SEGMENT CALCULATOR

A “segment” refers to a part of a text message containing a maximum number of characters. Depending on the contents of the text message, or if the message is sent out in multiple parts, the maximum number of characters is different per segment.

If your message is over the maximum number of characters, it is broken down into multiple parts before being dispatched to the recipient's phone. Today, the majority of cell phone carriers join the multiple message parts to create a single message for the recipient to read. However, some phone carriers may send the messages separately, one after the other.

GSM-7

A text message containing text-only characters (regular letters and numbers) will be encoded using GSM-7 and will have a maximum of 160 characters. It does not contain special characters like emojis or letters with accents. If your text-only message goes over 160 characters, it will be broken down into multiple segments.

UCS-2

A text message containing emojis or special characters (even just one!), known as Unicode characters, (for example, ÀÂÃÄÇÈÉÊËÎÏÔÕÖÙÚÛÜ÷©) will be encoded using UCS-2 and will have a maximum of 70 characters per segment. If this type of message goes over 70 characters, it will be broken down into multiple segments.