Understanding the difference between text and text segments is meaningful for ensuring your text messages are able to be delivered as sent and for understanding how you’re billed. Plans for how many segments you’ll use daily guide which U.S. carrier registration you’ll need for texting your customers. Additionally, OpenPhone charges $0.01 per segment.
Billing for OpenPhone and all major carriers is determined by the number of segments sent. This means that you’re not charged per text message. The limit on the length of any text segment for all carriers is based on network limitations.
- A text is the complete message you send from your phone number to another.
- A text message segment is how carriers (like OpenPhone, Verizon, AT&T, etc.) divide your message for delivery.
A standard SMS (Short Message Service) text can contain up to 160 characters in a single segment when using basic characters, such as, letters, numbers, punctuation.
Note: All texts longer than 160 characters are split into multiple segments, each with no more than 160 characters. For instance, a 300-character text message is split into two segments.
When you use or include special characters like emojis, your message switches to Unicode encoding and allows a maximum of only 70 characters per segment.