How Large Can Text Messages Be?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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The maximum length of a text message is

160 characters

as long as you use standard 7 bit characters. Once you use a character that is not in the 7 bit encoding list, your maximum number of characters in a text message drops to 70.

Is there a maximum size for text messages?

The maximum length of a text message is

160 characters

as long as you use standard 7 bit characters. Once you use a character that is not in the 7 bit encoding list, your maximum number of characters in a text message drops to 70.

How can I send a large text message?

  1. Send it as a normal text message. Some phones and wireless providers allow you more than 160 words. …
  2. Use the Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS). …
  3. Break the message down.

How big can a text be?

What is the maximum character count of a text message? The number of characters that can fit in a standard text message is

160 characters

. Text messages or SMS messages that exceed 160 characters will often be split into two separate messages. Why a character limit of 160?

How can I send SMS more than 160 characters?

Type your SMS text message using the cellphone’s keypad. Continue typing, even when you reach the 160 character limit. The additional characters still appear on the cellphone’s screen.

Why do long text messages get broken up?

As we mentioned,

when a message you send is longer than the limit, your phone itself will split it into multiple messages

. These messages are each independent and may arrive in any order. Your mobile carrier and the person or system receiving the messages simply sees several disjointed messages.

Is it bad to send long text messages?

Generally speaking,

your texts shouldn’t be too long

. Ideally, you want to keep their length to about that of a tweet. Sending long texts can be annoying to the people on the receiving end, especially if they’re busy at work or trying to complete a project.

How long is too long of a text?


160 characters

in the U.S. and Canada is the industry-standard maximum for SMS messages across all carriers and phones. At this time, 160 characters is the industry-supported standard maximum for text messages across all carriers/mobile service providers in the U.S. and Canada.

What happens if you send a text over 160 characters?

When you send a SMS message over 160 characters,

the message will be split

. Large messages are segmented into 153 character segments and sent individually, then rebuilt by the recipient’s device.

How many texts can I send at once?


There is generally no limit on the maximum number of messages

when it comes to mass texting but some software may not be able to send more than a few thousand text messages at once. Which will be help for appointment reminders or business texting. Regardless, it is still a lot more than group messages.

What’s the world’s longest text?


Kenneth Iman’s LTE

is 21425 characters long. The Flaming-Chicken LTE (the original) is a whopping 203941 characters long!

Why is there a 160 character text limit?

In 1985, one character pretty much equated to one byte, so they decided that the character limit for an SMS should be 140. Since then, the GSM technology has improved, and they’ve been able to make each

character less than

one byte, meaning they could squeeze 160 characters into one SMS.

What has the highest text character limit Facebook?

Facebook offers a generous character limit of

63,206

. However, you should aim to keep your posts to a sentence or two for better engagement. Facebook’s character limit on status updates is 63,206.

Why do I get texts out of order?


When cell phone carriers deliver messages too far apart over time, phones do not always wait before sending the messages

. That’s why you might receive texts out of order. This is more likely to happen if you have a degraded service or if you’re using certain carriers.

Why are my iPhone messages out of order?

When they open the Messages app back up, their iMessages are in order! First, open the

Settings

and tap General -> Date & Time. … Now, reopen the Messages app on your iPhone — your iMessages should be in the correct order! Now you can go back to Settings -> General -> Date & Time and turn Set Automatically back on.

Why do I only get half of a text message?

As we mentioned,

when a message you send is longer than the limit, your phone itself will split it into multiple messages

. These messages are each independent and may arrive in any order. Your mobile carrier and the person or system receiving the messages simply sees several disjointed messages.

Carlos Perez
Author
Carlos Perez
Carlos Perez is an education expert and teacher with over 20 years of experience working with youth. He holds a degree in education and has taught in both public and private schools, as well as in community-based organizations. Carlos is passionate about empowering young people and helping them reach their full potential through education and mentorship.