How to send MMS (multimedia) messages without DATA PLAN?

T

tagger

New member
Hey All,

I am hoping someone can help me. I have a G1 without the DATA PLAN. I can NOT send MMS (Multimedia) messages even though I have unlimited texting. I also tested this out by connecting to my Home WiFi network. I can watch youtube videos and browse the Internet, but I can NOT send MMS messages. My friends send me MMS messages, G1 asks me to download it, when I do, it errors out... so it doesn't work send/receive... I have no problems with my original Tmobile Dash phone... does anyone know of a fix or setting or configuration I can use... would an update work? Please help! Thank you!
 
You don't need Data to send MMS, and WiFi has nothing to do with MMS messages. Remember, phones could send/receive MMS messages long before they had internet access.

It's just a case of finding the correct APN settings for your phone. There are two types of APN - one for Data and one for MMS messages (which have an entry in the MMS proxy and MMS port fields). You can also have APNs which do both.

Unless you're on T-Mobile UK, I can't help you with the correct settings, but Google is your friend.
 
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I am on Tmobile USA... this is what I tried last week... multiple times after i found a blog from someone... at http://inportb.com/2008/12/29/using-a-g1-without-a-data-plan/ - it still doesn't work... thank you for explaining to me the difference between sms/mms... do you have any websites/APNs I can try?

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have the G1 without the data plan, and everything works fine with no problems.
The only thing I did have a problem with is MMS, but I got around it by going with the settings I used on my old unlocked HTC 8125:Menu > Setting > Wireless controls > Mobile networks > Access point names
Once you get in there, scroll down until you see T-Mobile US and input the following settings:Name = T-Mobile US
APN = wap.voicestream.com
Proxy = 216.155.165.050
Port= 8080
Username= None
Password = None (delete the 4 digit PW that is there)
Server = Not set (also delete the 1 digit PW there)
MMSC = Unchanged (do not change it)
MMS proxy = 216.155.165.050
MMS port = 8080
MCC, MNC, and APN type all stay they was they are.
Now as far as remembering the old information goes, you can always go into T-Mobile US 160 (right below T-Mobile US), which has all the same settings as T-Mobile US including the password. All you have to do is copy and paste it.
How do you copy and paste? To do this let?s say you go into T-Mobile US and where it says ?Name.? Click it and the edit box will pop up; hold your finger on the name, and then another box will pop up; click ?Copy all? (this is only going to copy what is in that box). To paste, you go wherever you want to paste it and do the same steps.
Hope this can help you guys. I know not being able to send or receive MMS was getting to me pretty bad.
PS- I will bookmark this page and check back to see if I can help you guys in any way.
 
I'm not saying you're wrong, but MMS messages still work with T-Mobile UK without a data plan. There are a whole load of phones still out there that don't use the internet at all (i.e. no browser or downloadable apps), but can send picture messages. Do the owners of all of these phones really need a data plan? What do they do?
 
T-Mobile US doesn't allow the G1 (or any android phone, probably) to send mms without a data plan. There are other phones that allow picture messaging w/o data, but not android. There is no rhyme or reason for it, IMO, but that's just the way it is.
 
yep, ive been looking for this for a while as well. giving up on that, im just trying to be able to download and send mms from my computer.



Sent from my T-Mobile G1 using Tapatalk
 
If other phones can send/receive MMS messages on T-Mobile US without a data plan, then it must just be a case of having the correct APN settings (the ones that have an MMS proxy).

All GSM phones send/receive MMS messages via an MMSC, which on Android is defined in the APN settings. On other phones it may be hard coded, or it may be stored on the SIM data.

APNs can be set via a SIM update - you may need T-Mobile to send this. I needed to call T-Mobile here in the UK to get my MMSs to work. Nothing they tried fixed it until they sent the SIM update. Immediately things worked fine after that. My partner needed the same update when she got her G1. I asked them to send a SIM update so I could send MMS messages and 2 minutes later everything magically started working.

There is no standard way for carriers to determine the handset type, so most carriers operate a database of Phone Numbers + Handsets. If your number is listed on this database as belonging to a really old (i.e. non-MMS capable) phone then the MMSC will send you an SMS message with a web address of the received message. If you're seeing this when someone sends you an MMS message, then this confirms this problem, and you can usually change what handset you "have" from your account online. Set it to something like a Nokia N95.

Whatever happens though, you need to have an APN with an MMS proxy specified or it won't work.

Ok, so let's try a proper APN with an MMSC proxy. These are SIMILAR settings to what was quoted above, but I've added the MMSC details:

Make sure you are editing the "T-mobile US" APN, go into it and
use the following settings:

Name: T-Mobile US
APN: wap.voicestream.com
Proxy: 216.155.165.050
Port: 8080
Username: not set (delete everything here)
Password: not set (delete everything here too)
Server: not set (delete everything here as well)
MMSC: http://mms.msg.eng.t-mobile.com/mms/wapenc
MMS Proxy: 216.155.165.050
MMS Port: 8080
MMC: 310 (don't change this)
MNC: 260 (don't change this either)
APN type: not set

You will then need to turn off your phone and restart it.

Once you have done this, try sending and/or receiving an MMS again. Remember, you can also send MMS messages to email address to test it.
 
It's not gonna work extorian. I am absolutely positive that the OP has tried this. T-Mobile will not let you do it unless you have a data plan. It seems to me that T-Mobile probably blocks that APN setting if you don't have a data plan.

It's just a way for T-Mobile USA to force you to get a data plan on your Android handset. Android handsets are the easiest for T-Mobile to control - like the iPhone is to AT&T.
 
Yeah, I tried this (and those APN settings) hundreds of times when I didn't have a data plan to no avail....



Sent from my T-Mobile G1 using Tapatalk
 
I'm not saying you're wrong. I just don't understand how they can possibly differentiate between phones that don't support data but can send MMS message. There must be 1000s of people out there who are using older phones that can send MMS messages but don't use data. Surely they're not forced to have a data plan too are they?

Are there really no people on T-Mobile US that can send MMS messages on any type of phone without a data plan?

They can't do it by phone number, because the phone number relates to a SIM card, which can be used in any phone. What happens if you have two handsets (one for work, one for play) and want to put your SIM in the other phone?
 
Well, what I'm saying is... If there are any people on T-Mobile US, without a Data plan, that can send/receive MMS messages, then I am 99% certain that it's just a case of having the correct APN settings, because there's no way for T-Mobile to know at a network level what handset is being used.

So if you have other phones... and you can't send MMS on your Android phone but can on another phone, then we know the APN settings are the problem.

However, without knowing the correct APN settings, we're still screwed.
 
Agreed. I can confirm that they don't know what handset is being used because when you sign up to their site, you get all of the info about your account, but you still need to manually choose what phone you have. I'll fire up one of my BBs at home and see what they APN settings are for that. I'm getting sick of being able to do **** like control my computer from a different room, but not do something my dad's free phone can do like send and receive pictures.
 
Well... if everyone had a smartphone MMS messages would be very obsolete. MMS messages have a tiny file size limit, so photos have to be reduced in resolution and quality. Emails, on the other hand, can generally have attachments of 10MB or more.
 
With blackberries, there is the "Blackberry Add-on" which allows you to send MMS data without a data plan. With android, there is no such add-on. No data - no MMS, period. (The OP did state that the "correct" APN does not work).

Also, T-Mobile will know which phone you are using be the IMEI number registered on their network. You may be able to change your phone selection for a day (by logging in online and changing it), but I guarantee, the correct phone will be reflected on your account a couple of days after you change it.

Bottom line is - T-Mobile can control any feature on any type of phone that they want. T-Mobile chooses to lock down MMS messaging on Android phones to force you into a data plan. And its obvious that they have done that very successfully. LOL!
 
extorian, I am with you... I've got a Tmobile DASH, been using it for the last 2 yrs, can SEND/RECEIVE "MMS" with NO problems... No data plan at all... When I swap out the SIM card to the G1 phone, I can ONLY do SMS... I will try to play with the APN settings this weekend... I just can't believe they would shutdown MMS on all antroid phones without a DATA PLAN... wouldn't 1000s of users be upset with this? complaints?

Thank you!
 
oh my.. the hours i've spent trying different apn settings.. it seems so impractical, though, that tmobile would totally shut down mms like that. can you pm me if you find anything? i've tried a whole bunch of stuff, but maybe you pick up something that i've missed. thanks!
 
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