What are MMS and how to use them? MMS settings

What is MMS? This question is asked by many mobile users. Despite the fact that it is no longer the 2000s, this function is still actively used by many mobile phone owners. The reasons for using MMS can be different: low Internet speed on a smartphone (or its complete absence), an old mobile phone model that does not support modern programs, etc. In this regard, users often ask questions: “How to send MMS?” “How to transfer MMS from phone to computer?” etc. If you are reading this review now, then you are probably also interested in such questions. Especially for you, we have created a publication that fully covers this topic. We invite you to familiarize yourself with it in order to get comprehensive answers to your questions and finally find out what MMS is!

What is MMS and how is it different from SMS?

We’ve sorted out the meaning, now let’s move directly to the topic of the article. MMS is a multimedia messaging service. This function allows the mobile phone user to send and receive on his device not only text messages (as is the case with SMS), but also graphic images, audio files and video recordings.

While the size of an SMS message often does not exceed a few bytes, the size of an MMS message usually reaches 100 kilobytes. If a person wants to send a video to someone, the MMS size will be much larger. But do not forget that 100 kilobytes is only an approximate parameter. The maximum upload file size is determined by your subscription service provider and may vary for each subscriber.

Common causes of the problem

The first reason why you cannot send an MMS message is the file size. It may be too large to send (up to 350 KB). To fix the problem, try taking a photo in lower quality or downloading a picture with a lower resolution.

Messages may not be delivered to the recipient due to incorrect dialing. To send an MMS, you must enter the number in international format, following all the rules. It is not uncommon for users to change smartphones by moving the SIM card to another phone. Do not forget that the active MMS service on your card will be absolutely useless if the rearranged Android does not have the required settings.

Sometimes problems in the transmission of messages may lie in the fact that the recipient is a user of another cellular operator that offers different conditions for using the service.

The media message will not be delivered even if the subscriber’s phone is turned off or broken. The sent MMS will be active for 3 days; after this period, the file will be deleted and not delivered to the recipient, even if he turns on the phone.

During periods of heavy mobile network use, some services may experience interruptions. This applies to transferring or downloading MMS. In this case, the best option would be to try to send the message later.

Sending MMS messages

How to send MMS? Another question that is of great interest to many mobile subscribers. In fact, sending MMS messages is a very simple procedure that does not take much time. A mobile phone user just needs to go to the “Messages” item on his gadget, select the MMS section, write a text (if necessary), attach a picture/song/video, select the person to whom he wants to send it, and then click “ Send".

It is worth saying that to use this function, your mobile device must support it and be configured correctly.

SMS gateways

Short texts are sent to the Short Message Service Center (SMSC), which provides a storage and forwarding mechanism. The message is sent or queued to be retried if the first attempt fails. Some centers also have a "forward and forget" option where the message is sent once and then discarded. This service can be used by users who send messages from a mobile phone or receive a text message on it. Customers can always request delivery reports to confirm that their messages were received by the other party.

MMS to MTS

“How does MMS work on MTS?” - another popular question among users. Well, let's try to answer it.

Like other subscription service providers, MTS allows its users to send MMS messages to other mobile phones, tablets and email addresses.

Sending one MMS will cost the subscriber 9.9 rubles (for residents of the Russian Federation). There is no charge for receiving incoming MMS.

MMS exchange is possible with MTS users, as well as with subscribers of other operators in the Russian Federation and other countries.

Sending MMS is possible only if the Mobile Internet function is available.

When sending a multimedia message outside the Russian Federation, traffic charges will be charged according to the roaming tariff. MMS delivery time to MTS is 72 hours. The size of one MMS in the MTS system is 500 kilobytes. Messages to numbers of other operators - 300 kilobytes.

Tariffing and payment

Table 1. Price characteristics.

Please note: the price shown in the table for outgoing MMS may be adjusted by some services. For example, “MMS+” gives a 50% discount on sent messages.

See the screenshots below to understand which tariff plans have which prices.

Tariffs for which the cost of outgoing MMS is 10.30 rubles. Version for Moscow Tariffs for which the cost of outgoing MMS is 10.30 rubles. Version for Sochi

Important tariff nuances:

1. MMS with a volume of more than 300 KB sent to numbers of third-party operators may not be delivered, but will be charged. In some cases they are not sent at all. Check the conditions for your region at the call center or MTS salon.
2. When sending and receiving MMS in the international roaming zone, the client pays for traffic in accordance with roaming tariffs.

Note 2: It is recommended to study tariffs and services for SMS on the MTS website to find the most optimized solution in connection with the use of MMS.

How to manually set up MMS on a smartphone or tablet?

Setting up MMS on your device will go like clockwork if you follow the following rules:

1. IPhone OS: Settings - Cellular - Cellular data network.
2. Android: Settings - Wireless networks - Mobile network - Access points (APN).
3. WP: Settings - Data transfer - Add Internet access point.

Print the following information:

1. Standard APN settings: mms Username/Username/Login:gdata or leave the field empty.
2. Password/Password/Pass:gdata or leave the field blank.
3. APN Type: mmsMMSC (Homepage Address): https://mmsc:8002.
4. Proxy server MMS (IP address): 10.10.10.10.
5. Port proxy: 8080.
6. MCC: 250.
7. MNC: 0.

To access the Internet, enable data transfer:

1. iOS: Settings - Cellular - Voice and data - 2G/3G/LTE.
2. Android: Settings - Wireless networks - Mobile network.
3. WP: Settings - Data transfer.

As you can see, there is nothing supernatural in setting up MMS. Follow the tips above and you will succeed!

Sending MMS from PC to mobile phone

Many users of the World Wide Web want to know how to send SMS or MMS from a computer to a phone. Surely someone will think that only some experienced hacker, but not the average network user, can do this. In fact, almost anyone can send MMS from a computer. Moreover, this can be done absolutely free! The only thing that is required from the user is access to the Internet and the ISendSMS program, which allows you to send SMS and MMS from a PC to a mobile phone.

This program can be downloaded from the official website of the developers. With its help, you can send both text and multimedia messages to phones of different operators from the CIS. Despite its ease of use, it has two disadvantages:

1. When receiving a message, the recipient will not display your phone number, which means that he may not know who sent him the SMS/MMS.
2. This program does not work on all mobile operators. Some mobile service providers have good security systems, which means that the user may not always be able to send a message to the number he needs.

Advantages and disadvantages

Main advantages:

• the ability to stay in touch when you can’t make or receive calls;
• accessibility for all subscribers;
• ease of use;
• the ability to send a message to a phone, smartphone, tablet, e-mail.

Main disadvantages:

• relatively high price of the service (see below);
• lower efficiency compared to voice calls;
• increase in the cost of the tariff plan due to the presence of a service activated by default.

How to send MMS online?

If you do not trust this program and simply do not want to download anything from the Internet, then we can offer you an alternative, namely sending messages online. There are many services on the World Wide Web that allow you to send SMS and MMS messages through a browser without downloading any additional applications. But there are some drawbacks here: such sites may be unsafe for your personal computer, and therefore we recommend that you do not take risks and not use the services of suspicious Internet portals of this type.

But don't despair! Some mobile operators (for example, the previously mentioned MTS) allow you to send letters directly from their official website. This does not take much time, and the security of such a procedure is guaranteed by the mobile service provider itself. But such a system also has its disadvantages: firstly, the user is given a strictly limited number of messages that he can send; secondly, he can only send text messages, which means that he will not be able to transfer MMS from a computer this way; thirdly, a person can send messages only to the numbers of this mobile operator.

As you can see, all the proposed options have both their advantages and serious disadvantages. You can try each method yourself and choose the one that suits you best.

Received SMS - Exchange with additional payment

There are many ways this virus can penetrate an Android device. But judging by the number of reviews, penetration through SMS is in the lead: “I offer an exchange with an additional payment, here is a photo.” The SMS also contains a link, following which the user downloads an infected file to the phone - MMS Beeline Center or MMS Tele 2 Center.

As an example, the user downloads the following type of apk file to his phone - “photo_b23148121_img_obmen_s_doplatoy.apk”, which is a dangerous virus - Android.BankBot.97.origin!

After installation, the “interesting” part begins. All SMS messages are deleted from the phone, money is withdrawn from the mobile account, the device settings are changed, as a result of which your phone can be controlled remotely. Here's how one user encountered this problem:

This message supposedly comes from Avito, but has nothing to do with this site. This method is used by scammers due to the popularity of the Internet resource and the high level of trust users have in it. A person places an ad and leaves his phone number, and the attacker uses this number and forms his own base for sending SMS - “Exchange with surcharge.”

MMS and viruses

Not long ago, all owners of the Android system were shocked by unpleasant news: the Stagefright MMS virus was actively spreading online, penetrating smartphones, thereby giving hackers complete control over these devices. At the moment, the hype about this has died down a little, but do not forget that the danger of “infecting” the phone is almost always present. Every day, computer hackers create dangerous viruses that allow them to gain access to all your personal data.

Other meanings

Some people may be surprised, but the abbreviation MMS is very common and has many different meanings. Now we will share with you other interpretations of this word:

1. MMS (Multimission Modular Spacecraft) is a multi-purpose satellite of a block design.
2. MMC - wet autogenous grinding mill.
3. MMS - mechanized escort bridge.
4. MMC - motorized unit.
5. MMC - soft magnetic alloys.
6. MMC is an intermunicipal court.
7. MMS - modeling of mental abilities.
8. MMS is a settlement in the Medvezhyegorsk region of Karelia.
9. IMS - International Mathematical Union. A worldwide organization created for the cooperation of scientists working in the field of mathematics.
10. MMC - International Music Council. An organization under UNESCO, created in Paris in 1949. It consists of 16 international music organizations and music committees from more than 60 countries.

History and evolution

The SMS concept was developed in the Franco-German GSM cooperation in 1984 by Friedhelm Hillebrand, Bernard Gillebert and Okuly Silaban. The first SMS message was sent over the Vodafone GSM network in the United Kingdom on December 3, 1992. In 2008, 4.1 trillion SMS text messages were sent. As of 2006, SMS has become a major commercial industry, worth over $81 billion.

The immediate predecessor of MMS was the Japanese picture messaging system Sha-Mail, introduced by J-Phone in 2001. The early deployment of MMS was plagued by technical problems and frequent consumer disappointments, but China was one of the first markets that made MMS a major commercial success. In Europe, the most advanced MMS market in 2008 was in Norway, where the majority of Norwegian mobile users sent an average one MMS per week.

By 2008, worldwide MMS usage had surpassed 1.3 billion active users, which generated 50 billion MMS messages and generated $26 billion in annual revenue.

Results

Now you know what MMS is. We hope that the information presented in the article fully helped you find answers to the questions that interested you most.

Who needs MMS service and why?

So, why do we need MMS and what was wrong with the “good old” SMS? First, SMS (Short Message Service) only allows you to send text messages. Secondly, only short messages (this is clear from the name).

Modern phones with cameras and MMS support

In fact, they tried to circumvent both of these restrictions in unusual, artificial ways, but a significant leap forward occurred only after the emergence of new standards. For example, EMS messages (“advanced” SMS - Enhanced Message Service) allow you to transmit graphic elements, but only in black and white and very small in size.

The vast majority of modern cell phones have the ability to send and receive messages, the size of which can be many times larger than the standard SMS limit of 160 characters per message (for the Cyrillic alphabet this limit is even smaller - 70 characters). In this case, the phone automatically “glues” the text together from several parts that do not exceed the limits. Note, however, that in this case the operator withdraws money from the account for several standard messages, and not for one large one.

Now, like mushrooms after rain, new cell phones with built-in photo and even video cameras are appearing. After the first, usually fleeting, acquaintance with the quality of shooting, many people immediately lose the desire to buy a phone with a built-in camera. But if you approach the problem from the other side, you begin to understand that comparing a full-fledged digital camera with a light-sensitive sensor built into a phone is simply unreasonable.

In fact, photographs of such low quality (by the standards of even a novice amateur photographer) can make life much easier for many. The main thing is to understand where and when it is convenient to use the built-in camera and in combination with what services it should be used. In our opinion, now the only function that can be very successfully complemented by a built-in camera is multimedia messaging, or MMS (Multimedia Message Services) for short.

Compared even to advanced text messages, as we have already said, multimedia messages have come a long way. Thus, they have removed restrictions on message sizes. Now such restrictions are imposed by cellular operators themselves, but not by the transmission standard. Although operator restrictions are very conditional: it is unlikely that 100 KB will not be enough for you to caption a photo, the size of which rarely exceeds 30-50 KB. On the other hand, if you add several photos to a message, the lack of space may be noticeable.

An example of a frame taken by Nokia 3660 (original here)

Of course, you can format the text to your liking (by making it italic, using underlining and alignment, changing font sizes, and so on) and adding completely arbitrary files to the message. This could be any work documents, archives, voice recordings, in general, everything is almost like when creating an email message. Another issue is that non-standard attachments (like spreadsheets) will not be processed correctly on the recipient’s phone and displayed accordingly on the display.

If we move from theory to life, then, unfortunately, we have to state one unpleasant fact. Marketers of manufacturing companies are constantly trying to emphasize the entertainment functions of modern technologies, but they apparently rarely think about how to explain the features of their use by business people in everyday life.

We can say for ourselves that services available via MMS can make life much easier for many. A trivial example: you hired a new employee, whom you did not have time to introduce to all your partners. In this case, it is sometimes very convenient to take a photograph of a person by sending his image via MMS. People quickly recognize each other, and there will be no questions about whether this is the right person.

Without such services, it has become difficult to make dates. When making an appointment “at the fountain next to the Manege,” to be on the safe side, you can also send a photo of the very fountain you are missing near, instead of a long and tedious description of three wet stone horses.

By the way, quite recently an advertisement for a project of almost the same name appeared. BeeLine subscribers just need to send an MMS message with a photo to a special number (the cost of such a message will be 85 cents excluding taxes), and then pick up the printed photos in one of the Mobile Center salons.

The quality of the print, of course, leaves much to be desired, but many still perceive photography only in paper form.

Practice: how to set up MMS

Of course, all this is very nice and convenient in theory, but when moving to practice, problems often arise. So, for those who already have a phone that supports MMS, we highly recommend reading our article to the end: we took five phone models from different manufacturers and configured everything to work with multimedia messages on the Moscow MTS network.

For now, we present general MMS settings on the MTS network.

• Access point name (APN): mms.mts.ru
• Username: mts
• Password: mts
• MMS server: https://mmsc
• IP address: 212.044.140.025

No matter how surprising it may seem, when setting up any phone you need to know only these parameters. But figuring out what and where to enter on your own can be quite difficult. To ensure that our readers have as few questions as possible about setting up MMS services, we provide a step-by-step description of the entire process for Nokia 3660, SonyEricsson T230, Samsung P400, Philips 535 and Alcatel One Touch 535.

Nokia Series 60 on the example of Nokia 3660

Nokia 7650, 3650, 6600 and Siemens SX1 have similar settings.

To start using MMS services, you need to go to the menu “Tools” – “Settings” – “Connection”. In the Access points field, you need to create an access point. You can use any name (in our case it is Mts.Mms). Data bearer – GPRS. Access point name – mms.mts.ru. User Name – mts. Password request (Promt password) – no. Password – mts. Gateway IP address – 212.44.140.25. Homepage: https://mmsc. Connection security – Off. Session type – permanent. In the “Options” – “Advanced settings” menu, you don’t need to change anything.

Is there a maximum size for an MMS message?

There is no size limit for this message type. This was done to avoid the problems encountered in SMS with the 160 text character limit. In order to clarify what MMS is, it is necessary to point out that its value in general terms depends on communication technologies, and also depends on the cellular operator, which has the right to indicate the standard message size for calculating its cost.

What is MMS

We are all familiar with text messages and use them quite regularly, but they cannot send any images or sounds. The MMS service was created specifically for this purpose. The name itself is an abbreviation that translates into Russian as “multimedia messaging service.” It seems incredible, but in the US and Norway, more than two-thirds of the total is MMS. There is a version that the technology was developed by the first providers for paid storage of photos taken from users’ phones on their servers.

Setting up MMS

Before setting up your phone, you need to make sure that the operator cannot do it yourself. For example, MTS claims that no settings are required at all. The service is provided automatically provided that the package includes the ability to access the Internet. If MMS does not work, then you need to go here (www.mts.ru/mobil_inet_and_tv/help/settings/settings_phone/) and enter your phone number in the field by filling out the captcha.

After sending, MTS will kindly inform you whether the operation was successful. In our case, it could not be successful, since the package does not include Internet access services. This is what we were informed about. MTS is always on guard. If the settings do not want to be applied or saved, then you need to adjust the data manually. To do this, the provider provides point by point:

Let’s quickly move on to the last section to see what interesting things they will say there. The window that opens offers (very competently) the following sub-items:

1. iOS for the new sixth generation iPhone.
2. Other gadgets from Apple.
3. Devices with the Android operating system.
4. Windows phones.
5. Other non-smartphone devices.

How to set up MMS reception and downloading on your phone yourself - algorithm:

1. connect a Wi-Fi system or mobile Internet. If you use the latter, make sure that you have connected the Internet for a specific SIM card if your smartphone belongs to the duo category and you use two SIM cards;
2. go to the general settings menu and start “calibration”;
3. select the “wireless networks” sub-item, go to the “data transfer” tab and check the box to activate;
4. after that, return to the “wireless networks” section and go to the “mobile networks” menu, selecting an access point;
5. here we select the SIM card to which MMS will be received and from which you will send media files;
6. Click on the selected card, after which two new access points should appear on the phone (for mobile Internet and for activating MMS). If this does not happen, then you will have to fill in the access point manually, based on the instructions of the cellular operator. There is no universal activation model, so in each specific case the conditions for filling out the parameters will be personal.

Regular phone

Shown is an old phone with CSD technology, which was later replaced by GPRS. Therefore, settings are carried out taking into account this archaic feature. In the menu you need to enable the use of GPRS, because by default there will be an attempt to transfer data without packets via CSD.

Then we proceed to setting the IP address 192.168.192.192 and the transmission port 9201.

It's time to enter the MMS server address.

MTS has already created our profile for us, all that remains is to activate it.

And yet we check whether the settings have changed over the past 10 years.

No, everything remains the same. Login: mts, and password is the same. To activate the service, we send a trial MMS to the toll-free number 8890.

Features of setting up MMS for various operators:

• Megafon - in order for an automatic package of settings to be sent to you, you need to send a request by message to number 5049. After receiving the settings, you need to save them and restart Android. The service will now be active. If manual calibration is required, you must contact the operator;
• Beeline – automatic settings can be requested by calling 06741015. You can also activate the option in your Personal Account on your computer or using the mobile operator’s mobile application. To clarify the manual activation parameters, contact a company employee;
• MTS – you can activate the service by calling 1234. As an alternative, the mobile operator offers to use the Internet assistant, which is part of the MTS smartphone application;
• Tele2 - a request to connect the service is made by calling the operator. The short number for connecting the option is number 679.
• Yota – contact the call center at +7 (958) 537 06 90.

Tip: setting up MMS is a fairly simple procedure, even if you have to do it manually. However, please note that after activating the option, the cost of sending one media file will be about 7 rubles. However, the service provides for file size restrictions. It is much more convenient and economical to use modern programs and applications for free.

Trying to set up Android

Under Android operating systems, you need to go to settings and find Wireless Networks there. Since any communication is via the air, this is the only option for a smartphone.

The ultimate goal is to find the Access Points subsection. Let's create a new one.

We enter the access point settings according to the list, if necessary, specify the MMS WAP 2.0 transmission protocol.

After this, you need to send an MMS to the toll-free number 8890.

Is this service necessary? How to remove it

Being a factory application, on many devices it cannot be removed by user functionality. Of course, there are smartphones that have this capability, but for stable operation of the system it is better not to do this.

Yes, you can’t delete it, but you can disable it. Dial *#*#4636#*#. In this menu you can disable IMS. You need to select the “Phone information” item, “Mandatory IMS registration” - disable. After this, reboot the phone.

Important! You need to be as careful as possible in this menu. A few wrong steps can turn your phone into a brick.

How to check IMS status? To do this, dial *#*# 4636 #*#* and then select “IMS Service Status”.

Sending MMS

1. In the application gallery you need to find SMS/MMS.
2. When you log in, the recipient's number and first message are dialed.
3. If you need to add multimedia files, click the plus in the lower left corner.
4. You need to select all the necessary message components. It is at this stage that Android will notify you that a conversion from SMS to MMS has occurred.
5. To send, click the “airplane” icon in the lower right corner. Android will warn you that this action could result in you losing money. But our number 8890 is toll-free, so you need to confirm the action.

Service packages

In a typical case, setting up MMS occurs through a request for a short or regular number (see above). Several services are connected at the same time. MMS from a mobile operator goes side by side with 3/4G Internet. If you don’t understand, you can call the support service or use the hotline - they will help you. If your device supports two SIM cards, take your time to activate the service, study the tariffs and choose the most profitable one for your level of use. Next, let's look at how to set up MMS on your phone.

The next steps will depend on what brand of phone you have. We will look at the iOS and Android platforms.

MMS for Apple

Let's take a step-by-step look at what you need to do with your phone so that your multimedia messaging service will work.

1. The first thing you need to do is go to the home menu and go to “Settings”.
2. In the menu that opens, select the “Basic” sub-item.
3. The next inscription you need to click on is “Network”.
4. Next, “Cellular data network.”
5. Having reached this point, you will need internet from another resource. Here you need to enter the operator settings. You can find them either simply on the Internet, or by accessing information from the official website, which, of course, is preferable. The fact is that they are sometimes changed, and the operator’s resource has the latest data.
6. After you have entered all the necessary information, you must restart the device.
7. The next step is to add your SIM card number. Again you need to go to the “Settings” settings and select the “Phone” sub-item.
8. In the “My number” field, you need to enter the number of the SIM card through which you connected the mobile Internet service.
9. In order for the multimedia data service to work, you need to restart your phone again.

These 9 points will help you enable the MMS transfer function. If you have completed everything, but the Internet does not work, check everything again, starting from the first point. If everything is correct and the connection is still not established, try to find other data to fill out the operator settings. Even if this fails, do not despair and call support.

Asking an operator for help

Unlike the previous method, you can ask the operator for help an unlimited number of times. But here the user will have to strictly follow the instructions in order to achieve a positive result. Each mobile network operator has its own toll-free technical support number. You need to ask to send the MMS settings to your mobile phone number:

• MTS – 0890;
• Megafon – 0550;
• Motive – 111;
• Beeline - 0611.

After ordering settings, you must accept them, and then reboot the device to start using and sending messages. It happens that the service does not connect the first time and requires additional activation. In this case, you need to call technical support again and ask to enable the service for this cell phone number. After all manipulations, graphic messages will be activated.

Calling for help

The MMS service settings on this platform are somewhat different from the previous ones. The easiest way is to call the operator and ask them to send you automatic settings. To do this, you will need to tell him your phone model and install the settings that will arrive after a while. For those who for some reason are not satisfied with this method, we take the manual option in the same detail and point by point.

There are several important details involved in receiving MMS. If you send a message to a phone that already has this feature installed, everything is fine, the recipient will receive the information and view it without any additional effort. When the multimedia messaging service is not configured on your device, it will be more difficult to view the information you receive. If the phone has a WAP browser, the person will receive an SMS with a WAP link. Provided that the device does not support a browser, a URL link will be sent in the message, which can be viewed from a computer.

Now you know everything about how to set up MMS on your phone and you can easily exchange your favorite ringtones, photos and funny videos wherever you are.

Functional properties

The functions of this type of messaging are more extensive than we think. The capabilities of these messages can be divided into several types of groups, which literally explain to us what MMS is:

• Message exchange. Messages that do not fit into one or more SMS messages can be compactly formatted in MMS. For example, you want to send a birthday greeting to a friend, but it contains a large amount of information that does not fit into an SMS. You can simply send a voice message with congratulations - it will be even more realistic and pleasant.
• Information services, that is, extensive possibilities when creating messages.
• Business services. This technology expands opportunities for business individuals. For example, a user can receive stock market information, their charts and stability histograms for a selected period of time on their phone.
• The entertainment side. British scientists have found that more than 70% of MMS in England contain information of a sports or romantic nature. In addition, the telecom operator has the opportunity to offer its users other interesting services, such as chat, games or dating, and much more.