iMessage to email: why MMS? Is there a fix?

[caspian915]

Hi all,

I haven't been on iOS in awhile, and now that I am, I'm having an issue with one of the ways I take notes. (doesn't look like it's an iOS 7 only issue, but can't find a work-around).

I often take a quick note for myself by just emailing my main email address from whatever SMS software I'm using. I know that I don't have to monitor another program and that I'm almost always going to check my email at least once a day.

However, now that I'm using iMessage with Verizon, my messages come as attached .txt files which I have to open, coming from @vzwpix.com as an MMS, rather than how it used to be from @vtext.com and the message was in the body or subject of the email (can't remember which, been awhile).

Is there any way to change this? I've googled for it but mostly what comes up are old threads on verizon's support page that don't seem to provide any answers, just verizon reps shrugging their shoulders. They suggest turning off MMS entirely or keeping the message less than 160 characters (the msgs i'm sending are typically no more than 20 or 30 characters, and often less than that).

Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks
- Stephen

 

[Armen]

Out of curiosity how come you don't use the notes app? With iCloud turned on the notes will always be in the cloud to access from any PC if you don't have your devices nearby.

 

[sbailey4]

Haven't tried that but why not just email yourself rather than iMessage to the email address? I used to have the MMS issue with Verizion too when some folks sent an SMS message (pre iPhone). had to open that vpix deal too. Never did figure out why that happened just from those 2 people or how they were sending an SMS causing the MMS vpix deal.

[Edit] Same deal here if I iMessage my email (verizon user) txt attachment from @vzwpix.com.

Also there are notes options for most email accounts if you dont use iCloud.com email. Like gmail has the option so when you create a note it goes to gmail acct.

 

[caspian915]

Honestly, I don't use iCloud. I have enough "inboxes" to check already and use gmail for a lot of things. Notes and iCloud would just add yet another app and site, ones that I wouldn't check for any other reason.

As for emailing myself, typing in my email address every time is an extra step. I text a lot, so that app is always at the ready and it's a lot easier for me to just click the ongoing message thread to my email address than it is to pull up the mail or gmail app.

I don't think this was a problem with my android SMS, even on Verizon, so it's disappointing since I generally hold Apple software/hardware in high regard. The lack of SwiftKey (or equivalent) is also another serious pet peeve, but that's a whole 'nother thread...

 

[jr866gooner]

Honestly, I don't use iCloud. I have enough "inboxes" to check already and use gmail for a lot of things. Notes and iCloud would just add yet another app and site, ones that I wouldn't check for any other reason.



As for emailing myself, typing in my email address every time is an extra step. I text a lot, so that app is always at the ready and it's a lot easier for me to just click the ongoing message thread to my email address than it is to pull up the mail or gmail app.



I don't think this was a problem with my android SMS, even on Verizon, so it's disappointing since I generally hold Apple software/hardware in high regard. The lack of SwiftKey (or equivalent) is also another serious pet peeve, but that's a whole 'nother thread...

You don't actually need mail enabled on the phone with icloud, just turn mail off and just ensure notes is ticked! Bloody useful that notes app is! That and reminders!

 

[Armen]

You don't actually need mail enabled on the phone with icloud, just turn mail off and just ensure notes is ticked! Bloody useful that notes app is! That and reminders!

Exactly. I keep iCloud mail turned off but everything else on:

Contacts
Calendar
Notes
Safari

etc.

 

[caspian915]

You don't actually need mail enabled on the phone with icloud, just turn mail off and just ensure notes is ticked! Bloody useful that notes app is! That and reminders!

Perhaps since I haven't used it, I'm confused, but I'm not talking about everything being on the phone. Using notes without iCloud would mean always needing my phone. Using notes with iCloud means having to check iCloud.

The reason I send myself text messages is to send myself notes in gmail so that when I go do actual work on my computer, I have my list of captured thoughts (ideas, to dos, inspiration, don't forgets!, names, emails, etc) there. If anything needs to be remembered on a certain day or just brought to my attention again, I use Remember The Milk or my google calendar.

My use of google services (from my Mac) pre-dates the iPhone and at this point I'm not about to switch it all over to iCloud. I sadly don't currently have a Mac, so I also don't have tight device integration via all Apple products. Hence, iCloud is just superfluous to me.

Maybe I'm just confused. But then again, I'm still confused why the hell Verizon needs to turn my simple 2 to 10 word texts into MMS...

 

[C DM]

You can use Gmail tasks/notes to enter things and see them in Gmail I believe. You would just enter things in Notes and it would sync to Gmail.

Alternatively as far as actually emailing yourself, you can have an existing email thread that you simply reply to (replying to yourself) without the need to enter any email address every time or anything like that. It's switching to the Mail app when you might need to do that, but that's essentially the main small difference.

 

[sunking101]

Switch iMessage off.

 

[caspian915]

Switch iMessage off.

That would be fine, but then I'd have to use an entirely different app to text friends in the UK and Spain who have iPhones.

You can use Gmail tasks/notes to enter things and see them in Gmail I believe. You would just enter things in Notes and it would sync to Gmail.

Alternatively as far as actually emailing yourself, you can have an existing email thread that you simply reply to (replying to yourself) without the need to enter any email address every time or anything like that. It's switching to the Mail app when you might need to do that, but that's essentially the main small difference.

Gmail tasks is another app, right? Or browser interface? I just like the idea of one stream for thoughts and emails and conversations. I used to have my text messages backed up as threaded Gmail conversations with SMS Backup+ (on Android) and found that to be really useful for several reasons (e.g., savings numbers not backed up to contacts yet). So I minimized inboxes in this way.

As for one email, the way gmail threads, multiple replies would be stacked together, not easily scanned from my inbox.

I know I can't be the only one who uses gmail this way, but it seems no one in this forum so far. It was easy to do this for awhile, I still don't get why it was changed. I guess that's what irks me the most... no clear reason for it.

I'm getting the feeling this isn't going to change. Obviously it's an issue with Verizon, so it definitely won't.

Thanks for the help.

 

[C DM]

That would be fine, but then I'd have to use an entirely different app to text friends in the UK and Spain who have iPhones.



Gmail tasks is another app, right? Or browser interface? I just like the idea of one stream for thoughts and emails and conversations. I used to have my text messages backed up as threaded Gmail conversations with SMS Backup+ (on Android) and found that to be really useful for several reasons (e.g., savings numbers not backed up to contacts yet). So I minimized inboxes in this way.

As for one email, the way gmail threads, multiple replies would be stacked together, not easily scanned from my inbox.

I know I can't be the only one who uses gmail this way, but it seems no one in this forum so far. It was easy to do this for awhile, I still don't get why it was changed. I guess that's what irks me the most... no clear reason for it.

I'm getting the feeling this isn't going to change. Obviously it's an issue with Verizon, so it definitely won't.

Thanks for the help.

You'd just use the Notes app to enter notes that would then appear as Tasks in Gmail.

What you were doing worked, but that's not really the use of SMS these days even though it could be used for that. Might be with looking into simpler more straightforward alternatives that deal with Notes/Tasks in particular as it seems that doing it via SMS unfortunately isn't really reliable as that's not really what it's for and can be changed (as it seems to have) almost randomly without much thought or explanation.

 

[sbailey4]

Honestly, I don't use iCloud. I have enough "inboxes" to check already and use gmail for a lot of things. Notes and iCloud would just add yet another app and site, ones that I wouldn't check for any other reason.

As for emailing myself, typing in my email address every time is an extra step. I text a lot, so that app is always at the ready and it's a lot easier for me to just click the ongoing message thread to my email address than it is to pull up the mail or gmail app.

I don't think this was a problem with my android SMS, even on Verizon, so it's disappointing since I generally hold Apple software/hardware in high regard. The lack of SwiftKey (or equivalent) is also another serious pet peeve, but that's a whole 'nother thread...

No gmail has the notes as just another label/folder. So when in your gmail acct (inbox) just look down the list and see Notes. That is where any notes will automatically go. So no extra steps. Just add the text you want to the NOTES app (not iMessage or email) then you will see it in the gmail notes folder when you open your gmail. Actually less steps because you are addressing it to anyone just typing in the note and it appears in gmail automatically. (plus you then have a backup)

Also works he other way around too. Add a note while in gmail and it will appear on your iPhone in the notes app automatically. Again with no addressing or sending or anything.