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iPhone Force iPhone to send as MMS instead of SMS?

shenan1982

shenan1982

macrumors 68040
Original poster
Nov 23, 2011
3,641
80
So now that more and more friends are getting Android phones, they're becoming increasingly annoyed with me because I send conversational messages and the iPhone is sending them as SMS instead of iMessage (obviously since they don't have iPhone) or MMS. MMS is the way it needs to go because it alleviates the 160 character limit the old-school SMS technology has. And since the world is predominantly Android now, we should have a way to designate a default for a contact.

I can't blame them. The above would have come through like this if I would have text messaged them:

Me (4:01PM): sending them as SMS instead of iMessage (obviously since they don't have iPhone) or MMS. MMS is the way it needs to go because it alleviates the 160 character

Me (4:02PM): limit the old-school SMS technology has. And since the world is predominantly Android now, we should have a way to designate a default for a contact.

Me (4:02PM): So now that more and more friends are getting Android phones, they're becoming increasingly annoyed with me because I send conversational messages and the iPhone is


Obviously this is difficult to read... very difficult, especially if copying and pasting a long paragraph or something. Android to Android is fine (tested with HTC, Samsung, Nexus, etc), and even a Windows phone to Android is fine, so clearly the issue is the incompatibility with the iPhone to play nice with others. Back in the day when it was iOS or no OS, that was okay, but in 2014 iOS isn't the main player in the game, so there must be a solution I'm missing.

If anyone knows of a way to set certain contacts to MMS-only, please advise. I am jailbroken, so even if it's a tweak, I can live with that (tho we shouldn't have to).
 
I'm sure glad that iOS doesn't default to MMS, else I would be charged 35p each time I sent one. SMS are free here in the UK on most contracts.
As to your question, I don't think that you can.
Why not use Whatsapp?
 
sunking101 said:
I'm sure glad that iOS doesn't default to MMS, else I would be charged 35p each time I sent one. SMS are free here in the UK on most contracts.
As to your question, I don't think that you can.
Why not use Whatsapp?
Click to expand...

I didn't say default to it. I asked if I could designate those who I CHOSE to use MMS for.

Whatsapp is silly. I don't want to have to rely on others having an application running and open to be able to communicate with them. Sending as an MMS would solve the problem.
 
shenan1982 said:
I didn't say default to it. I asked if I could designate those who I CHOSE to use MMS for.

Whatsapp is silly. I don't want to have to rely on others having an application running and open to be able to communicate with them. Sending as an MMS would solve the problem.
Click to expand...

Whatsapp doesn't need to be running, or open.
The recipient is alerted in the same way they are alerted of an SMS. It's also a free app, and most people have it. If they don't, then they can get it easily. If they're complaining and the solution is free, then what's the problem?
Other than that, I have no idea.
 
sunking101 said:
Whatsapp doesn't need to be running, or open.
The recipient is alerted in the same way they are alerted of an SMS. It's also a free app, and most people have it. If they don't, then they can get it easily. If they're complaining and the solution is free, then what's the problem?
Other than that, I have no idea.
Click to expand...

You're pushing something unrelated to what I asked. I'm aware of WhatsApp and many other similar apps, but that's not a viable solution.

Maybe YOUR circle of friends have WhatsApp, but no, "most people have it" is absolutely false. In fact, I just scanned my contacts and out of 2600 contacts, 97 have it, so you're very wrong.
 
Just trying to help. It's a solution but if you would rather not use it, then just buy an Android phone and MMS to your heart's content :)
 
sunking101 said:
Just trying to help. It's a solution but if you would rather not use it, then just buy an Android phone and MMS to your heart's content :)
Click to expand...

The iPhone is perfectly capable of sending MMS messages.... just not by choice (i.e. when sending a picture message, that's MMS). Don't need the attitude, you're propagating the "our way or the highway" mentality that's sandboxing iOS as it is. If a Windows Phone can send messages (via SMS) and they are received in proper order\dissected and re-joined properly to an Android Phone, as can a BlackBerry to an Android, clearly there's a problem with iOS that it's not playing nice. You can either blame everyone except Apple, or accept that Apple isn't perfect and that I have a valid point that long messages should be broken then rejoined properly, or at least broken up and delivered in proper order.

----------
sunking101 said:
Just trying to help. It's a solution but if you would rather not use it, then just buy an Android phone and MMS to your heart's content :)
Click to expand...

If you asked me what types of plants to grow in your garden that wouldn't use so much water, and I said why don't you tear out your garden and install a concrete parking lot, that would be equivalent to your response. It's not addressing the question I posed.... and the solution wasn't relevant.

Let me just call my grandmother who has a non-smartphone, and tell her that she needs to go buy a smart phone, and then install and learn how to use WhatsApp because she choses to have a basic phone only capable of SMS\MMS, and my messages to her are broken up because my iPhone doesn't give me the flexibility to send messages that don't get shuffled up.
 
Paddle1 said:
What happens when you go to Settings > Messages and turn off Send as SMS? (When iMesssage is not available) it sounds exactly like what you want.
Click to expand...
That won't get the messages to be sent as MMS just as SMS as they already being sent based on what the OP mentioned. In fact for non iOS recipients that setting won't really do much as it would already just send things as SMS given that iMessage won't apply to them.
 
Paddle1 said:
How does turning off SMS cause SMS messages to be sent?
Click to expand...
Turning off SMS in iMessage settings is not going to do anything for non-iMessage conversations. Since the conversation in question are with Android users (or basically non-iOS users) none of the iMessage settings would even come into play as these wouldn't be iMessage conversations. Messages would simply be sent as SMS as iMesaage doesn't apply/exist in these situations.

Even for iMessages turning that setting off simply means that after an iMessage is sent and isn't delivered for a bit the system won't automatically resend it as SMS. It doesn't do anything as far as somehow getting messages sent as MMS.
 
And just to clarify, if anyone is wondering, turning on mms dosent do what the OP is describing.
 

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richwoodrocket said:
And just to clarify, if anyone is wondering, turning on mms dosent do what the OP is describing.
Click to expand...
Yeah, I think all that setting really does is allow for MMS (as in sending messages with media attachments) but not really any more finer control over it.
 
C DM said:
Turning off SMS in iMessage settings is not going to do anything for non-iMessage conversations. Since the conversation in question are with Android users (or basically non-iOS users) none of the iMessage settings would even come into play as these wouldn't be iMessage conversations. Messages would simply be sent as SMS as iMesaage doesn't apply/exist in these situations.

Even for iMessages turning that setting off simply means that after an iMessage is sent and isn't delivered for a bit the system won't automatically resend it as SMS. It doesn't do anything as far as somehow getting messages sent as MMS.
Click to expand...
There is no indication that the top of the Messages section of Settings is for iMessage only.
 
Paddle1 said:
There is no indication that the top of the Messages section of Settings is for iMessage only.
Click to expand...
You can read what the setting is for right under it where there's information about the setting and what it relates to (as in when iMesagaes can't be delivered). The setting also disappears when iMessage is disabled.
 
shenan1982 said:
If anyone knows of a way to set certain contacts to MMS-only, please advise. I am jailbroken, so even if it's a tweak, I can live with that (tho we shouldn't have to).
Click to expand...


I think I can help, as a friend discovered this by accident and ended up racking a big MMS bill before he realised..

Under settings -> Messages, turn on "show subject field".

If you then use that subject field when sending a message to a non-iPhone, it will send as mms regardless of content - because SMS doesn't support the subject line. Obviously if you leave it blank, it'll just go SMS as normal.

Of course the real answer is just to get better friends and carry on using iMessage. And for the record I've never heard of the iPhone SMS issue you describe - don't forget your carrier has a part to play in that and it might be worth checking with them before you place it all at the iPhone's door.
 
Dented said:
I think I can help, as a friend discovered this by accident and ended up racking a big MMS bill before he realised..

Under settings -> Messages, turn on "show subject field".

If you then use that subject field when sending a message to a non-iPhone, it will send as mms regardless of content - because SMS doesn't support the subject line. Obviously if you leave it blank, it'll just go SMS as normal.

Of course the real answer is just to get better friends and carry on using iMessage. And for the record I've never heard of the iPhone SMS issue you describe - don't forget your carrier has a part to play in that and it might be worth checking with them before you place it all at the iPhone's door.
Click to expand...


Right on. I forgot about that.
 
Dented said:
I think I can help, as a friend discovered this by accident and ended up racking a big MMS bill before he realised..

Under settings -> Messages, turn on "show subject field".

If you then use that subject field when sending a message to a non-iPhone, it will send as mms regardless of content - because SMS doesn't support the subject line. Obviously if you leave it blank, it'll just go SMS as normal.

Of course the real answer is just to get better friends and carry on using iMessage. And for the record I've never heard of the iPhone SMS issue you describe - don't forget your carrier has a part to play in that and it might be worth checking with them before you place it all at the iPhone's door.
Click to expand...

Good idea! I'll give it a try
 
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