SMS Marketing Blog

Why Text Messages are Limited to 160 Characters

6th May 2009 - Posted by Derek Johnson in category Text Message Marketing Advice

Why are text messages limited to 160 characters? It’s a question for the ages. In a recent article from the Los Angeles Times, we’re given an interesting insight into where that magical number came from.

Here’s a quick excerpt from the article:

“As he went along, Hillebrand counted the number of letters, numbers, punctuation marks and spaces on the page. Each blurb ran on for a line or two and nearly always clocked in under 160 characters.

That became Hillebrand’s magic number — and set the standard for one of today’s most popular forms of digital communication: text messaging.” Article continued here…

So, what do you think, is 160 characters enough for the text messages you send?