MMS fails on iPhone 5 with AT&T when APN configuration profile installed

Question

Level 1

0 points

MMS fails on iPhone 5 with AT&T when APN configuration profile installed

Installing a configuration profile containing APN information to the new AT&T iPhone 5 results in breaking the capability to send or receive MMS messages through the Messages app on the device. This is for MMS (Multimedia Messaging) and not iMessage (that works fine).

This happens regardless whether the device is on LTE mode or on 3G mode.

The configuration profile we are using has APN information and proxy settings for this APN as well (proxy host and port information). However, the problem happens even if the profile contains just APN without any proxy settings info.

This happens on iPhone 5 ONLY (commercially available through AT&T). This is important to note because iPhone 4S with iOS 6 DOES NOT HAVE THIS PROBLEM.

This problem happened last year too when iPhone4S was introduced. But it was fixed later.

iPhone 4S, iOS 5

Posted on Oct 6, 2012 8:40 PM

Reply

Answer 1

diesel vdub

Level 7

22,178 points

Oct 7, 2012 5:43 AM in response to onecount

This in combination with your VVM issues confirms you have an APN setting issue.

Reply

Answer 2

onecount Author

Level 1

0 points

Oct 7, 2012 7:53 AM in response to diesel vdub

iPhone 4S works fine (or any other older device for that matter) on both iOS 6 and 5. Same configuration profile.

Data on the device (iPhone5) work fine both for browser and applications. Data goes through the APN proxy as expected. Why would this affect the MMS or even the VVM? There is no way, through the IPCU, by building an APN config profile, to change MMS or VVM settings. IPCU does not have UI for that. If MMS or VVM settings are changed by installing the profile, this is a bug because this is not supposed to be happening.

Reply

Answer 3

diesel vdub

Level 7

22,178 points

Oct 7, 2012 7:57 AM in response to onecount

VVM and MMS both require access to the carriers cellular data network. The proxy is most likely interferring.

It is interesting that the issue does not exist on the 4S running iOS6.

Unless there are unique settings on the 5 that do not exist on the 4S, there is no reason why the same settings should not work.

Just to confirm, without this configuration profile installed, VVM and MMS both work, correct?

Reply

Answer 4

onecount Author

Level 1

0 points

Oct 7, 2012 8:15 AM in response to diesel vdub

yes, sir, without the profile, everyhting is fine on the 5, that is MMS and VVM.

This is really what confuses us over here too. We thought it was the proxy itself. So we took it out and created a very simple profile with just APN, no proxy, nothing else. MMS and VVM would still not work on the iphone5. But data (browser and apps) still worked fine.

Are you aware of the iOS 6 issue I also brought up in this forum, where removing an APN/proxy config profile actually leaves the proxy settings behind (even though the profile itself is removed)?

Well, if I remove my APN/proxy config profile on the iphone 5, the proxy settings are still there, as I can see browser and apps data still going through my proxy (even though my profile is gone). But check this out: MMS and VVM now work (despite the apparent presence of the proxy)!! This is actually our workaround at the moment, using another problem to our advantage.

I think all this shows something is wrong here.

Reply

Answer 5

Nov 15, 2012 7:12 PM in response to onecount

are you sure MMS data goes through your proxy? Had you capture packets on the pdp_ip0 interface?

Reply

Answer 6

onecount Author

Level 1

0 points

Nov 18, 2012 7:52 AM in response to lcq072389

MMS does not (and should not) go through my proxy. I believe the problem is right there. it thinks it needs to go through my proxy which is different from the MMS proxy it is set up with? But again, iPhone4S with the exact same iOS version and exact same config profile works fine (MMS is sent/received with no problems).

Reply

Answer 7

Apr 11, 2013 1:33 AM in response to onecount

I have a similar issue with an iPhone 4S running iOS 5.0.1 and reports from our client using other device (have to check with them again to find out which devices exactly with which iOS version). Both visual voicemail and MMS stop working as soon as you install an apn profile (with or without proxy does not matter, even tried setting the MMS proxy with out any luck)

Provider tested is o2 in germany

I would have liked to create a bug report, but the reporting system seems to be down.

I hope to get some feedback from apple regarding this problem soon.

Reply

Answer 8

diesel vdub

Level 7

22,178 points

Apr 11, 2013 3:22 AM in response to claus.weymann

This is a user to user technical support forum. If you want/need feedback from Apple then contact them.

Reply

Answer 9

Apr 11, 2013 4:00 AM in response to diesel vdub

I did, filed a bug report using chrome, since it does not work with safari at the moment. I just wanted to let the op and other people know that we have a similar problem here and maybe encourage other people to post their experiences with different providers regarding MMS and APN-profiles.

Btw. tested with:

* iPhone 5 iOS 6.1 (10B143) => does not work

* iPhone 4S iOS 6.1 (10B143) => works

* iPhone 4S iOS 5.0.1 => does not work

* iPhone4 iOS 6.1.3(10B329) => works

Reply