Cannot send or receive picture messages on my Samsung Galaxy S3

[ricka656]

Re: cannot send or receive picture messages on my samsung galaxy s3

I have Straight Talk and I can send picture messages but when somebody sends me one I get a message to download and when I try to download it doesn't work. If anyone knows a solution I would appreciate it.

 

[ddsasd]

Re: cannot send or receive picture messages on my samsung galaxy s3

I have had this problem for a while, and I noticed that I had gone over my data limit so I disabled the use of my data, assuming that all of my phone functions would work through Wifi, and from that point is when this picture sending/receiving problem started. I am hoping that once my new cycle for data starts, it will work again.

 

[Don Tucker1]

Re: cannot send or receive picture messages on my samsung galaxy s3

My phone shows downloading but no longer brings up the images. This happened after I did the Samsung sw update.

 

[4x4r8d]

Re: cannot send or receive picture messages on my samsung galaxy s3

While leaving Mobile data ON, I turned off the WiFi and my MMS successfully sent.

Verizon Network LTE

 

[heyheatherrr]

Re: cannot send or receive picture messages on my samsung galaxy s3

I read so many forums and finally found the solution to my S3 not downloading images. Many people on here recommended turning the "Power Save" setting off, but I actually turned mine on to solve the issue.

Note: With the power saving mode off my wi-fi connection and 4g were showing up as two separate icons. Now that power save is on, there is only one depending on which is available and stronger. Not sure if that makes a difference, but I thought it was interesting.

 

[Sandi Couch McInnish]

Re: cannot send or receive picture messages on my samsung galaxy s3

It sounds too simple, sometimes its a matter of not being connected to a network......somehow, some way you became disconnected. It's happened to me before, I go in and do a network search and reconnect and Wham-Bam, I'm back in pic swapping business. Hope this helps.

 

[Lorraine Corrigan-Turner]

Re: cannot send or receive picture messages on my samsung galaxy s3

Thank you Thank you Thank you Sandi!!!!

 

[Chris Jackson4]

Re: cannot send or receive picture messages on my samsung galaxy s3

Amazingly, after months of frustration, turning ON the powersave mode worked for me!

 

[Sean Delevan]

Re: cannot send or receive picture messages on my samsung galaxy s3

Can you tell me what this means?

"SwiftKeyed/Flowed via TapaTalk 4 beta"

I just switched to this Samsung mega and when I try and send an image in a text, it says it is converting it to multimedia and then does not go through when i send it. Instead, the circle will just keep spinning.

This brings up 2 questions:

1) Why is it converting anything and not just sending it as a jpeg

2) Why do I have to switch on data to send a picture instead of using wifi.

 

[fasthand9]

Re: cannot send or receive picture messages on my samsung galaxy s3

I tried the turning off power saver. then turn off wi-fi and comb of either with no success. I use net 10 an wonder is this isn't the problem

 

[Ealevenish]

Re: cannot send or receive picture messages on my samsung galaxy s3

Can you tell me what this means?

"SwiftKeyed/Flowed via TapaTalk 4 beta"

I just switched to this Samsung mega and when I try and send an image in a text, it says it is converting it to multimedia and then does not go through when i send it. Instead, the circle will just keep spinning.

This brings up 2 questions:

1) Why is it converting anything and not just sending it as a jpeg

It is converting because you send it as an SMS/MMS message. SMS/MMS cannot handle JPEGs.

2) Why do I have to switch on data to send a picture instead of using wifi.

Because SMS/MMS only works as mobile data via mobile networks. Even when you're on Wifi, if you send and receive SMS/MMS it will only do so via mobile networks. That's why (mobile) data needs to be switched on. SMS/MMS requires your device to connect directly with the nearest mobile 'node', a.k.a. cell tower/repeater.
What you do via mobile networks eats into your monthly dataplan. If you have one. This is why sending and receiving media (photo, video, and audio), which are huge files compared to pure text messages (which are tiny), via SMS/MMS is to be avoided if at all possible. I use it as a last resort. When there's no other way/m.o., i.e. WiFi. If you must send media via SMS/MMS you may want to send public downloadlinks to those files in your cloud (like free Dropbox or MEGA) instead of the real files themselves. Downloadlinks are a couple KBs in size. The media files they represent are at least a couple hundred KBs (lo-res pictures) up to hundreds of MBs (for hi-res videos). Each.
SMS/MMS is by far the most expensive protocol for sending and receiving media. And the slowest.

If that bothers you, you may want to try instant messaging. It's like SMS/MMS on steroids. Connects via WiFi. So your dataplan is not impacted however many and/or large messages you send and receive. Let's you send simple text messages (self destructing if you want*), hundreds of photos in one go, or hi-res videos of up to 1 Gigabyte! That's the free app Telegram for you. And the free app Viber also offers free audio and video calls via WiFi. They both work on Android and on Apple's iOS.

*ideal for conducting an illicit affair: your racy messages can never be found by your lover's wife on his phone. Because they simply aren't there to be found.

 

[Rukbat]

Re: cannot send or receive picture messages on my samsung galaxy s3

Actually MMS can handle any file (if it's not too large). "Converting to multimedia" means that you're on a text (SMS) app (that's what texting is - 160 characters max of text), so to send a jpg or pdf or anything but up to 160 characters of text it has to send it as MMS (which just sends the file to a server, and puts a link to the file in the text message - which is what you press to get the picture - you download it from the server.

It should have been designed to work over wifi, but the cellular carriers designed it, and they don't get paid if you use wifi.

"SwiftKeyed/Flowed via TapaTalk 4 beta" is someone's signature. They're using an app called Tapatalk 4 beta to read and post here and, evidently SwiftKey as a keyboard. You can put just about anything in as a signature in those apps. The current version (4.4.8) is at https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...om.quoord.tapatalkpro.activity&token=rNJSAPdS You can install it on your phone and use it.

 

[Dorabil]

After looking and trying this and that, I found that if I shut off the WiFi and turn on Data, the pictures come thru just fine with no other adjustments to the phone. Dottie

 

[Vsweety]

After looking and trying this and that, I found that if I shut off the WiFi and turn on Data, the pictures come thru just fine with no other adjustments to the phone. Dottie

That is also the slowest and most expensive method, and it is limited in file size.

 

[CSandell]

Thank you as soon as I turned off the power save mode it fixed it right away!!!

 

[eddie2471]

I have straight talk and I have tried everything but nothing is working. I called them twice, the first time with no success, but the second time it started working after, but now it doesn't anymore!

 

[oicunow36]

Does anyone know what the solution is to be able to send and receive picture messages?

Ok soo I was having the same issues with my sch i535 or s3 I recently discovered it was my sim card 4g lte I switched out my card and boom problem solved I tried for a week straight looking for solutions to the issue that everyone seems to be having and thought let me just try this and it worked soo try replacing ur sim card and c if that helps let me know how u make out

 

[awt3952]

Having the same problem. Found out that I had 39 pictures in the photo cache. Cleared them out and mms (pictures, multi send to and receive by) now work. I have no idea how All of those pictures got there. Actually the pictures all looked the same. Kinda like a chess pawn.

 

[Leonor Lazcano]

Re: cannot send or receive picture messages on my samsung galaxy s3

Did you turn on your 4G?

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using AC Forums mobile app

 

[Lisalivinlife13]

Re: cannot send or receive picture messages on my samsung galaxy s3

Cannot send pictures via text on my Samsung Galaxy S3, I have tried everything already on this thread and it still will not work. The following I have already tried:
-confirmed that data is on in settings
-turned off and turned on power saving mode (tried to send both ways)
-turned wifi off and on (tried to send both ways)