Why do I need Cellular Data turned on to send/receive MMS?

I just set up iMessage and before that I had no problem sending SMS using Wifi when I'm at home. I had cellular and LTE turned off.

I'll track my usage but for now this is working.

That's not possible. SMS and MMS are carrier services, they simply cannot use Wifi in any way. Whatever you were sending tthrough wifi were not SMS.

In the Messages App. If the message being sent turns green its an SMS and is not going through Wifi. Its going to the carrier netwpork and using your Text Message quota. if its Blue its an iMessage and will go out through Wifi if available.

I have my cellular off and I am able to text. I just sent a text to a friend on an iPhone and someone with an Android. The iPhone message is green and went through and the other is blue and went through. I cannot send an MMS to the iPhone without Cellular but I did just send one to the Android

I'm thinking because it's an iPhone that is different. I'm clearly not technical, just telling you what is going on on my phone.

SMS text messages (Green bubble) use the cell voice system, not cell data, and turning cell data off will not affect them. Put your iPhone in Airplane mode, turn WiFi on and try to text a friend with an Android phone.

I don't care that much. I was trying to understand how this all works so I don't go over my cellular usage. All I do know for sure is that I cannot send a photo to my friend with the iPhone without cellular on.

This has been helpful but it'll take awhile for it to sink in. I can read it 20 times and still not remember it.

Thanks all

Hi,

The strange this is that other phones (HTC, aso) does not need an active connection when you receive a mms. It automatically turns data network on when you get a MMS.

For people without unlimited data and occasional need for data network the workaround with turning off data for specific programs is too difficult for a simple user.

Is there another way?

"It is what it is".. you see this kind of response is one the reasons why for some people, anything having to do with apple products leaves a bad taste in their mouth. "You want to use MMS? Then you need cellular data turned on. Turn it off...no MMS." Whether or not your statement is correct is not the point. The point is that I would have thought being such a helpful little Level 10 on the apple community forums, in which apple themselves do not contribute any content, that you might have at least tried to answer someones question without the condescension inherent in telling a grown man "it is what it is" and then following that with "you want MMS?" as if you might take it away for misbehaving. Maybe you didn't mean it like that but when I glance up at your current picture and look at the guy showing the world how cool he is smoking a cigarette with shirt open... I think that alone sums it up better than words ever could. The man asked a valid question to which you responded is as dismissive a way possible.

Crackbot wrote:

"It is what it is".. you see this kind of response is one the reasons why for some people, anything having to do with apple products leaves a bad taste in their mouth. "You want to use MMS? Then you need cellular data turned on. Turn it off...no MMS." Whether or not your statement is correct is not the point. The point is that I would have thought being such a helpful little Level 10 on the apple community forums, in which apple themselves do not contribute any content, that you might have at least tried to answer someones question without the condescension inherent in telling a grown man "it is what it is" and then following that with "you want MMS?" as if you might take it away for misbehaving. Maybe you didn't mean it like that but when I glance up at your current picture and look at the guy showing the world how cool he is smoking a cigarette with shirt open... I think that alone sums it up better than words ever could. The man asked a valid question to which you responded is as dismissive a way possible.

You're responding to posts made almost three years ago in a thread that had been dormant for six months. While you may not like the way wjosten answered the question, he answered it correctly and concisely. The reason he has as many points as he does is because fellow users have awarded them those points for his helpful responses.

I'm a strong believer in leading by example. If you don't like the way questions are being answered here, set an example. Answer technical questions they way you believe they should be rather than taking people to task for something you have yet to show you can do any better.

Best of luck.

Meg you are absolutely correct. I admit that i was taking out some frustrations stemming from other areas of my life on someone else who had done nothing wrong. Thank you for calling me out on my BS. I would like to offer an apology to wjosten. Sir, if and when you read this, i would like you to know I am embarrassed by my childish behavior and I hope you will accept my apology and not hold it against me too much. You will hear no excuses from me. I was a jerk. And I am sorry I was a jerk to you. And Meg, I would also like to apologize to you as well for simply having to read and respond to it. And thank you again for calling me out. Lead by example. Thank you.

<Edited by Host>

Crackbot wrote:

Meg you are absolutely correct. I admit that i was taking out some frustrations stemming from other areas of my life on someone else who had done nothing wrong. Thank you for calling me out on my BS. I would like to offer an apology to wjosten. Sir, if and when you read this, i would like you to know I am embarrassed by my childish behavior and I hope you will accept my apology and not hold it against me too much. You will hear no excuses from me. I was a jerk. And I am sorry I was a jerk to you. And Meg, I would also like to apologize to you as well for simply having to read and respond to it. And thank you again for calling me out. Lead by example. Thank you.

I'm not sure I would have been able to make such a public apology. We all have our off days. Most of us just try to forget them and hope others will, too. Thanks for your fine example.

Best of luck.

<Edited By Host>

Fantastic explanation!!! I'm a Android user who had the same question as the original poster and until now never quite understood what was going on.

Thank you VERY much!

Internet is needed for mms and group messaging. The problem I was having was that group messaging and mms was not working over wifi. I had to turn on cellular data for mms and group messaging to work. I just fixed it though. Settings>Messaging>Send as SMS> Turn it off.🙂

lashedpig wrote:

Internet is needed for mms and group messaging. The problem I was having was that group messaging and mms was not working over wifi. I had to turn on cellular data for mms and group messaging to work. I just fixed it though. Settings>Messaging>Send as SMS> Turn it off.🙂

All that setting does is, in the event an iMessage fails, it will be sent as SMS instead. It has no effect on MMS or group messaging with non-iPhone users.

It fixed it for me.

lashedpig wrote:

It fixed it for me.

I'm glad you've got it working but correlation does not equal causality.