MMS send and receive issue with just one person

[Leevee]

This may be a re-post.  I tried it already and posted it in the wrong place, and then it seemed to disappear... I don't know.  Sorry if it is a duplicate!!

I am a new customer and have been happily enjoying the ability to send MMS text to friends and family.  I sent a birthday photo to a family member a while ago and received a notice that the message had expired last night (I take that to mean it was not delivered/downloaded, etc).

I sent her an SMS asking if she had received any notice of the photo.  She had not.  I tried, then, to send her a few different types of pictures.  She not only did not receive them, but she also did not receive any notification that I had tried to send her anything.  All the while we are successfully exchanging SMS.  She tried to send me an MMS and nothing came through (again no notification that it was sent, no picture, nothing).

Her Mom checked her phone - data, and MMS all on, enabled, etc.

I was, during this testing, able to successfully send photo texts to the 3 other people in her household.  All of whom are on the same carrier with similar (or exactly the same) plans.

My SO, also on Public, is able to send MMS texts to all the people in this household except this particular person.

Any next step troubleshooting ideas?

Many, many thanks!!!

[Leevee]

I have tried one last fix from my end (although, with everyone's insight here, I am pretty convinced it is her phone) and then I will start, in earnest, trying to get her parents on board with doing some troubleshooting.

Worst case, we will have a porch visit and I will steal her phone at sit at the end of the driveway and get it working!! 

[LurganIeUk]

lol. I have to maintain my Mother In Laws iPad. She has poor vision, is 94, and does a lot of unknown self destruction!  I try to help over FaceTime phone to phone and she points to iPad  or ceiling what ever is most convenient!! So holding the phone and trying to fix is hard for her to do. She is in a home that has Covid controls. So my wife is her only visitor....so she brings her phone and iPad to me and I fix using my phone as a hot spot.  It is all much easier with hands on. I hope you can think of a workaround that suits you!!

If you can see the screen shot and then coach the niece update....would be easier??

[Leevee]

@LurganIeUk I will see what I can do.  The screenshots are a good idea.

My newest stumbling block is the parents. 

This person is my 12 yr old niece and I text back and forth with her & sister a lot since we can't see each other right now. 

Her parents don't see this inability to send & receive MMS as an issue since THEY can send and receive MMS with her themselves and in the words of her mother, "Well, I wouldn't worry about it. The words are the important part anyway."

I am not getting their buy-in to help troubleshoot and her own comfort with technology is low enough I don't want to press it (same with her sister).  I have a feeling this is something that will have to wait until we can be in the same space and I can take her phone for a few min. 😏

[LurganIeUk]

Can the other party do a screen shot or two of there settings and email to you?

Helping remotely is difficult when the other person is pointing their camera to the ceiling!😏😏

[Leevee]

@dlambro Thanks for trying to help!  I did confirm that this person has data, the data is turned on, MMS is enabled, wifi is on, enabled and working, etc.  The phone (apparently) has the same settings as a phone in the same household that I can send and receive MMS with at the exact same time that I cannot exchange MMS with this person.

Also, this person can send and receive MMS with other people at the exact same time that they cannot send and receive MMS with me (or one other member in my household), so I doubt there is an issue with the phone having enough space either.  

It really seems as though there is a setting wrong in their phone somewhere as @kb_mv and @TheGx have mentioned.  My big challenge now is a) convincing them to check/re-set the settings and b) walking them through it remotely.  Chances are I will end up sending any MMS for this person to other people in that house to share with them. Ha!

I appreciate the troubleshooting ideas!

[dlambro]

Hi, 

Just a thought, if you can't send/receive MMS messages (Video or pictures) with one person only, it's possible they don't have data on their plan, or their data is turned off and they are not connected to wifi.  MMS requires a data or wifi connection to work,  whereas SMS (text messages) only require cellular connection (talk and text) to work.  That could be the problem. Get them to check that they have a wifi single or data turned on and then send them a picture and see if they receive it.  The phone must also have enough space to receive the picture or video message you send, so make sure she has enough GB free space on the phone.  If her phone is a 16gb phone and she has it filled with pictures and other stuff, it's possible the picture you are sending her will not go through.  

[Leevee]

@TheGx @kb_mv Thank you both for your help.  I will see if I can get the other family to check a few things on their end.  Many, many thanks for your help!

[TheGx]

@Leevee : Actually, since that person is not with Public Mobile, don't search for her APN settings on this site - you'll have to call her phone company or go to their website to find out how to confirm hey APN settings.

[TheGx]

@Leevee :As to what kb_mv said, tell that person that you can't send to, tell her to update her APN settings - find out how for iPhone by searching APN settings in search field above.

APN settings were the issues for MMS with my friend iPhone too and also with another friend Android too.

[TheGx]

@Leevee :No problem, hopefully we can help solve your problem!

Since everyone have iPhone can send received MMS, the problem must be as mcnield6 said maybe they all using iMessage, which you and your husband don't have since you not use iPhone - so tell that one person to go to settings and into messages and switch off iMessage, then see if others with iPhone can still send receive MMS from her and if she can send MMS to them. If it causes all those with iPhone to stop being able to send receive MMS between them, then her phone is the problem.

[Gunner123]

---

@Leevee wrote:

This may be a re-post.  I tried it already and posted it in the wrong place, and then it seemed to disappear... I don't know.  Sorry if it is a duplicate!!

I am a new customer and have been happily enjoying the ability to send MMS text to friends and family.  I sent a birthday photo to a family member a while ago and received a notice that the message had expired last night (I take that to mean it was not delivered/downloaded, etc).

I sent her an SMS asking if she had received any notice of the photo.  She had not.  I tried, then, to send her a few different types of pictures.  She not only did not receive them, but she also did not receive any notification that I had tried to send her anything.  All the while we are successfully exchanging SMS.  She tried to send me an MMS and nothing came through (again no notification that it was sent, no picture, nothing).

Her Mom checked her phone - data, and MMS all on, enabled, etc.

I was, during this testing, able to successfully send photo texts to the 3 other people in her household.  All of whom are on the same carrier with similar (or exactly the same) plans.

My SO, also on Public, is able to send MMS texts to all the people in this household except this particular person.

Any next step troubleshooting ideas?

Many, many thanks!!!

---

@Leevee hi sounds a little odd, just for fun delete her contact info and add her again then reboot your phone ask her to do the same that has cleared up issues for me in the past 😁

[kb_mv]

---

@Leevee wrote:

@kb_mv I will see what I can do.  It is my 11 yr old niece and her parents are begrudging adopters of technology...  I appreciate all the help and ideas!

---

@Leevee Have someone try this:

Reset your Network Settings. Tap Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings. This also resets Wi-Fi networks and passwords, cellular settings, and VPN and APN settings that you’ve used before.

[Leevee]

@kb_mv I will see what I can do.  It is my 11 yr old niece and her parents are begrudging adopters of technology...  I appreciate all the help and ideas!

@TheGx This person can send and receive MMS messages from all of her contacts except my SO and me.  We can exchange SMS with her only.  When we try to send her an MMS (or she tries to send us one) nothing shows up, no notice of failure to deliver or download, etc.  I do not know what she sees on her end, but on our end, we see our sent MMS as having sent correctly (and she just never sees it) and absolutely nothing when she tries to send it to us.  I will see if I can get some additional info. about her phone, but I am certain they are all with Bell.

[TheGx]

@Leevee :So, to be clear, that person can or cannot send or receive MMS? But she can send and receive SMS?

[kb_mv]

---

@Leevee wrote:

@kb_mv Rats... I was hoping that was not the answer! Ha!  The family is not exactly tech savvy so I likely won't be able to walk them through any fixes.  The odd thing is she can send/receive with others.  Could it be that the "others" are Apple users and it is all through iMessage?

---

@Leevee I would say that is more than likely a  good assumption. Walk her through a network reset. You would have to google where it is in the iPhone settings.

[Leevee]

@TheGx Thank you for trying to help! It seems as though it is just my husband and me. I will ask her parents if the people she can send/receive with are Apple users as well.

[TheGx]

@Leevee :Specifically, what exact model iPhone she have?

[Leevee]

@kb_mv Rats... I was hoping that was not the answer! Ha!  The family is not exactly tech savvy so I likely won't be able to walk them through any fixes.  The odd thing is she can send/receive with others.  Could it be that the "others" are Apple users and it is all through iMessage?

[TheGx]

@Leevee :If that one person can receive our send to anyone MMS, the problem is with her phone or her phone company, so post for us what type phone she had and what phone plan she had and what phone company she with.

[kb_mv]

@Leevee Fortunately (for you at least) the issue is hers. If you can send/receive MMS with others and she can't, maybe have her try a network reset.

[Leevee]

Thank you for trying to help!!

She has an Apple, I have never owned one.

[Leevee]

Thank you for trying to help!!

We have all (2 of us here, 4 there) rebooted at least once since we discovered the issue. 🙂

[Leevee]

Thank you for trying to help!!

Her Mom checked and MMS is on and enabled, etc.  Her phone settings are the same as her Mom's and I can send/receive MMS with her Mom.  My SO tried to send her and MMS today and it didn't go through.  

There are 4 people in the household. All have Apple, are with the same provider and have similar plans.  Her Mom checked her phone and she has the same settings as her Mom does.  We can send and receive MMS with everyone in her household except her.  We both have Android phones.

[mcneild6]

Are either of you using an IPhone? If at at some point you both had an iPhone and exchanged iMessages and now one of you no longer have an apple phone it’ll try and send an iMessage which will no longer work. If that’s the issue try turning your data off and it should send as a text message. 

[dabr]

---

@Leevee wrote:

Thank you for trying to help!!  We tried that last night, and she was not able to send me anything (and I did not get any notification that anything was sent).

Edited to add: I should specify that she was not able to send any MMS - SMS went back and forth just fine.

---

@Leevee   Perhaps try rebooting your phone and retrying.  Also have your friend reboot their phone too?

[kb_mv]

@Leevee If she has an iPhone, make sure she has enabled MMS in the settings. Is this just an issue with her sending and receiving to/from you or does she have an issue with everyone?

[Leevee]

Thank you for trying to help!!  We tried that last night, and she was not able to send me anything (and I did not get any notification that anything was sent).

Edited to add: I should specify that she was not able to send any MMS - SMS went back and forth just fine.

[kb_mv]

@Leevee Have her send you an MMS then reply to it with another pic, see what happens.