Understanding SMS Character Limits with Emojis

When sending SMS messages, the inclusion of emojis can affect the overall character count, as they are converted into Unicode format. This conversion leads to a reduction in the character limit for the message, typically restricting it to 70 characters instead of the usual 160 characters.

Why Does This Happen?

Emojis are essentially graphical characters that are not part of the standard text characters supported by SMS. In SMS, each character is typically encoded as a single byte, but emojis require more data to be represented (often two bytes or more). As a result, when you include an emoji in your message, the entire message is encoded in Unicode, which uses more memory and therefore limits the total number of characters you can send.

What Does This Mean for Your SMS Campaigns?

• Character limit reduction: If your SMS contains emojis, the character count is limited to 70 characters. This is half the standard 160-character limit for a plain text message.
• Message format change: The inclusion of emojis can result in your message being sent as multiple segments if the total message exceeds the character limit. Each segment will count toward the character count, potentially affecting delivery costs if you're sending a large number of messages.

To understand the technical side of Unicode and why emojis impact the character count, check out this helpful article from Dot Digital.