Is anyone having problems with their new 6s plus not being able to send and receive pictures thru text messages unless your cellular data is turned on? Even if I'm in wifi, I won't get the pic unless cellular data is on?

Mgibson2425 wrote:

Is anyone having problems with their new 6s plus iPhone sending and receiving pictures through text message? Even if I'm in WIFI, i have to have my cellular data button turned on to receive a pic. Which then in turn instead of using WIFI, it eats up my data plan. So half way through the month, I'm getting warnings that my data plan is almost gone. I've done everything, including resetting the phone back to factory settings. It also will not send a text if IMessage is turned on. It immediately switches over to Imessaging which of course again uses my data plan. I sure could use some help with this. BTW, my text messaging is connected to my phone number and not my email. Which was one of the suggestions Apple Support told me to check. Never in my life have I had so many problems with a phone since I purchased this iphone 6s.

SMS is a carrier feature, you'll need to contact your cell phone provider and see what the issue is.

Imessage uses very little data.

SMS uses the carrier's voice network, MMS (picture messaging) uses the carrier's data network. Always. Forever. PERIOD.

iMessage relies on whatever data connection is available, including WiFi, to send ANY kind of message to another iMessage user. When you have iMessage enabled, and you send to or receive from a non-iMessage user, the first statement applies.

If the messages are being sent as MMS rather than iMessage, they will require cellular Data, since MMS are a carrier service.

This has very little to do with the iPhone itself, and more to do with how the images are being sent, and to whom.

Since you cannot send iMessages to non Apple devices, sending messages with images to other non-iphone users will be sent as MMS even if you are connected to Wifi.

If you are sending messages between iPhone users, then they should be sent as iMessages, and would not require data when connected to Wifi.

Phil is 100% correct. In order to send pictures to non-iPhone users, you must have cellular data enabled.

Then I would suspect there is something wrong with your wifi connection.

Mgibson2425 wrote:

BTW, MMS, and SMS are both on. But yet it's not using my wifi connection. It using cellular data.

Can you load a webpage in Safari?

Mgibson2425 wrote:

THats the thing, i can't send to anyone, regardless of the type of phone they have, unless cellular data is turned on. And when I turn on IMessage, all my texts change over to IM. This is wether I'm in WIFI or not. Even when I'm in wifi, it is using my cellular data to send and receive pictures through a text message. If I'm in wifi, and I shut Cellular Data off, I can not send or receive pictures!! This is when I'm sending to another iPhone. Everyone I send or receive messages or pictures to or from ALL have iPhones. I don't know anyone with any other type of phone. So, because of this issue, I'm using up ALL my data half way through the month.

If iMessage is off / disabled / not activated, you will be using standard SMS/MMS and cellular data is required at all times when sending pictures or movies.

If iMessage is on and properly activated, cellular data is not required as long as you have another means to use data (like WiFi).

While standard MMS uses the cellular data CONNECTION, it normally does not count against your cellular data USAGE. Check with your carrier to confirm.

Yes, it shows that you've used cellular data because they have a record of that. But, at the end of the month, they subtract out that data that was used for MMS.

If you're sending over the cellular data network for iMessage (text AND media), then you are using cellular data.

Mgibson2425 wrote:

THats the thing, i can't send to anyone, regardless of the type of phone they have, unless cellular data is turned on. And when I turn on IMessage, all my texts change over to IM.

If iMessage is turned off, then all messages go out as SMS and MMS. Messages that contain pictures then will be sent through MMS, and will require Cellular data regardless of who you are sending to. MMS will not send over wifi at all.

iMessages will send over Wifi.

Why do you have iMessage turned off? Why is it a problem to send iMessages?

If you want to use wifi, iMessage needs to be on. Messages to non Apple users that contain pictures will still use Cellular Data. but messages to Apple users that are registered with iMessage will be sent over wifi when connected to Wifi.