Why can’t I send pics or pdfs or any attachments to my texts?

My iPhone XR was updated to 17.2.1 yesterday. I noticed today that my texts that included pics and pdfs were not being delivered. I have tried the various solutions that I have found posted on the web, to no avail.

Is this a widespread issue? My conversion to Apple was a hard fought one. I have become a cheerleader for their products. But this situation has me thinking that I should abandon them.

Where is the Support?

iPhone XR, iOS 17

Posted on Jan 15, 2024 1:46 PM

Top-ranking reply

Lawrence Finch

Community+ 2026

Level 10

238,778 points

Posted on Jan 15, 2024 2:01 PM

Images and files to non-iPhones use SMS and MMS, which are carrier services. To troubleshoot this problem, check each of these until the problem is resolved:

MMS uses cellular data, it cannot use Wi-Fi, so make sure cellular data is turned on
If you use VPN try turning it off
If you use VPN and have turned it off and that doesn’t resolve the problem go to Settings/General/VPN & Device Management/VPN, tap on and remove the VPN profile
Go to Settings/Messages and make sure MMS is turned on
If you don’t see a switch for MMS that means your carrier account is not set up correctly; contact your carrier

This covers most of what can go wrong with picture messaging (MMS).

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Why can’t I send pics or pdfs or any attachments to my texts?

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