To send SMS messages in Zenvia Customer Cloud, it is necessary to understand some rules regarding the number of characters and types of messages allowed. In this article, learn how these rules work and how to configure your messages.

How SMS sending works

• Simple messages (Up to 160 characters): A standard SMS has a limit of 160 simple characters (without accents or special characters). Exceeding this limit prevents the message from being sent.
• Accented messages (Up to 70 characters): If the message includes special characters (e.g., ç, á, ñ, etc.), the limit is reduced to 70 characters.

Special characters and limitations

The following characters are considered special and affect the character limit: çÇáéíóúýÁÉÍÓÚÝàèìòùÀÈÌÒÙãõñäëïöüÿÄËÏÖÜÃÕÑâêîôû ÊÎÔÛºª°“NBSP”.

Double spaces and paragraphs are automatically replaced by a single space for optimization.

Use of variables

Messages containing variables do not allow an exact character count, as the variables are processed during the setup stage of the send.

Concatenated messages (split into parts)

⚠️ Attention: To enable or disable the sending of concatenated messages, contact our support team and request the change in your account settings.

When the message exceeds the 160-character limit, it is sent as a concatenated message, split into multiple parts. Here's how it works:

• Messages without accents: Each part can have up to 152 characters, as 8 characters are reserved for identifying the parts that make up the message. This identification allows the recipient's device to display the message as a single SMS.
• Accented messages: The limit per part is 66 characters, with 4 characters reserved for identification.

💡 Tip: To ensure the delivery of messages with variables, use pre-added contact files or groups. A warning about character count will be displayed during the setup stage of the send.

Done! Now you know the messaging rules for the SMS channel.