How Long Can a Business Text Be? 160 Characters per Segment, 70 With Emoji
By Sharrk Team · October 26, 2026
A business text can be 160 characters per segment, or 70 if it contains a single emoji or other non-standard character, and longer texts are split into segments of 153 (or 67) characters that are each billed separately. Sharrk bills texts by segment too, and its text editors show a live character and segment count so you can keep lead replies short and cheap.
Below: what a segment is, which characters cut your limit in half, how the opt-out line fits, and when to send an MMS instead.
What is the SMS character limit?
160 characters for a plain text in one segment. Twilio's documentation explains that a single SMS segment holds 140 bytes, which "equals 1,120 bits or 160 7-bit characters." Those 7-bit characters come from an alphabet called GSM-7, which covers 128 characters: English letters, numbers and common punctuation.
If any character in the message falls outside GSM-7, the whole message switches to UCS-2 encoding, which uses 16 bits per character. Per Twilio, that "reduces the character length limit of the message to 70 characters."
| Encoding | When it is used | Single-segment limit | Per segment when split |
|---|---|---|---|
| GSM-7 | Only standard letters, numbers, basic punctuation | 160 characters | 153 characters |
| UCS-2 | Any emoji, curly quote or other non-GSM character | 70 characters | 67 characters |
Twilio's platform accepts messages up to 1,600 characters, but its docs say "Twilio recommends keeping SMS messages under 320 characters."
Why does a long text cost more?
Because you pay per segment, not per message. Twilio's docs state plainly: "Twilio bills SMS per message segment sent." A 300-character text is not one message to the carrier; it is two segments sent together and stitched back into one bubble on the customer's phone.
Each segment loses a few characters to a small header that tells the phone how to put the pieces back in order. That is why a split GSM-7 text carries 153 characters per segment instead of 160, and a split UCS-2 text carries 67 instead of 70. Twilio's 2017 explainer "What The Heck Is A Segment?" walks through the math; it is an older post, but the encoding rules it describes still match Twilio's current glossary.
Which characters quietly drop the limit to 70?
Any character outside GSM-7. The common ones that sneak in:
- Emoji. One thumbs-up switches the whole text to UCS-2.
- Curly quotes and apostrophes. Twilio's explainer notes that "Smart quotes are usually a result of text editors being too darn helpful." If you write a template in Word, Google Docs or on a phone keyboard, a typed it's can become it’s, and that single apostrophe changes the encoding.
- Some accented letters. The same post warns to "be careful with accented characters," naming á, í and ú as examples outside GSM.
A few GSM-7 characters also cost double. Twilio's GSM-7 glossary says some characters, "such as { and ], need an escape character," and "These escape characters count as two characters."
Twilio offers a feature called Smart Encoding that "replaces certain non-GSM characters with equivalent GSM characters on your behalf," such as swapping curly quotes for straight ones. The safest habit is still to type templates in plain text and skip the emoji.
How does the opt-out line affect your character count?
It uses part of your budget on every text. Sharrk adds "Reply STOP to stop or HELP for help." to every text it sends, on its own line after a blank line. Counting the two line breaks, that footer is 38 characters, which leaves 122 characters for your message if you want the whole text to stay in one GSM-7 segment.
Write your message to about 120 characters and it goes out as a single segment.
What does a 1-segment lead reply look like compared with a 3-segment one?
Here are real counts (names, businesses and numbers are samples). We counted each one exactly, including Sharrk's 38-character opt-out footer.
One segment (150 characters, GSM-7):
Hi Dana, it's Sam at Bright Line Plumbing (sample). Got your water heater request. Can we call you at 2pm today? Reply STOP to stop or HELP for help.
The message itself is 112 characters. With the footer it is 150, under the 160 limit.
The same text, three segments: change the straight apostrophe in "it's" to a curly one (it’s) and nothing else. The total is still 150 characters, but the message is now UCS-2, over the 70 limit, and splits into 3 segments of up to 67. Adding a thumbs-up emoji at the end instead has the same result: 3 segments.
Three segments by length (366 characters, GSM-7):
Hi Dana, this is Sam with Bright Line Plumbing (sample). Thanks for reaching out about your water heater. We have a tech near you tomorrow and can come Tuesday 10am-12pm or Wednesday 1-3pm. The diagnostic visit is our standard fee, and it's waived if you go ahead with the repair. Which time works? Or call us at (555) 010-0142. Reply STOP to stop or HELP for help.
That is 328 characters of message plus the footer, which needs 3 segments of 153.
The footer tipping point: a 131-character message ("Hi Marcus, it's Jo at Green Acre Lawn Care (sample). Thanks for the quote request. Is Thursday at 9am good for a free walk-through?") fits in one segment alone, but with the footer it reaches 169 characters and becomes 2 segments. Trim nine characters and it is back to one.
A short reply that asks one easy question is also a better first touch. For choosing the first channel, see should you call or text a new lead.
How do you keep business texts to one segment?
- Aim for 120 characters of message. That leaves room for the opt-out footer inside 160.
- Type templates in plain text. Paste from a notes app or retype in the editor instead of copying from a word processor that adds curly quotes.
- Skip emoji in automated texts. One emoji cuts your segment from 160 characters to 70.
- Ask one question. "Can we call you at 2pm?" beats a paragraph of options.
When should you send an MMS instead of a long SMS?
When the content is visual or genuinely long. An MMS carries media, and Twilio's docs list a 5 MB size limit for MMS, with "the combined size of the message and its media" required to stay below it. A photo of a finished job, a short video walkthrough or an image of an estimate often says more than a four-segment text.
Sharrk's video texts work this way: you record or upload a video, Sharrk compresses it, and it goes out as an MMS of up to 5 MB or as a thumbnail with a short link. For routine lead replies, keep it to one plain SMS segment.
Before you text at scale, your number needs approved A2P 10DLC registration. Our breakdown of 10DLC registration costs covers every fee.
How does Sharrk handle text length and segments?
Sharrk counts texts by segment, and its campaign and notification editors show the character count and segment count live as you type. Every text gets "Reply STOP to stop or HELP for help." added automatically, so you never forget the opt-out line.
Sharrk's AI voice and text agents answer every call 24/7 and reply to new leads in under 30 seconds by text, call or email. Leads come in from Angi, Thumbtack, Networx, Jobber, ServiceTitan lead sources, web forms and custom webhooks, and each one can start a Strike: automatic follow-up across AI calls, AI text conversations, texts, emails, ringless voicemail and video texts, with stop rules when a lead asks to stop or replies. Text agents can book jobs by text straight onto Sharrk's calendar, Calendly, Cal.com or ServiceTitan.
Mako, Sharrk's AI assistant, builds all of this from plain English. Tell Mako "text every new Thumbtack lead within a minute with one short question about timing," and it drafts the text agent and the Strike for you. Every change shows on an Apply card, Mako waits for your OK, and you can Undo.
You can build and test everything on Sharrk Free with 2,500 one-time credits and no card, then go live on Core at $99 a month. Prefer a walkthrough? Schedule a demo. See the full lead-response setup on our speed to lead page.
Related on Sharrk: Speed to Lead · AI Receptionist · Contractor Automation
Sources
- Twilio Docs, "How long can a message be?" (last modified September 16, 2026, per page metadata): https://www.twilio.com/docs/glossary/what-sms-character-limit (checked October 26, 2026)
- Twilio Blog (Kevin Krier), "What The Heck Is A Segment?" (March 2, 2017): https://www.twilio.com/en-us/blog/what-the-heck-is-a-segment-html (checked October 26, 2026)
- Twilio Docs, "What is GSM-7 character encoding?" (last modified December 9, 2025, per page metadata): https://www.twilio.com/docs/glossary/what-is-gsm-7-character-encoding (checked October 26, 2026)
- Twilio Docs, "Accepted content types for media" (last modified July 7, 2026, per page metadata): https://www.twilio.com/docs/messaging/guides/accepted-mime-types (checked October 26, 2026)
Frequently asked questions
How many characters can a business text message have?
160 characters per segment if the text uses only standard GSM-7 characters, or 70 if it contains any emoji or other non-GSM character. Longer texts split into segments of 153 or 67 characters, and Twilio's platform accepts up to 1,600 characters in total.
Does an emoji make a text cost more?
Yes, often. One emoji switches the whole message to UCS-2 encoding, dropping the limit from 160 to 70 characters, so a 150-character text goes from 1 segment to 3, and SMS is billed per segment.
Why is a split text 153 characters per segment instead of 160?
Each segment of a long text carries a small header that tells the phone how to reassemble the pieces. That header leaves 153 characters per GSM-7 segment and 67 per UCS-2 segment.
Does the opt-out line count toward the character limit?
Yes. Sharrk adds "Reply STOP to stop or HELP for help." on its own line to every text, which uses 38 characters including the line breaks, leaving about 122 characters for a one-segment message.
Should I send an MMS for long messages?
Send an MMS when the content is visual, like a job photo or a short video. Twilio lists a 5 MB limit for MMS, and Sharrk's video texts go out as MMS up to 5 MB or as a thumbnail with a short link.