Help trying to understand my plan better!!

[dingaling]

I just signed up for the $25 plan that states this plan includes unlimited text and picture messaging. Texting works, but attached pictures are being rejected. Advice from anyone?

[srlawren]

@CherylKirby this thread has been silent for a few months.  I'm pretty sure they've already resolved the issue.

[CherylKirby]

Make sure your mobile data is turned on even if you are sending through WiFi. No idea why it works that way but it seems to have cleared the issue for me. hope it helps you!

[srlawren]

@jp2 yes basically correct.  Except, rather than thinking of services getting blocked if you haven't paid for them, think of starting with an empty bucket of services, and only the ones you pay for get added to the bucket.  So the stuff you didn't pay for is just missing rather than blocked.  I think that's a better mental model.  Because the data required to send and receive MMS is included in (a component of) the Text plan option, if you've selected and paid for texting, that data feature has been added to your box (plan) as a result, whereas the general data has not been becuase you didn't select a Data option for the plan.  

[Luddite]

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@jp2 wrote:

@srlawren thanks. I guess because this is a prepaid service you don't have to worry about overages by having data enabled, data is just blocked except for mms?

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Correct.

[jp2]

@srlawren thanks. I guess because this is a prepaid service you don't have to worry about overages by having data enabled, data is just blocked except for mms?

[srlawren]

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@jp2 wrote:

Yes, you require data to send picture/video texts.

If you don't have data plan APN will not help you

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Sorry @jp2, but no, this is completely wrong. You do NOT need to have data in your plan nor a data add-on to send and receive MMS messages! You DO need to have your mobile data setting turned on and your APN set up correctly however. Data used for MMS messages is included in the Texting portion of the plan.

[LEGO]

@dingaling 

Find "Access Point Names"

Press the menu icon.

Press Settings.

Press Mobile network.

Press Access Point Names.

Create new data connection

Press Menu.

Press New APN.

> and input your settings as outlined in Setting up Data (APN) on your phone

[jp2]

Yes, you require data to send picture/video texts.

If you don't have data plan APN will not help you

[dingaling]

After opening wireless networks in settings, I cannot:

1. Open access point names on my HTC One-V

2. Send or receive pictures attached with any messages. Messages alone works fine, but attached picture will not send.

Because the basic $25 plan does not include data, is this the problem? Is it a MUST to open APN? If so, why can't I do so under wireless networks?

[srlawren]

@NDesai that does sound annoying indeed.  I don't think I ever saw the ads, I used the ad-free trial and then immediately paid for the ad-free version at the end of the trial.  For something like that which I use many times a day every day, I don't mind paying a few bucks to help out the dev and to take away ads.  Win-win, IMHO. 

[NDesai]

I hate the Textra app because of their clever ads display while i was trying. That ad just pop up randomly right when you are about to hit the top Texting chat. And that leads you to open a browser and they get a hit, voila. Due to this reason i stopped using it and never bothered to purchase the ad-free version. 

Google's Android Messages just works fine. No ads and no problems 

[Korth]

Google definitely isn't any better than Textra in terms of "privacy" and "security", lol, Google owns a huge chunk (some people say over one-third) of all the online advertising which invades our computers.  Popups, popunders, banners, boxes, beacons, analytics galore - one in every three of the objects your ad-blocker valiantly tries to filter out is aimed to put money into google's pocket (and many of these basically can't be blocked anyways when they're integrated into Google-built browsers, Google-built operating systems, and Google-based platforms).

But Google stuff (theoretically) should be more fully intercompatible with other Google stuff, like a big collection of symbiotic components living within the same framework/ecosystem.

And Textra stuff still remains the prettiest and snazziest (and kinda the coolest) to use.

[stonechucker]

Hmmm....  I need the customizations, specifically screen colour and text size.

will have to start looking for those features in other SMS apps...

[srlawren]

Wow thanks @Korth. Looks like it's time to go back to Google Messages. (Is it any better? Hmm)

Oh i didn't realize the same company makes Chomp. Funny, two of the most popular 3rd party texting apps. I guess it's better to compete with yourself than others eh? (kind of like the old days when there were Beat Buy Canada and Future Shop stores right next to each other)

[Korth]

@srlawren

Textra SMS website Privacy Policy and Textra SMS app Privacy Policy

Short version: Textra SMS does not (cannot) intercept the content of user text msgs/attachments/etc - this stuff remains "private" enough that only the sender, recipient, and carrier can read it.  Textra SMS does collect (and allow third parties to collect) "certain non-personal information" and "a trail of electronic information" - they observe, monitor, collect, and sell analytics/behavioral information - the app does not function properly when it's unable to connect to Textra service (Textra servers).

(Although there have been a few instances like this where Textra showed that they know more information than their Privacy Terms suggest they should have.)

Textra SMS is owned and operated by its devs, Delicious Media (website, Wikipedia), a "social bookmarking web service" (a data miner/broker, branding/marketing/advertising and web/search "optimizing" company).  They make their money by pairing user behaviours/profiles with search engines and advertisers ... consistently and accurately enough to keep generating profitable clicks.

Here's a Textra vs Signal comparison, if you're interested.

All that being said, Textra is a fine SMS app - very popular (over ~340K users and growing) and it's quite favourably reviewed - it has every feature, option, customization, or emoji anyone could ever want.  It's an excellent choice for most people.  Chomp is another (very similar but more lightweight) SMS app made by the same company.

[stonechucker]

@Korth, I’d be very interested in this information too.  Been a very happy user of Textra for sometime now.

[srlawren]

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@Korthwrote:

Textra doesn't interest me because it intercepts/hoards far too much private user data.  

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@Korth got more info on this?  First I've heard of Textra doing that (though admittedly, I've never thought to look into it).  Please educate me!

[Korth]

I run a hardened halogenOS with Signal SMS, I'm more interested in opensource and "security" than in pretty skins and emojis.  The platform also emulates WhatsApp crypto when needed, for whatever that's worth, so it's fully compatible with everybody I ever communicate with through texts.

Textra doesn't interest me because it intercepts/hoards far too much private user data.  Just like Google, Apple, Microsoft, and Facebook all do.  I'm not really willing to go off the grid with my tinfoil hat, but that doesn't mean I have to let myself be an easy target for the data brokers and advertisers.

[wetcoaster]

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@alex_swrote:

I'm skeptical about switching to a different app to get MMS working but you can try.

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I don't say it's the magic bullet, but it did the trick for me.

Having had the problem that one version of Google Messages suddenly refused to "do MMS", I temporarily switched back to the stock SMS app, which worked flawlessly. However, I found that interface hard to work with and was looking for an alternative, Textra has worked well for me ever since.

As mentioned, it sounds like later versions of Google Messages seem to work again for MMS with an older Android OS, but Textra didn't give me any reason to go back.

[wetcoaster]

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@LEGOwrote:

@wetcoaster In order to communicate does another user needs Textra as well?

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@twest666has already answered for me. Textra is a SMS/MMS client, sending and receiving messages over the providers messaging protocol, and it doesn't care at all how the recipients opens and read the message. The text or MMS will be shown in their own active SMS app.

[alex_s]

I use Textra. The in app purchase is to remove ads. I didn't actually find the ads as intrusive as in some apps but since I use this app so much I paid for it.

I'm skeptical about switching to a different app to get MMS working but you can try. Make sure your APN settings match the help document letter for letter.

The main reason I use Textra is for the full set of emojis. I have Android 6.0.0 which is missing newer emojis. I don't really care about being able to send the new emojis, but if someone sends one to me, I like to be able to see it properly.

[LEGO]

Textra SMS > In-app Products: $3.99 per item

What are they trying to upsell?

[Korth]

Msg attachments do not consume cellular data allocation (as measured on the billing), but they still require cellular data to be active.

And you may need to restart your device before changes to APN settings take effect.

[twest666]

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@LEGOwrote:

@wetcoaster In order to communicate does another user needs Textra as well?

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Nope it's an SMS based protocol so everything is sent through the carrier and relayed to the person regardless of what SMS app they are using.

[LEGO]

@wetcoaster In order to communicate does another user needs Textra as well?

[wetcoaster]

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@Ludditewrote:

@wetcoaster Does Textra use data?

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For text messages it uses the same protocol as my stock SMS app. For MMS it uses the data connection.

Apps like WhatsApp, Facebook messenger and the like are data based and need a data plan or add-on.

[Luddite]

@wetcoaster Does Textra use data?

[wetcoaster]

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@dingalingwrote:

I just signed up for the $25 plan that states this plan includes unlimited text and picture messaging. Texting works, but attached pictures are being rejected. Advice from anyone?

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Things I can think of (I'm also on a talk & text only plan):

- data connection has to be on and have the proper APN settings (data used for MMS does not apply against a data add-on you might have) https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Knowledge-Base/Setting-up-Data-APN-on-your-phone/ta-p...

- try another messaging app (I had trouble sending MMS with Google Messages between two updates, switched to Textra since, but I also hear that Messages works again.)

- The recipient might not be able to receive MMS if they don't have data on their plan with other providers.