Help: Managing Character Limits in SMS Templates

Why this limit?

SMS messages are limited to 160 characters when encoded in 7-bit (standard GSM alphabet). Beyond this limit, the message is split into multiple parts, which may incur additional costs.

Watch out for dynamic tags

Your templates may contain tags like [NAME], [DATE], etc. that will be replaced when sent.

→ The final SMS length depends on inserted values and may exceed the 160-character limit.

Tips to optimize your templates:

Keep it concise: Prefer short messages to avoid exceeding limits.
Test with realistic examples:
Avoid overly long combinations:
For example, "Hello [NAME], your appointment is on [DATE] at [TIME]" can become very long depending on values.
Special characters:
Accents and characters like € are supported, but some (like €) take more space. Emojis and complex symbols aren't all compatible and force Unicode encoding (reduced limit to 70 characters/part).

What happens if the limit is exceeded?

The system will automatically split the message into multiple SMS.
Cost: Each part is charged as a separate SMS.
Display: Some carriers may show parts out of order.

Calculation example:

Your template: "Reminder: [NAME], your balance is [AMOUNT] €" (40 characters without tags).

If [NAME] = "Martine" (7) and [AMOUNT] = "100" (3) → 50 characters (OK).
If [NAME] = "Marie-Chantal Dubois" (19) and [AMOUNT] = "1,000.00" (8) → 67 characters (OK).
With long [NAME] + detailed [AMOUNT], the message could exceed 160 characters.

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Fondation Photo & Partage - Appel à projets 2027