SMS: This is the allowed number of characters

SMS messages must not be infinitely long, but are limited to a certain number of characters. In this article, we explain how high this is and what the consequences are if you exceed the number of characters.

SMS: Limited number of characters

It is not for nothing that SMS stands for "Short Message Service". With the short messages you have to be really short. You only have 160 characters available per SMS. Not only letters and numbers count, but also spaces and punctuation marks.

• If you exceed 160 characters, you will automatically start a new SMS. Your mobile phone continues to send the text as a single message, but your provider charges you two or more SMS messages.
• To prevent this from happening to you, you should pay attention to the character counter in your SMS app. It is usually located right next to the input field. Here you can see exactly how many characters you have left in an SMS.

Tip: How to forward SMS and calls automatically

In another practical tip, we will reveal what you can do if your SMS is not delivered.