# Message Limits

Message limits cap the number of messages you can send within a specified time frame, preventing you from over-messaging your users.

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## About message limits

You set message limits at the project level, setting the maximum number of messages that can be sent within a period of time. When a member of your audience reaches a message limit, Airship suppresses any messages they would otherwise receive for the remainder of the time period.  

![Message Limits](https://www.airship.com/docs/images/message-limits-set_hu_7136b34341143a19.webp)

You can set limits for messages sent using [Automation](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#automation), [Sequences](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#sequence), [In-App Automation](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#iaa), and [Scenes](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#scene). Limits set for Automation and Sequences apply to **all channels and message types**.

And you can set message limits for **individual channels**:

* App — *Limits apply to push notifications only*
* Web
* SMS
* Email — *Limits apply to* [Commercial Email](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#commercial_email) *only*

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Combined limits:

* **Message limits for In-App Automations and Scenes are combined.** App and Web Scene limits are not differentiated. If you set a limit of no more than one message in 24 hours, a user can receive a Scene triggered on both App and Web channels: once in the app and once on the web within 24 hours.

* **Message limits for Automation and Sequences are combined** and apply at the [Named User](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#named_user) level, preventing you from over-messaging users, regardless of channel. If named user is not set, the limits will apply at the channel level.

* **Each Automation and message in a Sequence counts toward your *Sequences and Automation* limits.** So, with a limit of 2 messages per day, if a user triggers Automations for app, SMS, and email messages in the same day, that user would only receive 2 of the 3 automated messages.

* **Message limits for channels overlap with your *Sequences and Automation* limits.** For example, if you limit *Mobile App Push Notification* to 1 per day and *Sequences and Automation* to 2 messages per day, your users are still limited to 1 push notification per day, even in a Sequence. If you were to set up a Sequence with 2 push notifications in a day, your audience would not receive the second app message due to your *Mobile App Push Notification* message limit, and the Sequence would end prematurely.

Exclusions:

   * [Message Center](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#message_center) messages are not limited since they only appear within your app and are less obtrusive than other notification types — the user must actively open the messages in your app to experience them.

   * [Silent Push Notifications](https://www.airship.com/docs/reference/glossary/#silent_push_notification) are also excluded from message limits since they are not viewed by users.


> **Note:** Reaching a message limit does not result in exiting a Sequence.


> **Important:** If you send a push notification with an in-app message using the Airship dashboard and a member of your audience has reached the *Mobile App Push Notifications* message limit, they will not receive either message.
> 
> For the same scenario, but for a push notification with a Message Center message, the push notification will not be sent and the Message Center message will be sent.


### Sequence and Automation rule limits

In addition to project-level message limits on the total number of Sequence and Automation messages your audience can receive within a time frame, you can also set daily or all-time *rule limits* for each Sequence and Automation. This can prevent over-messaging your audience. You can set rule limits when configuring automation triggers and in Settings for a Sequence. See:

* [Rule Limits](https://www.airship.com/docs/guides/messaging/messages/sequences/create-automation/#rule-limits) in *Create an Automation*
* [Scheduling and frequency](https://www.airship.com/docs/guides/messaging/messages/sequences/create/create/#scheduling-and-frequency) in *Create a Sequence*

> **Note:** * If a user reaches an Automation rule limit, they will not receive the message.
> * If a user reaches a Sequence rule limit, they will not receive the message and will exit the Sequence.


### Overriding message limits

You can override project-level message limits, ensuring that your audience will receive a message even if they've reached the message limit. You may want to override message limits for important messages like breaking news, account alerts, or location proximity-based messages. Overriding message limits does not override [Sequence or Automation rule limits](#sequence-and-automation-rule-limits).

Enable *Ignore Channel Message Limits* in these locations:

* **Message, A/B Test, and Automation composers:** In the *Delivery* step.
* **In-App Automation and Scene composers:** In the *Settings* step.
* **Sequences:** In the *Trigger* tab in *Settings*.

## Set message limits

You can set up to 50 of each limit type.

1. Next to your project name, select the dropdown menu (
), then **Settings**.
1. Under **App settings**, select **Message Limits**.
1. Select **Add 
** for the item you want to limit, and enter the maximum number of messages that can be sent within a number of hours or days. In-App Automations and Scenes also have *Second* and *Minute* options.
1. (Optional) Click **Add another** to set another limit for a different time frame.
1. Select **Add**.

## Set limits for a category

> **Note:** * Adding a category to a message limit will affect only messages this category applies to.
> Multiple message limits are compared only when applied to the same category.
> * Reaching a category limit does not result in exiting a Sequence.


1. Next to your project name, select the dropdown menu (
), then **Settings**.
1. Under **App settings**, select **Message Limits**.
1. Click **Add 
** or **Edit 
** for the item you want to limit.
1. Click **Add Category** and select from existing campaign categories or create new ones.

## Manage message limits

To view your current limits:

1. Next to your project name, select the dropdown menu (
), then **Settings**.
1. Under **App settings**, select **Message Limits**.

To edit:

1. Click **Edit 
** for the limit you want to change.
1. Edit an existing limit, or click **Add another** and configure a new limit.
1. Click **Update**.

To delete:

1. Click **Edit 
** for the limit you want to delete.
1. Click 
 to delete one of multiple limits and click **Update**, or click **Remove all**.