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iPA Explains: MMS

Submitted by Michael Johnston on September 26, 2009 - 11:00pm.
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Most of you have probably heard by now that AT&T rolled out MMS today for US iPhone owners. But as the day went on, I got the impression that not everyone fully understands what this means. So for this first edition of iPA Explains, I'll be going over what MMS is, how to get it, and how it works. Let's begin.

What is MMS and why do I need it? - MMS, which stands for Multimedia Messaging Service, allows you to send pictures and video the same way you send a standard text message– through the Messages app on your iPhone. Why is this better than using email? Well there are several reasons to do it this way, but the most significant reason is that it allows you to send pictures or video to nearly any cell phone, even if it can't receive email.

What can I send with MMS? - The most popular use for MMS is to send pictures, but it can be used to send quite a few other things as well. For iPhone 3GS owners, MMS can be used to send video shot on their phone to other MMS-capable phones even if they can't shoot video. The iPhone will also allow you to send contacts, your current location or a dropped pin, and recorded audio using the Voice Memos app.

Which iPhones can send MMS and why wasn't it there to begin with? - Only the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS can send MMS messages. The original iPhone cannot send MMS.

MMS was introduced as a part of the iPhone OS 3.0 update, although it depends on carrier cooperation. AT&T didn't support the service initially so that they could improve their network to adequately handle a high volume of MMS messages.

How do I get MMS on my iPhone ? - First, update your iPhone to iPhone OS 3.0 or later. Next you'll need to install the carrier update from AT&T by plugging in your iPhone, selecting it in iTunes, and clicking the "Check for Update" button under the Summary tab. This message will appear:

Click "Download and Update" and in a few seconds your phone should have MMS enabled.

How do I send an MMS?? - To send an MMS, simply open the Messages app, create a new message or select an existing conversation, and tap the blue camera icon to the left of the text input field. From there you can send a new photo or video, or simply send one you've already taken. Once it's selected you can add another, type some text to go with the message, and then hit "Send". That's it!

To send a contact, select the contact you'd like to send using the Phone app, tap "Share Contact," and select "MMS."
To send a location, hop over to the Maps app and select the blue GPS dot, tap the blue arrow, select "Share Location," and then choose "MMS." You can also do the same using a dropped pin.
To send an audio recording, open up the Voice Memos app, record some audio, select the piece of audio you'd like to send, tap "Share," and choose "MMS."

How much does it cost to send an MMS?? - MMS messages count the same way as SMS text messages do. If you have a message plan with AT&T, MMS is now included. You can mix and match MMS and SMS, it doesn't matter. Both MMS messages and SMS messages count as a "message."

If you don't have a messaging plan or if you go over, an will MMS cost $0.30 per message. Standard text messages still cost $0.20.

That's about it! If we've missed anything important, let us know in the coments!

iPhone 2G MMS

Submitted by thuggedout on September 26, 2009 - 12:03pm.
I have a 2G and was able to use sinfuliphone.com mms hack and my mms is working on the 2G. So they are capable of sending and receiving mms. Here is the link http://www.sinfuliphone.com/showthread.php?t=53

Submitted by Michael Johnston on September 26, 2009 - 12:47pm.
Quote:
Originally Posted by thuggedout View Post
I have a 2G and was able to use sinfulliphone.com mms hack and my mms is working on the 2G. So they are capable of sending and receiving mms.
Could you explain the hack with a little more detail?

Submitted by homrb on September 27, 2009 - 1:49am.
another thing i found is that you a person who doesnt have the update yet will not get the picture you sent them

iPhone (2G) MMS activation

Submitted by Pyromatrix2k2 on September 27, 2009 - 2:00pm.
I wish there was a way to enable MMS on the 2G iPhone without Jailbreaking. The damn phone is already impossibly slow as it is, so that's the last thing I want to do. Does anyone know of a way to do it with an .ippc update or something? I used the current .ippc (for iPhone 3Gs and iPhone 3GS') and it didn't seem to work.

mms not working on my 3gs

Submitted by mholley@kc.rr.com on September 27, 2009 - 5:05pm.
I have a 3gs and wife has another, both were upgraded and restarted, and neither will completely send a mms here on the SE side of Kansas City, MO.
We both have a strong 3g signal. The message hangs at the very end and we get a red ! - message not sent - try again. I've reset the network settings, power cycled, and held the on/off and home button until the apple logo appears all to no avail. Mms for me is a big flop.

Submitted by foamysking on September 27, 2009 - 10:06pm.
the carrier version to get mms working is att 5.5

iPhone 2G can send MMS

Submitted by thuggedout on September 28, 2009 - 12:37am.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael Johnston View Post
Could you explain the hack with a little more detail?
The iPhone 2G is capable of sending MMS the reason why it can not is a Sim card issue, not a hardware issue. At&t turned off MMS on Sim cards for 2G owners. I used Big Boss guide http://thebigboss.org/2009/09/25/att-mms-available-now/ and then put a Sim card from my friend who has AT&T MMS but not a iphone and I was able to send and receive from the 2G with the 5.0 carrier setttings. But when I tried with my 2G Sim it didnt work even when I put my Sim into his phone, it still didnt work. This leaves me to believe that MMS is disabled on my Sim card by At&t. So I will be calling them in the morning to see if I can get MMS turned on. I also don't know if the phone has to be jailbroken to do this but I dont think so since it is just a carrier update through iTunes. But my iPhone is jailbroken. If I have any progress I will put up a new comment.

Submitted by foamysking on September 28, 2009 - 1:48am.
the reason it wont send from you sim but it will from a friends is the way messaging feature is setup on att end. original iphone txt and data plans are combined into one unseprateable package. in order to get it working you will need a different texting plan that allows mms and an att agent that is willing or unknowing enough to change it
(ecpt there is one way an att rep can enable it for about 6-12 hours till the system catches that it is not supposed to be set to on)

Submitted by Michael Johnston on September 28, 2009 - 2:33am.
Quote:
Originally Posted by mholley@kc.rr.com View Post
I have a 3gs and wife has another, both were upgraded and restarted, and neither will completely send a mms here on the SE side of Kansas City, MO.
We both have a strong 3g signal. The message hangs at the very end and we get a red ! - message not sent - try again. I've reset the network settings, power cycled, and held the on/off and home button until the apple logo appears all to no avail. Mms for me is a big flop.
Sounds like AT&T hasn't enabled it on your accounts yet. Call them and let them know you're having problems. Should be a pretty easy fix if you already have the update working.

Submitted by dehoopta on September 28, 2009 - 10:45am.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Michael Johnston View Post
Sounds like AT&T hasn't enabled it on your accounts yet. Call them and let them know you're having problems. Should be a pretty easy fix if you already have the update working.
It isn't that. It's the AT&T service. The month before the release I had about 50% of my calls dropped. It improved the week before the release, and now I can't hardly get a call through. If I am in a crowded place, I can get a signal, but no messages or calls go through. I basically had a nice PDA for the past two days.

Things are all very spotty right now.

Submitted by utp504 on September 28, 2009 - 12:50pm.
Quote:
Originally Posted by thuggedout View Post
The iPhone 2G is capable of sending MMS the reason why it can not is a Sim card issue, not a hardware issue. At&t turned off MMS on Sim cards for 2G owners. I used Big Boss guide http://thebigboss.org/2009/09/25/att-mms-available-now/ and then put a Sim card from my friend who has AT&T MMS but not a iphone and I was able to send and receive from the 2G with the 5.0 carrier setttings. But when I tried with my 2G Sim it didnt work even when I put my Sim into his phone, it still didnt work. This leaves me to believe that MMS is disabled on my Sim card by At&t. So I will be calling them in the morning to see if I can get MMS turned on. I also don't know if the phone has to be jailbroken to do this but I dont think so since it is just a carrier update through iTunes. But my iPhone is jailbroken. If I have any progress I will put up a new comment.
This doesnt sound like it is not letting your sim card send it or not. Instead it seems that if you just put your friends SIM into your phone and send an MMS right away, the AT&T network has not registered that quickly that his SIM is now in an iPhone 2G. What I mean is that if you go to your account on ATT.com and look at what phone you have it will show a picture of the phone that is on your account. If you switch your SIM to another phone it will change this on the site and your account, but not within the exact second, it usually takes at least 5 minutes.

Submitted by NetMage on September 28, 2009 - 3:28pm.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pyromatrix2k2 View Post
I wish there was a way to enable MMS on the 2G iPhone without Jailbreaking. The damn phone is already impossibly slow as it is, so that's the last thing I want to do.
There's no reason jailbreaking should slow down your phone by itself. It is only what you install that may slow down the phone.

My original iPhone has been jailbroken since the beginning, and it's performance was not affected.

Submitted by thuggedout on September 28, 2009 - 7:31pm.
Quote:
Originally Posted by utp504 View Post
This doesnt sound like it is not letting your sim card send it or not. Instead it seems that if you just put your friends SIM into your phone and send an MMS right away, the AT&T network has not registered that quickly that his SIM is now in an iPhone 2G. What I mean is that if you go to your account on ATT.com and look at what phone you have it will show a picture of the phone that is on your account. If you switch your SIM to another phone it will change this on the site and your account, but not within the exact second, it usually takes at least 5 minutes.
Yeah but my point is the 2G can send and receive MMS and AT&T is not allowing it.