Related Article: What is the difference between iMessage and SMS/MMS?

Can't send photos to non-iPhone users

I can text with non-iPhone users from my iPhone but my pictures, videos do not go through with my new iPhone 14 pro. I can, however, send photos and videos to folks with iPhones.

iPhone 14 Pro, iOS 16

Posted on Jan 8, 2023 10:15 AM

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Posted on Aug 26, 2023 11:59 AM

Can you please stop insisting that contacting the carrier is the only way to fix this? You keep chastising people for not listening to you but what you are saying is NOT completely true. Great that it seemed to work for some, my mother in law thinks her phone can’t do anything unless she takes it to “the phone store” (her carrier) to have them do it and I promise they aren’t doing anything magical. I fixed the issue on my phone without my carrier getting involved.


Just because SMS and MMS require a mobile carrier does not mean that Apple has absolutely nothing to do with those messages sending from one of their phones. The issue has something to do with iMessage and even though that is OTT it seems to cause issues sometimes because it’s built into the phone and the software is written to automatically detect when interacting with another iPhone. For some reason iMessage is causing an issue when something with a higher volume of data (like a photo) is trying to send to a phone that is not an iPhone. The last two apple updates have caused the issue to resurface for me and my fix then makes it work again. I do not work for my (or any) carrier and haven’t contacted them in any way for help. THIS IS NOT MY CARRIER CAUSING THE ISSUE. It may have to do with the way iMessage is interacting with SMS/MMS but that doesn’t mean it’s the carrier’s fault if the phone is doing something weird with the config. Something in my phone is causing this.

183 replies

Apr 14, 2023 2:23 PM in response to jcm53byu

any updates on this 4/14/23 and still have the same problem. iPhone 14 pro max on T-Mobile 5g unlimited and any photo sent to an android user fails or is super slow…same exact photo sent to iPhone user with or without Wi-Fi on shoots right across instantly. Didn’t have this problem with my old iPhone 11 Pro on Verizon edit: contacted T-Mobile wasted 3 hours of my life they did all the resets and whatever…didn’t fix anything

May 14, 2023 2:39 PM in response to jcm53byu

Hi all,


tried several things that are mentioned in the reply's but nothing worked and my iCloud and FaceTime are logged in with the same account.


the only thing that worked for me was turning of Wifi so the message was send via the SIM and not over Wifi.


It’s very annoying but for me the only solution, hope it helps for others and hope they fix this.


Greetings

May 25, 2023 1:41 PM in response to JPK_01

JPK_01 wrote:

Where in Apples documentation do you find instructions to contact your carrier to correct this issue? The average Joe doesn't fully understand the difference between sms and mms. They just know they can't consistently send messages they way they want to to their non apple user friends. This is not an iPhone 14 issue. These complaints have been around since iPhone 7 and earlier.

Well, here’s one place→What is the difference between iMessage and SMS/MMS? - Apple Support

Specifically:

To use SMS/MMS on an iPhone, you need a text-messaging plan. Contact your wireless carrier for more information. 


Also, in the user manual→Send and reply to messages on iPhone - Apple Support


Why are some bubbles blue and others green?

If a message can be sent using iMessage, you see a blue Send arrow , and the message appears in a blue bubble.

If you can’t use iMessage (which happens, for example, when a recipient isn’t using an Apple device), you can use SMS/MMS. Messages sent with SMS/MMS appear in green bubbles.

For more information, see the Apple Support article What is the difference between iMessage and SMS/MMS?


Note: Content may not appear as expected when you send messages to recipients who are using non-Apple devices.


Yes, complaints have been around for 15 years. And it is ALWAYS, because there is a problem with SMS/MMS, and SMS/MMS are always managed by the carrier, and have nothing to do with Apple. And Apple can’t do anything about fixing it, either; only the carrier can fix it.



Dec 4, 2023 7:10 AM in response to Anastasia_Franco

Anastasia_Franco wrote:

That's the problem, every time there is a iOS update it stops working, and at least for me the fix that "worked like a charm" just doesn't anymore. Shame on you Apple!

Apple does not read here in this user-to-user forum for feedback or suggestions. You can, however, let them know your thoughts here:


Product Feedback - Apple


Jun 6, 2023 11:29 AM in response to U2153i1-g4

First, make sure it is set up correctly on your end:


  • Go to Settings/Messages and turn on MMS (picture messages)
  • If you don’t see a switch for MMS, contact your carrier and ask them to enable MMS on your phone
  • SMS requires a cellular voice connection, so make sure you can make and receive phone calls
  • MMS requires that cellular data be turned on; MMS cannot use Wi-Fi, it needs cellular data


If all of these needs are satisfied, contact T-Mobile tech support for further assistance.

Jun 7, 2023 8:28 PM in response to jcm53byu

As of 6/7/23 I am still having this issue on my iphone 11se.


  • did all the basic resets, troubleshooting and toggling all the options on this forum.
  • updated to most recent apple software
  • i reached out to my carrier US mobile and did numerous resets, tests, back end software updates
  • swapped from esim to physical sim
  • as well as a full factory reset and restore.


whats interesting is that during the full factory reset, i was able to send mms and group messages prior to the restore. Once i restored, i wasnt able to send images.


Thoughts?

Jun 12, 2023 8:53 AM in response to Lawrence Finch

Correct, something seems to be clearly faulty in the backup version. Im very curious to find out what it is so i can provide it to my carrier for other users and to apple.


yes here is a list of the troubleshooting i did numerous times:

  • reset network settings
  • delete and install new APN settings
  • esim and restart
  • physical sim and restart
  • two different types of physical sim and restart, hoping it would change factory settings (it did not)
  • several multi hour calls with carrier where they did background coding updates and required me to reset my phone
  • Testing every version of turning on/off imessage, group message, mms message, wifi, roaming, cell data followed by resets
  • factory reset and backup reinstall (fail)
  • factory reset and manually transferring info back to the phone (photos/videos, contacts, notes, calendar, redownloading apps etc) (success)

Jun 17, 2023 7:53 AM in response to Jilliansnet

First, make sure it is set up correctly on your end:


  • Go to Settings/Messages and turn on MMS (picture messages)
  • If you don’t see a switch for MMS, contact your carrier and ask them to enable MMS on your phone
  • SMS requires a cellular voice connection, so make sure you can make and receive phone calls
  • MMS requires that cellular data be turned on; MMS cannot use Wi-Fi, it needs cellular data


If all of these needs are satisfied, contact your carrier's tech support for further assistance.


Oct 20, 2023 9:45 AM in response to hunterdesigns

A little update:


On my fourth session with Verizon, upper tier and all, they still can't figure it out and I'm currently on hold as the rep tries to patch an Apple rep into the conversation. Here are some things I did/discovered along the way:


  • I am able to send images to Android via my wifi-only iPad, which is very strange because it relays through my phone
  • I can receive images from non-iPhone senders, but I can't send. I'm prompted to turn on MMS messaging, but of course, it's already on
  • The "Group Messages" toggle under the MMS toggle in Message Settings is missing
  • MMS Provisioning and group messaging has been reset on Verizon's side multiple times
  • Group messages with Android/iPhone participants don't even appear on my iPhone, but they do appear on my laptop and iPad
  • The issue has transcended two iOS versions now (16 to 17) and two iPhones (13 Pro to 15 Pro)
  • I tried the suggested solution of turning on the Block Media messages in the MyVerizon iPhone app, but that did nothing
  • The Verizon Tech (#4) said this was a known issue, hence he's trying to patch Apple into the conversation


I will report back any findings or results!

Mar 18, 2023 11:58 AM in response to Rarity514

Rarity514 wrote:

I’m also having the same issue. I’ve done everything, turned features off, back on, reset network settings, resets on the phone…nothing. I can use airdrop, but this is super inconvenient. I didn’t see a resolution anywhere. Usually Apple is pretty fast at fixing issues. Anyone know if they’re working on it???

You need to call your carrier and have them reset Group Messaging and MMS. Apple can't fix that for you.

Can't send photos to non-iPhone users

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