Why are my text messages being blocked or limited? (fair-use balance)

To fight spam and abuse, Onoff applies a limit on so-called "non-reciprocal" text messages (i.e. messages sent in bulk without receiving any replies).

How does the text message balance work?
When you buy or renew your number, you get an initial balance of 110 unanswered texts per 30-day period.

Each text you send deducts 1 point from this balance.
Each text you receive adds 1 point back to this balance.

What happens if the limit is reached?
If you send 110 more texts than you receive, your balance drops to zero. To keep sending messages, you have two options:

Keep the exchange fair: You'll need to receive a new text before you can send another one (1-for-1 rule).

Use credits: Any extra texts sent without a reply will be deducted directly from your prepaid Onoff credits.

Watch out for the length of your texts:
A single long message can be counted as several texts by the system, which reduces your balance more quickly.

Standard text: up to 134 characters (plain letters).
Text with emojis or special characters (complex accents, non-Latin alphabets): the limit drops to 70 characters per text.