Bilingual texting
French texts cost the same as English. Always.
One accent can make a French text cost three times as much on other apps. Tidewire bills by message, not by carrier segment, so you never pay a French surcharge.
Get early accessHow it works
Write in either language
Accents, ç and French punctuation all work as they should.
Send each contact their language
Set a contact’s language once, and bulk sends deliver the matching version.
Pay the same
Each text up to 160 characters counts as one message, in French or English.
Why French texts usually cost more
Carriers split long texts into segments. Plain text fits 160 characters in a segment. But one character outside the basic text alphabet, like ê, â, î, ô, û or ç, switches the whole message to a format that fits only 70. A 140-character French text can need three segments instead of one, and most texting apps bill for every segment.
Tidewire absorbs that difference. You pay per message, so the French version of a text costs exactly what the English one does.
What’s included
Per-message billing
Available in early accessUp to 160 characters counts as one message, in any language.
French and English versions in one send
Available in early accessContacts whose language is French get the French version of each bulk send.
Clean punctuation, kept accents
Available in early accessCurly quotes, long dashes and French spacing are swapped for plain versions before sending. Accents are never touched.
Opt-out in both languages
Available in early accessSTOP, ARRÊT and other opt-out words in English and French are honoured instantly.
Questions
Which characters make texts cost more on other apps?
Letters like ê, â, î, ô, û and ç, emoji, and curly quotes. Some accented letters, like é, è and à, fit in plain text.
Does Tidewire remove accents to save money?
No. Tidewire only swaps typographic punctuation for plain versions. Your French stays correct.
Try Tidewire with your team
We’re onboarding Canadian businesses in small groups. Join early access and we’ll set up your number and import your contacts with you.
Get early access