I am sending SMS messages that are quite long possibly as long as 1000 characters and to multiple recipients per message. My carrier says that my handset (iPhone 4s) is breaking apart the message and sending the first 161 characters as an SMS message and the rest as MMS messages and for that reason they are charging me for sending MMS messages. Is it true that my iPhone is sending parts of larger SMS messages as MMS messages?
iPhone 4S, iOS 6.1.3, Carrier Vodafone
Ah...the SMS character limit is on the carrier side. Fact is, most carriers limit SMS to no more than 160 characters & will break longer messages into multiple messages, & when done will send as MMS. The issue is with your carrier, not your phone.
AFAIK, there is no carrier anywhere in the world that will permit an SMS with 1000 characters.
I am familiar with the 160 char limit. The SMS protocal says that longer messages should be broken down to multiple SMS messages each up to 160 chars and a header saying how many separate message make up this one longer message. The problem is that the Carrier says that it is the phone that is creating the MMS not them.
What happens if you turn MMS off in settings: Settings>Messages>MMS Messaging>Off.
Long SMS Messages
