diff --git a/src/Illuminate/Notifications/Channels/NexmoSmsChannel.php b/src/Illuminate/Notifications/Channels/NexmoSmsChannel.php
index 41c1fc6b7224..619332425535 100644
--- a/src/Illuminate/Notifications/Channels/NexmoSmsChannel.php
+++ b/src/Illuminate/Notifications/Channels/NexmoSmsChannel.php
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ public function send($notifiable, Notification $notification)
         }
 
         return $this->nexmo->message()->send([
-            'type' => 'unicode',
+            'type' => $message->type,
             'from' => $message->from ?: $this->from,
             'to' => $to,
             'text' => trim($message->content),
diff --git a/src/Illuminate/Notifications/Messages/NexmoMessage.php b/src/Illuminate/Notifications/Messages/NexmoMessage.php
index 16f7504977a8..293cf032e6d6 100644
--- a/src/Illuminate/Notifications/Messages/NexmoMessage.php
+++ b/src/Illuminate/Notifications/Messages/NexmoMessage.php
@@ -18,6 +18,13 @@ class NexmoMessage
      */
     public $from;
 
+    /**
+     * The message type.
+     *
+     * @var string
+     */
+    public $type = 'text';
+
     /**
      * Create a new message instance.
      *
@@ -54,4 +61,16 @@ public function from($from)
 
         return $this;
     }
+
+    /**
+     * Set the message type.
+     *
+     * @return $this
+     */
+    public function unicode()
+    {
+        $this->type = 'unicode';
+
+        return $this;
+    }
 }
diff --git a/tests/Notifications/NotificationNexmoChannelTest.php b/tests/Notifications/NotificationNexmoChannelTest.php
index abbe80692979..2f699ec56819 100644
--- a/tests/Notifications/NotificationNexmoChannelTest.php
+++ b/tests/Notifications/NotificationNexmoChannelTest.php
@@ -20,6 +20,7 @@ public function testSmsIsSentViaNexmo()
         );
 
         $nexmo->shouldReceive('message->send')->with([
+            'type' => 'text',
             'from' => '4444444444',
             'to' => '5555555555',
             'text' => 'this is my message',
@@ -38,6 +39,7 @@ public function testSmsIsSentViaNexmoWithCustomFrom()
         );
 
         $nexmo->shouldReceive('message->send')->with([
+            'type' => 'unicode',
             'from' => '5554443333',
             'to' => '5555555555',
             'text' => 'this is my message',
@@ -65,6 +67,6 @@ class NotificationNexmoChannelTestCustomFromNotification extends Notification
 {
     public function toNexmo($notifiable)
     {
-        return (new NexmoMessage('this is my message'))->from('5554443333');
+        return (new NexmoMessage('this is my message'))->from('5554443333')->unicode();
     }
 }