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Should multimedia messages be cheaper?


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Old 08-08-2016, 19:05
big brother 9
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With the increase in message services like WhatsApp, messenger, snapchat etc..... sending a pic within a text message should be much cheaper than it currently is.

Why would people want to send a pic or video via text when they can send the other ways.
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Old 08-08-2016, 19:33
d123
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What's a multimedia message again?
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Old 08-08-2016, 19:49
moox
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I think some networks still have video calling on the tariffs, and it's still 50p a minute.

That's not Facetime or Hangouts or Skype or whatever, but bog standard 3G video calling from 2003. You can't even do that on a modern phone.
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Old 08-08-2016, 19:51
Thine Wonk
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Yes, obviously the networks try and make the contracts and PAYG minute and text rates look the best in store and on the website as that's what everyone looks at when buying. Nobody checks the MMS or 0870 rates, and they know that so they milk them.

However with apps like What'sapp they are dying out anyway.
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Old 10-08-2016, 15:55
david16
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MMS's ought to be a lot cheaper than they are but not at the low rate of a standard text (or SMS).

Adding in even one emoji to your message on your messaging app you are going to send off does not still make it a text message. It becomes an MMS with that one little emoji in your message even if you may think of it as being a text message/SMS.

Is it really worth adding in the emoji to your message if it means you are going to be fleeced for it.
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Old 10-08-2016, 16:26
blueisthecolour
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The mobile phone companies aren't going to kill of revenue streams for the sake of it.
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Old 10-08-2016, 16:58
d123
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MMS's ought to be a lot cheaper than they are but not at the low rate of a standard text (or SMS).

Adding in even one emoji to your message on your messaging app you are going to send off does not still make it a text message. It becomes an MMS with that one little emoji in your message even if you may think of it as being a text message/SMS.

Is it really worth adding in the emoji to your message if it means you are going to be fleeced for it.
Only if your phone (was mainly a Samsung problem iirc) converts the emoticon into a picture message or you're using some badly programmed 3rd party keyboard.

For example:

There has been some increased interest around emojis/emoticons on the EE network. Here's some information to help you understand how emojis in text messages work.

If you have an older phone, if you've downloaded a new keyboard app, or if the settings on your phone are set up in a certain way, your phone may convert an SMS that has an emoji in it to a picture message, which may not be included in your plan.

This isn't something that EE or any network controls, as it's down to how your device works, but it's straight forward for you to change this, for example on some Samsung devices it's as easy as changing the input mode from Automatic to Unicode.

For advice on how to manage the settings on your device, follow the steps on - The EE Help Page on converting text messages to picture messages.
https://community.ee.co.uk/t5/Textin...ns/td-p/401281

Mobile phone users who send a smiley or sad face, or any type of picture icon, in a text could be stung with massive charges – with one user billed more than £200 as a result of using these emojis.

Our research found the main issue is with pre-April 2014 Samsung handsets where users have racked up huge bills after adding emojis – picture icons such as rather than the emoticon equivalent of – into text messages, despite having packages with all-inclusive text allowances (see our Mobile phone cost cutting guide for more ways to save).
This is known to affect the Samsung Galaxy S1, S2, S3, S4, plus the Galaxy Note 1, 2, 3 and Galaxy Ace. On these handsets, when an emoji is added to a text message it is automatically converted into a picture message. These aren't usually included in users' packages and can cost up to 40p each depending on the network provider.

Samsung says every device launched since last April has a default setting which means emojis can be sent in a text, however it adds that a warning message is displayed to inform users of older handsets that their message will be converted.
http://www.moneysavingexpert.com/new...sending-emojis
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Old 10-08-2016, 17:22
gillyallan
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Video calling is charged at normal time on o2 and included in your normal bundle minutes.

Mms though is a joke. Surely only catching folk out by accident.
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Old 11-08-2016, 19:48
david16
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Video calling is charged at normal time on o2 and included in your normal bundle minutes.

Mms though is a joke. Surely only catching folk out by accident.
Just don't add a smilie/emoji to your message before you send it off.

Only a fool would think they are still sending a text message even when it includes a few emojis in their message.
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Old 11-08-2016, 20:10
sethpet
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If the other networks caught up with Vodafone we would have cross network RCS and no need for over the top services like WhatsApp, Messenger etc.

Amazes me that only Vodafone have enabled RCS, the networks should have all got behind it and killed the over the top clients before they started.
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Old 11-08-2016, 20:26
Gigabit
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You do have to have a phone running Vodafone firmware though.
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Old 11-08-2016, 20:31
sethpet
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You do have to have a phone running Vodafone firmware though.
Not true.

My wife's open market Z5 and my open market lumia 950 work fine
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Old 11-08-2016, 21:41
gillyallan
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Phones should have ability to block mms sends. Mine gives a warning if it converts to mms but is easy to miss
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Old 11-08-2016, 22:25
ozz
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On an iPhone there is a toggle switch to turn off mms messages. I've sent loads of emoji texts and never had one fail to send or be charged for.

On android I've just deleted the mms server details in the apn settings
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Old 11-08-2016, 22:45
d123
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Just don't add a smilie/emoji to your message before you send it off.

Only a fool would think they are still sending a text message even when it includes a few emojis in their message.
Would it be ok to call a person a fool when they keep on spouting nonsense when it's been shown that the emoji sending as an MMS isn't a widespread or universal problem but something that only happened with a small number of phones and aftermarket keyboards?
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Old 11-08-2016, 22:53
plymouthbloke1974
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If anything the cost of MMS is going up. Voda just put their charges up...
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