Character Counts

Depending on the character sets you use, your maximum SMS message length is from 70 through 160 characters. If your message exceeds the character limit, MobileConnect breaks your message into multiple sends. The first send contains the maximum character count. The next sends contain the rest of the characters in the message batched by the maximum character count. Your message can exceed the limit due to personalization strings.

Note The message will be split on space character to avoid splitting words. This increases the overall message length, resulting in more segments than initially anticipated.

Single SMS messages that use any non-Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) characters allow for 70 maximum characters. MobileConnect splits messages that exceed 70 characters into multiple parts. If you include non-GSM characters in your message, the character limit is 70, even if most of the message contains GSM characters.

Brazil

MobileConnect deploys messages in Brazil with a maximum character count of 160, but it splits messages on the Nextel network when those messages are longer than 140 characters.

Canada

• GSM messages: 160 characters
• GSM messages with concatenation: 153 characters
• Non-GSM messages: 70 characters
• Non-GSM messages with concatenation: 67 characters

Latvia

Due to restrictions by Latvian carrier LMT, all messages sent into Latvia are treated as non-GSM, and the maximum character count is 70 characters regardless of message content.

Turkey

As of February 1, 2017, Turkish carriers require that an operator code is added to the body of each SMS message sent in Turkey. This code consumes 4 characters of any SMS messages sent and lowers the maximum character to 156. The 4-digit code appended to each message doesn’t appear on the subscriber’s mobile device.