SMS

SMS (Short Message Service) is the text messaging service component that enables for text messages to be sent between mobile devices, as well as with services like Heymarket.

Because the service leverages standard protocols, there are some important limitations and considerations that need to be accounted for when using SMS. 

While SMS messages can be joined together, messages longer than 160 characters are split by carriers prior to them being sent.

SMS Segments within Heymarket 

This has some implications on how many SMS segments you should consider buying when choosing your Heymarket plan. While it may seem that you're sending out an individual message, the number of segments are calculated using the below table:

Heymarket will warn you prior to send messages that are greater than 1 segment, so you can be aware of how this will impact your overall message count.

As can be seen in the screenshots below, Heymarket will display the number of segments a message will use next to the Send Now button and provide a warning to ensure you are aware that while an individual message is being sent, several segments will be utilized:

Message Encoding and Its Impact

The character encoding of your message determines the number of characters allowed per segment:

• GSM-7 Encoding: Supports standard Latin characters and some special characters, allowing up to 160 characters per segment.
• UCS-2 Encoding: Used for messages containing non-Latin characters or certain special symbols, limiting each segment to 70 characters
  
  Including characters outside the GSM-7 character set, such as emojis or certain special symbols, will switch the encoding to UCS-2, reducing the number of characters per segment

MMS

MMS Segments within Heymarket

MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) is the standard protocol used to send messages that contain multimedia (images, PDFs, videos, etc.). The file size limit for MMS messages is up to 600KB, as this is the typical limit imposed by most carriers. Heymarket adheres to these constraints to ensure successful message delivery.

A MMS message counts as 1 message segment 

Error Handling

If you attempt to upload a multimedia file larger than 100MB, the upload will be blocked, and you will see the following error message. Please note that the 100MB limit is displayed as this is the limit imposed by other non-SMS/MMS based channels (ie Apple Business Messaging Integration):

Frequently Asked Questions

• Do inbound messages count towards my allotment?
  • Yes.
• I'd like to include an image or video to my message, how will that affect the number of message segments I'm sending?
  • Each attachment you add to the message will add a segment to your message.
• What is the size limit of files that can be sent via MMS?
  • Heymarket typically supports MMS up to 600KB in file sizes. However, this limit depends on our carrier as well as the recipient's carrier and phone type. If a client receives this message, we recommend sending the file via email as it's likely due to technical limitations on the recipient's end.. You can upload images, PDF's and videos of up to 600KB that will count as an individual segment
• What File Types do we Support?
  • Currently we only support MMS,SMS & PDF file types. 
• How can I see the number of message segments?
  • Heymarket will display the number of message segments below the character count (N.B.: multimedia will not count towards this).
  • 

Best Practices

• Keep Messages Concise: Aim to stay within one segment to optimize costs and delivery efficiency.
• Be Mindful of Encoding: Be mindful of using special characters or emojis since they will trigger UCS-2 encoding.
• Utilize MMS Effectively: Use MMS for rich content but ensure file sizes are within supported limits to prevent delivery issues.

Further Questions

Do you have any questions? Feel free to message in to (415) 561-0100 and we'll help out!