Unicode / GSM SMS Checker
Instantly verify SMS encoding compatibility. Identify non-GSM characters and convert to GSM-7 for cost savings.
Unicode / GSM SMS Checker
Instantly check if your message uses GSM-7 or Unicode encoding
Optimization Tips
- Replace smart quotes with standard quotes to save space
- Use hyphens (-) instead of em dashes (—) for GSM compatibility
- Convert ellipsis (…) to three dots (...)
- Remove emojis or replace with text equivalents
Why Unicode?
Unicode encoding is triggered when your text contains characters outside the GSM 7-bit character set, such as:
- • Emojis (😊, 👍, ❤️)
- • Non-Latin alphabets (Cyrillic, Arabic, Chinese, etc.)
- • Smart quotes (" " ' ')
- • Em/en dashes (— –)
- • Special symbols (™ © ® ° × ÷)
What is GSM-7 encoding?
GSM-7 is the 7-bit character set used for standard SMS — basic Latin letters, digits, and common symbols. Any character outside it (emoji, accents, Cyrillic, Arabic, CJK, smart quotes) forces Unicode (UCS-2) encoding, which fits only 70 characters per segment instead of 160.
Why checking encoding saves money
A single emoji or smart quote can silently switch your whole message to Unicode and double your segment count — and your cost. This checker highlights every non-GSM character so you can swap it for a GSM-7 equivalent before sending. Then run the text through the SMS Text Optimizer to auto-convert them.
Frequently Asked Questions
What characters are not GSM-7?
Emoji, accented letters (é, ñ), curly quotes, em dashes, and any non-Latin script. They trigger Unicode encoding.
Does one Unicode character change the whole message?
Yes. If any character is non-GSM, the entire message is sent as Unicode and billed per 70-char segment.