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User profile for user: Mgarcia016
Mgarcia016 Author
User level: Level 1
8 points

Why can't I send large text messages?

Okay, normal text messages isnt the problem (the length of a single message (probably 160 characters). But when I start sending a text message more than 160 characters and consists of 2 or more messages the recipent never recieves it. I tried every carrier (tmobile, metro pcs, verizon, sprint) and no one gets my message if its too large. I called ATT n they told me to send my text to a 115 or 155 number and see if I got a message back. when I sent the text, it worked but I tried the large text and nothing. tried turning it off, nothing, restoring it, nothing, reseting the network and nothing. please help.. is it my phone or att?

Iphone 3GS, iPhone OS 3.0

Posted on Jul 29, 2009 7:53 AM

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User profile for user: DaVBMan
DaVBMan
User level: Level 6
9,286 points

Posted on Jul 29, 2009 9:06 AM

Btw, I do send large sms from time to time to various other carriers. And my friends have always gotten them (sometimes broken up).

It isn't just a carrier thing but also the phone they have dealing with it.
That is why SMS stands for short though in the first place. Meant for short messages. Each carrier/phone maker decides how they want to deal with those that try to use the system for more than what it was designed for. There isn't a standard thus not all phones/carriers play together.

Even how short it can be varies as SMS is carried on the "extra space" they have in their packets with the cell tower during normal tower converstations. Each vendor has their own protocols and data they send so each has a different amount of "extra space" in these packets. That is why they are supposed to be "short" (but also why many complain that SMS puts no extra bandwidth since it was null space in a packet already being sent for communication with towers. So them charging for it and trying to say it adds to the network is just a falsehood.)

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User profile for user: DaVBMan
DaVBMan
User level: Level 6
9,286 points

Jul 29, 2009 9:06 AM in response to Mgarcia016

Btw, I do send large sms from time to time to various other carriers. And my friends have always gotten them (sometimes broken up).

It isn't just a carrier thing but also the phone they have dealing with it.
That is why SMS stands for short though in the first place. Meant for short messages. Each carrier/phone maker decides how they want to deal with those that try to use the system for more than what it was designed for. There isn't a standard thus not all phones/carriers play together.

Even how short it can be varies as SMS is carried on the "extra space" they have in their packets with the cell tower during normal tower converstations. Each vendor has their own protocols and data they send so each has a different amount of "extra space" in these packets. That is why they are supposed to be "short" (but also why many complain that SMS puts no extra bandwidth since it was null space in a packet already being sent for communication with towers. So them charging for it and trying to say it adds to the network is just a falsehood.)

Message was edited by: DaVBMan
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User profile for user: DaVBMan
DaVBMan
User level: Level 6
9,286 points

Jul 30, 2009 6:29 AM in response to Mgarcia016

Mgarcia016 wrote:
I just figured if I sent more than a certain amount of characters then the messages would seperate into multiple messages but that doesnt happen...


It does, but that is on the carrier and phone. Not on the iPhone. As I mentioned, I have users that don't have iPhones that DO get longer SMS messages with no issue. And they are on different carriers.

It comes down to how the carriers interact and the phone being sent to and how they interact with commands from the carrier they are on.

Once again, there isn't a full standard to SMS (or MMS for that matter) so there will always be differences of how phones and carriers react to different things. This has always been an issue.
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User profile for user: DaVBMan
DaVBMan
User level: Level 6
9,286 points

Jul 30, 2009 10:45 AM in response to Mgarcia016

I keep saying, I send large SMS's all the time. No issues.
Those users with issues are the people getting them IF they are using a phone on a carrier (could even be AT&T) that the combination of those two things don't let SMS's that get broken up work well.

But I have yet to see any of my friends (with or without iPhones) not get my large SMS's.
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User profile for user: Soubrause
Soubrause
User level: Level 1
8 points

Jul 30, 2009 3:30 PM in response to Mgarcia016

The function of splitting an sms that is longer than 160 characters is up to the phone not the carrier. The sms platform was specifically designed to simply drop invalid messages without providing feedback to the sender. too long, missing header, invalid character, whatever; the message gets dropped. Many phones (not just smart phones) are smart enough to split the messages and send 2 "legal" messages but yours is not.
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Why can't I send large text messages?

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