---
title: SMS Smart Encoding - Reduce Message Costs Automatically | Telnyx
canonical: https://telnyx.com/release-notes/sms-smart-encoding
---
# SMS Smart Encoding - Reduce Message Costs Automatically | Telnyx

[Release notes](https://telnyx.com/release-notes)

# Telnyx SMS adds Smart Encoding to reduce message costs automatically

### 30, Jan 2026

A single curly quote, em dash, or ellipsis can double your SMS costs. When Unicode characters appear in a message, the entire SMS switches from GSM-7 encoding (160 characters per segment) to UCS-2 encoding (70 characters per segment). Most senders do not realize this is happening until they see unexpected billing. Telnyx Smart Encoding solves this by automatically replacing common Unicode characters with their GSM-7 equivalents before sending.

## Whats New

Smart Encoding analyzes outbound SMS messages and replaces 200+ Unicode characters with compatible GSM-7 alternatives. Curly quotes become straight quotes. Em dashes become hyphens. Ellipses become three periods. Your message looks the same to recipients, but sends at the lower GSM-7 rate.

## Key Benefits

* **Reduce SMS costs**: Prevent unexpected segment increases caused by hidden Unicode characters
* **Profile-level or per-request control**: Enable by default on your messaging profile or override per API request with encoding: auto | gsm7 | ucs2
* **Full transparency**: API responses include smart\_encoding\_applied: true/false so you know exactly when replacements occurred

## Getting Started

**Via Mission Control Portal:**

1. Sign up or log in to your Telnyx [Mission Control Portal](https://portal.telnyx.com) account.
2. Navigate to Messaging on the left menu.
3. Select Messaging Profiles.
4. Edit your messaging profile.
5. Enable Smart Encoding.
6. Send a test message with Unicode characters to verify.

For API configuration details and per-message controls, refer to our [developer documentation](https://developers.telnyx.com/docs/messaging/smart-encoding).

[Start building](https://telnyx.com/sign-up)

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