Character limits and cost
A single text holds up to about 160 characters. If your message includes an emoji, an accented letter (such as é), or characters from a non-Latin alphabet, the limit drops to about 70 characters.
Longer messages are split into parts and put back together on the recipient's phone, so they still read as one text. Each part is billed separately. One emoji in a long message can double the number of parts, and the cost.
Some carriers also reject long messages, especially ones with emojis or other special characters. When this happens, the text fails with error 30019.
Pictures and files
Clients can text pictures to your firm, and the pictures show up in the text conversation. Your firm can only send plain text. To share a file with a client, use email.
Best practices
Watch for hidden characters when you copy and paste. Text copied from Microsoft Word, Google Docs, or an email draft often includes smart quotes, curly apostrophes, or hidden formatting characters. These count the same as an emoji: they lower the character limit, can increase the number of parts and the cost, and can cause a long text to fail.
Test frequently used messages with an SMS segment calculator, especially templates in automations that send often.
Skip emojis and accented letters in long messages when you don't need them.
Test a small group before a bulk send. Send to about 20 contacts first and check for delivery errors before sending to your full list.
Keep your contact list clean. Remove landlines and numbers that don't exist from text automations, and correct numbers with the wrong format.
Why didn't my text deliver?
Most failed texts come from the recipient's phone number, not from Lawmatics. You can fix most of them by updating your contact records.
In a text conversation, a failed text shows a red warning icon. Hover over the icon to see the carrier error code, for example "Not delivered — carrier error 30006." Find the code in the table below. Some failures are rejected before the text is sent and may not show a code.
Error code | What it means | What to do |
30003 | The phone is off or out of coverage. | Usually temporary. If the same number fails many times, ask the person for a new number. |
30005 | The number does not exist. | Ask the person for a correct number and update the contact record. |
30006 | The number is a landline or cannot receive texts. | Call the person or ask for a mobile number. Remove the contact from text automations. |
30007 | The carrier blocked the text because of its content. | See Messages blocked for content below. |
30019 | The message is too long for the recipient's carrier. Emojis, smart quotes, or other special characters make this more likely. | Shorten the message or split it into two texts. Remove emojis and special characters, and retype any text pasted from Word or Google Docs. |
21211 | The number has the wrong format or too many digits. | Correct the number in the contact record. |
21408 | The number is in a country where texting isn't supported. | Use email or a phone call. See Texting clients outside the US and Canada below. |
21610 | The person replied STOP. | Stop texting this person. See When a recipient replies STOP below. |
No code | Lawmatics could not send the text. | Check the number on the contact. If the number looks correct, contact Support. |
Messages blocked for content (error 30007)
Mobile carriers filter text messages to protect their customers from spam, phishing, and fraud. If a carrier decides a message looks like one of these, it blocks the message and it is never delivered. This is error 30007.
This can happen to legitimate messages. For example, a criminal defense firm texting a client about a drug or firearms charge may be blocked because of the words in the message, not because anything was wrong with it.
Why it seems inconsistent
Each carrier uses its own filtering rules. A message blocked by one carrier may be delivered by another. The same wording can go through one day and be blocked the next.
What tends to get filtered
Mentions of drugs, cannabis, or firearms
Links, especially shortened links or links that look suspicious
Spam-style wording, such as "FREE," "LAST CHANCE," or other urgent sales language
ALL CAPS, excessive punctuation, or many emojis
Content relating to SHAFT categories (Sex, Hate, Alcohol, Firearms, Tobacco) or activities not legal in all 50 states (e.g. gambling, cannabis)
Public URL shorteners such as
bit.lyand other links that hide the real destination or look suspiciousDebt and lending topics some carriers consider high-risk: payday loans, debt collection, consolidation, forgiveness, reduction, and credit repair (see T-Mobile’s Code of Conduct)
What to do
Rephrase the message in plain, neutral language and send it again.
Keep sensitive details out of texts. Ask the client to call, or send the details by email or through the Client Portal.
Limit links. If you need to share a file or page, consider email instead.
A 30007 error does not mean the phone number is bad. Your other texts to this person can still be delivered.
When a recipient replies STOP (error 21610)
When someone replies STOP, the carrier blocks all future texts from your firm's number to that person. Any text you send afterward fails with error 21610.
Do not text this person again. Use email or a phone call instead.
Remove the contact from text automations.
Only the recipient can turn texts back on, by texting START, YES, or UNSTOP to the same firm number.
Texting clients outside the US and Canada (error 21408)
Texting is only available to a limited set of countries. If you see error 21408, that country isn't supported, so use email or a phone call.
If an automation sends texts, check that international contacts are not included.
Still need help?
If texts keep failing and the number looks correct, contact Support. Include the contact, the date of the text, and the error code if one is shown.