How Character Limits Work for SMS Messages

With Exercise.com’s SMS messaging feature, you can send text messages manually or automatically through your fitness business platform. This guide will show you how SMS message character limits work and how to track your usage.

This guide walks you through managing SMS message character limits efficiently.

1. SMS Message Character Limit

When you’re setting up a message to send via SMS, you’re limited to 160 characters within a message segment. This applies whether you’re sending a manual message or setting up an automation that sends via SMS.

2. Check Character Usage and Segments

When you go over 160 characters, your message will be split into segments. Each segment counts toward your SMS usage total. As you write your message, you’ll see the character count and number of segments displayed on the screen. If you’re sending to multiple recipients, each person receives all segments of your message.

3. Open the Automations Menu

Click the menu icon to open the main navigation, then select Automations.

4. Click “Create New Automation”

On the Automations page, click the Create New Automation button to begin creating a new automation.

5. Select “Send a Message: One Time”

From the dropdown, select Send a Message: One Time to create a one-time SMS automation.

6. Edit “How” and “Message” Settings

Click the edit icon next to How and choose SMS Text Message. Then click the edit icon next to Message to view and edit the message body, including character usage.

7. View Character Usage

You’ll be able to view character usage and the number of message segments in real time as you type your message.

8. Open the SMS Log Report

Click the menu icon, then click the arrow to expand the sidebar. Select Reports, then click SMS Log to open the report.

9. Filter the Report by Date Range

Click the Date Range field to set your report timeframe. Choose the Start Date and select a specific time frame, such as Last Quarter.

10. Refresh and View Report Results

Click the Refresh Report button to update the report and view all SMS activity for the selected period.

11. Review the SMS Log Details

The SMS Log report shows all messages your platform has sent or received in the selected time frame, including message content and the number of segments sent for each message.

This guide showed you how to monitor character limits when composing SMS messages and how to review your platform’s SMS Log report. By understanding message segments and tracking your usage, you can manage messaging costs and ensure consistent communication with clients.