topic Re: Picture Messaging Uses Data? in Get Support

Picture Messaging Uses Data?

beedle — Wed, 05 Jan 2022 22:17:50 GMT

I see a lot of cell plans (Public Mobile and others) say unlimited "picture messaging" but what does this really mean? My experience with other cell providers is it always uses data and I just signed up to Public Mobile and it seems like it uses data even if I have wifi, every time I send a picture. Does picture messaging have to use data and is it then limited by how much data you have? So why does it advertise as "unlimited"? Similar question for mms messages. Thanks in advance!

Re: Picture Messaging Uses Data?

computergeek541 — Tue, 20 Oct 2020 03:21:06 GMT

@beedle wrote:
I see a lot of cell plans (Public Mobile and others) say unlimited "picture messaging" but what does this really mean? My experience with other cell providers is it always uses data and I just signed up to Public Mobile and it seems like it uses data even if I have wifi, every time I send a picture. Does picture messaging have to use data and is it then limited by how much data you have? So why does it advertise as "unlimited"? Similar question for mms messages. Thanks in advance!

The data used for you MMS dos not count towards your data usage. These plans really do include unlimited MMS. By the way, picture messages are MMS, or at least one type of them.

Re: Picture Messaging Uses Data?

darlicious — Tue, 20 Oct 2020 03:22:18 GMT

@beedle

You only need to have your mobile data turned on to send and recieve MMS (picture texts.) It will still work even if you have used all your data for the month.

Re: Picture Messaging Uses Data?

Jb456 — Tue, 20 Oct 2020 03:24:28 GMT

@beedle it's unlimited and it does not count towards your data limit but you have to have data turned on to send and receive MMS.

From your other post. Are you using that iPhone 6?..If you are you may be sending them through iMessage which uses either wifi or data.

You have to change the settings on your phone to send SMS/MMS. If you're using that iPhone.

Re: Picture Messaging Uses Data?

beedle — Tue, 20 Oct 2020 03:49:13 GMT

@darlicious Ah, I think where I maybe am getting confused is the data tracking on my phone is counting the data every time I send or receive an mms message but my provider isn't actually counting it toward my limit. Is this correct?

Re: Picture Messaging Uses Data?

computergeek541 — Tue, 20 Oct 2020 03:49:38 GMT

@beedle wrote:
Ah, I think where I maybe am getting confused is the data tracking on my phone is counting the data every time I send or receive an mms message but my provider isn't actually counting it toward my limit. Is this correct?

Your phone doesn't know the difference. The data used for MMS doesn't count.

Re: Picture Messaging Uses Data?

Anonymous — Tue, 20 Oct 2020 03:49:48 GMT

@beedle wrote:
Ah, I think where I maybe am getting confused is the data tracking on my phone is counting the data every time I send or receive an mms message but my provider isn't actually counting it toward my limit. Is this correct?

Correct. The overview page feature counters are pretty darn correct and almost immediate.

Set your phone to start counting when your 30 day plan starts.

Re: Picture Messaging Uses Data?

popping — Tue, 20 Oct 2020 04:55:19 GMT

@beedle

PM APN settings for MMS data usage is pointing to different server than your plan data usage. This is how PM to find out what data was used by MMS and does not count for your plan data.

Name: Public Mobile
APN: sp.mb.com
Proxy: Leave blank
Port: Leave blank
Username: Leave blank
Password: Leave blank
Server: Leave blank
MMSC: http://aliasredirect.net/proxy/mb/mmsc
MMSC proxy: 74.49.0.18
MMS port: 80
MCC: 302
MNC: 220
Authentication type: Leave blank
APN type: Leave blank

Re: Picture Messaging Uses Data?

gpixel — Tue, 20 Oct 2020 07:10:59 GMT

@beedle unfortunately you are correct and MMS does convert to data... on my phone it didn't record it, but the "overview" definitely counted against my data allotment. same thing is happening with @mobileguy

Re: Picture Messaging Uses Data?

Korth — Tue, 20 Oct 2020 08:56:47 GMT

MMS attachments (pictures) are sent across cellular data, but they're "Unlimited" at PM because "MMS Events" in Self-Serve use up 0.000GB of your Data provision.

Some data usage apps (like Data Monitor, My Data Manager, and Data Usage Monitor) can breakdown the view into app-specific data usage. Sometimes they don't recognize a phone's built-in MMS software as a standalone app (they group it within a general "AndroidOS" category) but you can install a standalone MMS app (any MMS app) which they will track separately.

There could still be discrepancy if the MMS app downloads any updates/etc or uploads any telemetry/etc. Because the data usage app will still track this data to the MMS app, even though it's using up billable data instead of unlimited "MMS Event" data.

Signal is the only Dialer/SMS/MMS handler (I know of) which will allow end-users to fully disable all updates and all background data activity while still functioning properly.

(Even so, the consumer version of the Signal app will still demand an update twice per year - because of encryption improvements and because of regional updates - but you'll get a couple weeks notice before un-updated Signal refuses to allows outgoing SMS/MMS. You can mod and compile your own Signal variant from source, if that's your thing.)

Re: Picture Messaging Uses Data?

AE_Collector — Tue, 20 Oct 2020 15:37:53 GMT

@Anonymous wrote:
Correct. The overview page feature counters are pretty darn correct and almost immediate.
Set your phone to start counting when your 30 day plan starts.

Then the only discrepancy for those of us west of Ontario is the time zone offset. The data counter on my iPhone 6S Plus is “Dataflow” which does 30 day plans but of course it resets at midnight after day 30 where my PM plan resets at 9 PM on day 30 since I am in BC.

AE_Collector

Re: Picture Messaging Uses Data?

metropublic — Tue, 20 Oct 2020 17:51:06 GMT

@beedle Others have reported that there is a data leak and each MMS will use 1Kb of data which is a very minute amount. Take a look at your selfserve usage history to verify.

Re: Picture Messaging Uses Data?

Korth — Tue, 20 Oct 2020 18:11:05 GMT

@metropublic

1KB is a very tiny amount of data. 1GB = 1024MB = 1048576KB.

I don't think there is an MMS "memory leak". But if there is one then it's inconsequential. (And note that 1KB data usage is impossible since PM rounds per-session data usage up to the next full 10KB increment then reports it with 0.001GB precision in Self-Serve usage.)

Re: Picture Messaging Uses Data?

darlicious — Thu, 22 Oct 2020 11:21:30 GMT

@gpixel

Do you have that org.codeaurora.ims app as well? Is that where your data usage is being reflected in your phone that shows up in your accounts data counter?

Re: Picture Messaging Uses Data?

darlicious — Thu, 22 Oct 2020 15:45:19 GMT

@gpixel

That app info is very hard to come by.....everytime I found an article with someone trying to figure out why its using data and how it works and click on it the page either comes up as not found or with a 404 error. I could only find some tech babble faq about downloading the APK mirror developed by org.codeaurora.ims. It's like some secret society hiding the ark of the covenant and googles new fangled camera and its impressive capabilities. It's making my brain bleed......

@mobileguy

You might want in on this......

https://www.apkmirror.com/apk/google-inc/org-codeaurora-ims/org-codeaurora-ims-1-0-release/

Re: Picture Messaging Uses Data?

gpixel — Fri, 23 Oct 2020 17:47:44 GMT

@darlicious are you talking about this?

this is just a Google service. every "stock" android has it. you can find this in your developer options, then click on "memory"

what I was saying is, when I send a picture message, my "overview" counter increases, while my phones counter does not. meaning my phone assumes MMS is free, but public charges me for it. either way I don't mind since I don't use MMS all that much. but I'll send another pic message and show you what happens.

*interesting.. I think pm may have fixed it. when I tested it out for @mobileguy as soon as I sent the MMS my "overview" counter increased to 8mb immediately. which was the size of the picture I sent. this time it hasn't gone up at all 👍.

Re: Picture Messaging Uses Data?

Korth — Thu, 22 Oct 2020 17:58:36 GMT

@gpixel wrote:
... this is just a Google service. every android has it.

Not every Android runs google services (tracking/telemetry/spyware).

https://grapheneos.org/

Re: Picture Messaging Uses Data?

darlicious — Fri, 23 Oct 2020 00:02:46 GMT

@gpixel

I dont have this in my phone.

Re: Picture Messaging Uses Data?

gpixel — Fri, 23 Oct 2020 08:20:25 GMT

@darlicious show me a screenshot of your app memory usage in developer options

Re: Picture Messaging Uses Data?

mobileguy — Sat, 31 Oct 2020 13:42:00 GMT