topic Re: mms conversion, charging a in Mobile Services

mms conversion, charging a

Eurosceptiv — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 14:12:13 GMT

Have done some research (this forum and wider) but going to take the

Re: mms conversion, charging a

Eurosceptiv — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 14:22:11 GMT

Sorry phone playing up! To continue:

Title-mms conversion, charging add on etc

message-risk of being flayed alive. I’ve been charged for a number of picture messages, which were sent to other iPhone users as iMessages. They were sent via cellular data. (Normally send via WhatsApp so schoolboy error there)

I’m sure there was a time when messages sent in these circs would incur data usage but no charges, per se. I’m equally sure I was never charged while with BT and Sky.

To note, these were sent separately, not to multiple recipients. Not sure whether that’s apposite.

Be grateful for wisdom on rationale for charges.

(Have now tuned mms off in phone settings?

Thanks for your time.

Re: mms conversion, charging a

bristolian — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 15:04:43 GMT

If you send photos or videos via your phone's messaging app, then these will be sent via MMS at cost. Some animated GIFs or emojis can also trigger this, but that's phone-dependent, and on Android at least, emojis shouldn't trigger it. No idea about how Apple do things!

Either way, your phone should give an on-screen warning of "converting to MMS" or similar - this is fundamentally a device function, not a network one. Messages to multiple recipients and those above a certain number of characters (from memory, SMS supports concatenation of upto 15 messages, so 2400 characters) may also trigger this.

The trick to sending such content using your data allowance is to use a messaging app or email where you are being charged on a per-Kb, Mb, whatever... basis. Neither text messages nor multimedia messages have ever been charged per-data-volume, but per-message.

Re: mms conversion, charging a

Eurosceptiv — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 15:14:18 GMT

Thanks. Navigating to your last bit “Neither text messages nor multimedia messages have ever been charged per-data-volume, but per-message”-does this apply to iMessage to iMessage, wiv or wivout WiFi? (Assuming this is device rather than network driven)

Thanks again.

Re: mms conversion, charging a

bristolian — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 15:46:27 GMT

iMessage is an Apple-proprietry system just like WhatsApp, Messenger and whatever other messaging app you can think of.

You're charged for the data used to connect to Apple's servers - be that mobile data or broadband/WiFi.

Re: mms conversion, charging a

Eurosceptiv — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 17:38:19 GMT

So…do you mean you’re “only” charged for the data used? I used mobile data to send iPhone to iPhone via iMessage mechanism. Just wondering why I also paid 93p?

Thanks

Re: mms conversion, charging a

Northerner — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 17:46:56 GMT

Hi @Eurosceptiv

Mms go via EE SMS gateway if not sent over data (iMessage , WhatsApp) and EE charge you to use this service. That simple.

The cost to use this service is outlined in your contract terms and conditions.

Thanks

Re: mms conversion, charging a

Eurosceptiv — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 17:57:02 GMT

But it’s far from simple. Messages were sent “over data”.I said in opening post and reiterated in subsequent exchanges. I can evidence this.

Do I need to reach out to CS to pursue?

Regards

Re: mms conversion, charging a

XRaySpeX — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 18:09:26 GMT

If you send any text with an attachment like a picture using your phone's standard default messaging app it will be sent as an MMS (Picture Msg) & you will be charged for it, 93p each on contract. Similar applies to all networks. I am not referring here to other data messaging apps like iMessage & Whatsapp which entirely use data & consume your data allowance.

Re: mms conversion, charging a

Eurosceptiv — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 18:21:27 GMT

But your two forum colleagues have only stressed no charge if data used. Nowt about using default messaging app!

Re: mms conversion, charging a

XRaySpeX — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 18:56:29 GMT

Not entirely! @bristolian in the very 1st response to your thread only referred to sending MMS using your phone's messaging app.

If you were charged 93p for sending a picture you must have been sending it by the standard default messaging app , not iMessage or any other similar data app.

Re: mms conversion, charging a

bristolian — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 18:34:37 GMT

This is potentially a scenario where understanding where the demarcation between the Apple ecosystem, and the mobile network, matters. I don't use Apple but I wonder if there's a facility for the user to default to sending messages using "method A" (in this case, iMessage), but for the phone to alter this to "method B" (in this case, text/multimedia messages) if certain criteria are or are not met.

I am surmising here - I don't use Apple and have no intention to start! But nothing would surprise me with iOS, it has enough "quirks" to fill a catalogue,

Re: mms conversion, charging a

Eurosceptiv — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 18:35:22 GMT

I sent it via IMessage. You kniw blue bubble at my end, blue bubble at recipients’ end.

I used my iPhone’s “messaging app” to send an iMessage, like I always do. Does the “messaging app” definition only apply when used to send an SMS/MMS? (Android users)

I think we’re dancing on a pin head.

Re: mms conversion, charging a

bristolian — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 18:40:37 GMT

With Android at least, the default (Samsung) messages app only allows sending messages via the network gateways - so SMS or MMS.

I dabbled with the newer (Google I recall) messages app a while back, but could see it had mechanisms for sending texts via some chat method or other (RCS I suspect) so abandoned it PDQ in the interests of being fully cross-platform compatible. "Messages" means text or MMS, simples! Then use WhatsApp/Messenger/email for photos/videos.

It would not surprise me if Apple's messaging app did a similar thing. I've no idea if the iOS ecosystem even has a choice of messaging apps. I'm sure if Apple had their way, everything possible would be done via their own platforms and the networks would only be used for interacting with non-Apple users.

Re: mms conversion, charging a

Eurosceptiv — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 18:45:58 GMT

Perhaps I’m the only one on the forum using an iPhone. I think the mechanism for me to stay in the Apple ecosystem is to turn off mms in phone settings. Just guessing, though.

Just need to remember when sending stuff to all the v few Androids in kith n’kin.

Thanks

Re: mms conversion, charging a

bristolian — Thu, 22 Jan 2026 19:15:17 GMT

Fellow user @Chris_B uses Apple, he may be along shortly to advise on specifics.

I'm personally quite uncomfortable with any ecosystem that encourages users away from universal cross-platform standards - they tend to exist for a reason. So this may be a config issue - https://support.apple.com/en-gb/104972 gives some info too.

Re: mms conversion, charging a

Chris_B — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 08:22:05 GMT

@Eurosceptiv If you have RCS and the receiver has RCS enabled on the device you’ll not incur charges as this is Android version of iMessage. this can be iPhone to android or android to iPhone.
If it’s sent via iMessage Apple device to Apple device it’s data only. The problem with all these services is that both devices need to have a data connection for these services to work that’s cellular or WiFi, if one of the devices doesn’t have a data connections it’ll send as an MMS.

Re: mms conversion, charging a

Eurosceptiv — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 13:16:23 GMT

Appreciate that but these were definitely sent as iMessages, blue bubble with text, date sent shown when you swipe to the left etc. I think there’s another (forensic) way of proving these were sent as iMessages. No idea what RCS is, still trying to recover from masterclass on ecosystems and cross platform blah blah.

(I’m 66, so doing very well for my vintage)

Thanks

Re: mms conversion, charging a

Chris_B — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 13:39:08 GMT

@Eurosceptiv Provided is a blue bubble it’s an iMessage. Are you sending to a phone number or an email address. You can send to either using iMessage it just depends on how the recipient has setup iMessage.

On your phone go to Settings/apps/messages/send and receive and you can select how your iMessage are sent/received. You can select number or email address or both. I keep mine at number as I’ve seen users sending via email and it’s been sent to an email account and not as iMessages and that’s does incur charges as it’s a message to an email even though it t should just be an iMessage

Re: mms conversion, charging a

bristolian — Fri, 23 Jan 2026 13:47:17 GMT

By means of illustration, there used to be an urban myth regarding "calls" that users intended to make via messaging apps such as WhatsApp being charged for as direct dialled calls. A CS explanation often cited, was that of the user leaving WiFi/data coverage and the call being handed over to the voice network.

This scenario was impossible, for the simple fact that the different services were setup on the network - and thus charging records were created - differently.

Your phone would send an iMessage as data traffic, EE's network would handle it accordingly and thus charging records would quote data volume. If you send an MMS or SMS, it's submitted to EE's gateway servers, and charging records created accordingly.