarily. Phones commonly join SMS segments into one message bubble; the carrier and receiving device determine the display. There is no universal character count that guarantees two separate visible bubbles.

Does this apply to images or our purchased texting allowance?

These are SMS segmentation limits, not image/MMS limits, the maximum length accepted by every GiveCampus editor, or a calculation of your school’s purchased texting allowance. Do not add an image solely to avoid SMS splitting. For a question about usage or billing, ask Support to check the school’s applicable plan and usage records.