General FAQ

Understanding SMS Length and Its Charges

English SMS Length Defined: When crafting an English SMS, you have a limit of 765 characters at your disposal. But here's the breakdown to be aware of: Each standard SMS is capped at 160 characters. Segmentation of Longer Messages: If your message exceeds 160 characters, it gets segmented into parts, each containing up to 153 characters. So, if you're doing the math: 1 part = 1 SMS (Up to 160 characters) 2 parts = 2 SMS (Up to 313 characters) 3 parts = 3 SMS (Up to 459 characters) ... 5 parts = 5 SMS (Up to 765 characters: 5 parts * 153 characters/part). User Experience vs. Billing: Most modern mobile devices will seamlessly stitch these parts together, presenting the recipient with one continuous, elongated message for easy reading. However, on the billing side, each of those segments is considered and charged as a separate SMS by the network providers. Takeaway: While longer messages offer the advantage of conveying more information, it's essential to be aware of the character thresholds to manage costs effectively.  

Understanding Unicode SMS Length

Defining Unicode SMS Length: For messages encoded in Unicode, the character limit for a single SMS is set at 70 characters. Unicode is used to represent a wider range of characters, including those from languages like Arabic, Chinese, and other non-Latin scripts, which often require more bytes for representation. Segmentation for Extended Messages: When a Unicode SMS exceeds this 70-character cap, the message undergoes segmentation. For extended messages that utilize Unicode encoding, each segment will be limited to 67 characters. This is because, out of the 70 characters, 3 are reserved for segmentation information. This information ensures the recipient's device can seamlessly concatenate the segments, presenting one continuous message. Key Point: It's essential to be mindful of the character limit when sending Unicode messages. Even though they allow for a rich set of characters, the segmented nature could mean higher costs due to multiple SMS charges for a single extended message.  

Understanding SMS Sender IDs

What is an SMS Sender ID? An SMS Sender ID is essentially the identifier of the sender of the SMS. For instance, when you send a text from your mobile phone, the recipient sees your phone number as the sender. However, with the EasySendSMS API, you can customize this sender ID to be a numeric value or an alphanumeric string, such as your company name. Types of Sender IDs: Numeric: This is simply a phone number. Recipients can reply to these messages. Alphanumeric: This can include both letters and numbers, such as a company name, but recipients cannot reply to these messages. Key Differences: Numeric Sender IDs are purely digits. They allow the recipient to respond directly to the message. Alphanumeric Sender IDs can include a mix of letters and numbers, making it ideal for brand recognition, but these messages are non-replyable. Advantages of Alphanumeric Sender IDs: Using an alphanumeric sender ID lets you brand your messages. For example, your company name can appear as the sender, making it instantly recognizable to the recipient. Limitations: Numeric IDs can be up to 16 digits long, including the + sign. Alphanumeric IDs are limited to 11 characters and can only include A-Z, a-z, 0-9, and spaces. Special characters (e.g., &, *, $, @) are generally not allowed by networks. Restrictions: Not all sender IDs are permissible. Networks often have filters to block or replace certain sender IDs, especially those containing: Network names (e.g., Vodafone, Orange) Sensitive words or symbols (e.g., sex, $, Euro) Terms like Testing, Tester Some networks or countries require pre-registration of sender IDs to ensure they comply with local regulations. EasySendSMS support can assist in verifying and registering your chosen sender ID. How to Set the Sender ID: When sending an SMS via the EasySendSMS API, you can specify the sender ID using the from parameter. For any queries or to ensure your sender ID meets all requirements, please reach out to our support team for assistance.