If you elect to send a notification to a SMS device, how many characters are you limited to?

When sending a notification to an SMS device, the character limit typically is set to 160 characters. However, in the context of certain configurations and depending on how the messages are formatted, a common limitation observed is 140 characters. The reason for this stems from the fact that some mobile carriers may impose restrictions on character usage or may reserve some characters for metadata, which effectively reduces the space available for the actual message content.

The limit of 160 characters is derived from the original specifications for SMS, which enabled standard messages to be sent without issue. But, when considering various factors such as character encoding (for example, when using special characters or non-Latin alphabets), messages could be further shortened. This is why you might encounter a 140-character limitation in specific environments, as it accounts for those potential variations and ensures that the message is received properly without being split or altered.

Understanding this character limitation is crucial when designing notifications, as exceeding the limit can lead to truncated messages that do not convey the intended information.