Messaging issues with the Pixel 2 - any workarounds?

[Syatek]

Hey all - I am coming from an iPhone 6. Although I love the look and feel of my new Pixel 2 XL, there are some deal breakers I am coming to realize that may force me to switch back to iPhone.

90% of my friends have iPhones. All the groups I am in are using iMessage. In the day I've had my Pixel, I've missed dozens of texts because they are still sending as iMessages. I've disabled iMessage on my old phone and online through Apple, but still do not receive texts in a few groups. Extremely frustrating.

I feel like that issue can be fixed with time and tweaking though. This however, cannot. The quality of video sent to me from a friends iPhone is disgusting. It is small, extremely blurry, the sound is awful. It feels like it was taken from a 2007 flip phone. This is completely unacceptable if you ask me. I read that carriers limit SMS file size? So when someone sends a video (they natively took on their iPhone) it's going to come to me looking like crap? Is there any fix for this?

I know Apple is at fault here for enforcing this, which sucks. Its absurd that in 2017 iPhone and Android users can't share videos and text in their native messaging apps (I've found threads from 2-5 years ago complaining about the same things!) There has to be a workaround.

I know I can ask friends to send me the video in Snapchat, Instagram, or Whatsapp, but that's a little ridiculous and I'm not comfortable asking them to constantly jump through an extra loop because MY phone cannot perform.

Is it possible to switch SMS to always use MMS? I understand the phone carriers LIMIT the size of videos and such in SMS, so idk if it'll be any better in MMS. Probably not.

While these may be minor issues for some, it's pretty important to me. I feel handicapped and a nuissance to my friends. I don't WANT to use iPhone anymore (the User Experience of the Pixel is infinitely better) but if something as simple as group texting and video sharing is this inhibited, I may have to go back.

Hopefully you guys know something I don't and can help! Thanks~

 

[Ca_lvn]

Have you friends delete the old imessages to you and start fresh have seen this as a problem before, sounds like you covered all other bases

 

[Syatek]

Any fix for forcing videos my friends send me down to **** quality?

 

[Ry]

Any fix for forcing videos my friends send me down to **** quality?

No. The only fix is to use another app - which will force your friends to use another app for messaging you.

MMS was not designed to handle the media people share in 2017.

The longterm fix is when RCS "replaces" MMS AND Apple supports it.

If these videos are important to you and your friends don't want to use another app, your only option is to go back to the iPhone and iOS.

 

[Syatek]

Dang, that is what I feared. Such a shame :\
Thanks for you response!

 

[nelamvr6]

Blame the carriers. It's their greed holding up adoption of RCS.

Of course then Apple would also have to agree to support RCS... But first things first.

 

[Syatek]

I'd still bet that RCS works better with iMessage than SMS gets along with iMessage!

 

[anon(10341183)]

I went through all the same issues. Unless your friends/family want to get on a 3rd party messaging platform (Telegram, WhatsApp, etc.), you're out of luck. MMS is 2 decades behind times and that's why we're having this problem.

 

[nelamvr6]

I'd still bet that RCS works better with iMessage than SMS gets along with iMessage!

I just hope we eventually get the chance to find out!

 

[N4Newbie]

Google/Android let's users share a link to photos/videos instead of the photo/video itself. Does Apple/iOS have a similar function?

Just wondering...

 

[Ry]

Google/Android let's users share a link to photos/videos instead of the photo/video itself. Does Apple/iOS have a similar function?

Just wondering...

Without Google Photos?

 

[N4Newbie]

Without Google Photos?

Well, the question was, does Apple/iOS offer anything similar? So, for example, "Apple Photos" or whatever.

Seriously - does Apple not offer a way to share photos/videos by simply linking to the cloud-stored version of them? Don't people automagically backup their accounts to iCloud these days?

 

[gvndeb60]

Any fix for forcing videos my friends send me down to **** quality?

I have the same issue when it is from a group text. The only work around I have figured out is to ask them to send it to you as an individual text, and that is only if I want/need the higher quality video.

If they send the video to just you, it will be a much higher quality like you were used to.

 

[J G7]

I fixed Pixel 2 XL MMS messaging issues with APN config changes

Hi All,
I had the same problem, meaning that I couldn’t send or receive pictures or videos in my MMS messages. It was a problem with my wireless carrier provider settings. For Cricket Wireless customers, change your APN settings as described at the bottom of: https://www.cricketwireless.com/sup...ice-byod/customer/bring-your-own-android.html

 

[Lasertag]

Re: I fixed Pixel 2 XL MMS messaging issues with APN config changes

I have been on team iPhone for 7 years and switched from iPhone 6S 128gb to Google Pixel 2 XL 64gb. Most of my friends are iPhone. I followed all of apples directions on disabling imessage on old phone and manually doing so on iCloud. Still lost messages the first day. Had to call Apple to fix it. Still lost messages from people in larger group chats. My iPhone friends get choppy video that sucks. The links I send them on Google photos take a while to load on their screens. Is there another way? I use Textra to message. Can I compress the video to the best quality iPhone handles or will MMS always mess it up? Thanks.

 

[Jtshurtleff]

Hey all - I am coming from an iPhone 6. Although I love the look and feel of my new Pixel 2 XL, there are some deal breakers I am coming to realize that may force me to switch back to iPhone.

90% of my friends have iPhones. All the groups I am in are using iMessage. In the day I've had my Pixel, I've missed dozens of texts because they are still sending as iMessages. I've disabled iMessage on my old phone and online through Apple, but still do not receive texts in a few groups. Extremely frustrating.

I feel like that issue can be fixed with time and tweaking though. This however, cannot. The quality of video sent to me from a friends iPhone is disgusting. It is small, extremely blurry, the sound is awful. It feels like it was taken from a 2007 flip phone. This is completely unacceptable if you ask me. I read that carriers limit SMS file size? So when someone sends a video (they natively took on their iPhone) it's going to come to me looking like crap? Is there any fix for this?

I know Apple is at fault here for enforcing this, which sucks. Its absurd that in 2017 iPhone and Android users can't share videos and text in their native messaging apps (I've found threads from 2-5 years ago complaining about the same things!) There has to be a workaround.

I know I can ask friends to send me the video in Snapchat, Instagram, or Whatsapp, but that's a little ridiculous and I'm not comfortable asking them to constantly jump through an extra loop because MY phone cannot perform.

Is it possible to switch SMS to always use MMS? I understand the phone carriers LIMIT the size of videos and such in SMS, so idk if it'll be any better in MMS. Probably not.

While these may be minor issues for some, it's pretty important to me. I feel handicapped and a nuissance to my friends. I don't WANT to use iPhone anymore (the User Experience of the Pixel is infinitely better) but if something as simple as group texting and video sharing is this inhibited, I may have to go back.

Hopefully you guys know something I don't and can help! Thanks~

So a few misconceptions about this that I have highlighted. The SMS or MMS limit is not a limitation set by Apple but by the carriers. SMS and MMS are both archaic but a resolution is somewhat in sight if you have AT&T or another carrier that supports Advanced Messaging, which is basically SMS with a higher limit to data (I think it's 10MB but don't quote me). Carriers should and theoretically could create a better way to send a Standard Text but they haven't because it would cost them money and then each message would be more expensive for them to send. SMS sucks, MMS sucks, it'll be like that for awhile probably.

The 2nd is that you are sending a SMS when sending a video when a video or picture or really anything except text changes the message to a MMS or Multimedia Messaging Service. So basically the phone know what to do, compresses it to 1MB or so and then sends it off, hence the garbage you see sent.

I have had this problem with Android and my best solution is a separate app that my wife and friends had to download. Luckily I don't have friends so I don't have to send them pics often . I can recommend Hangouts or WhatsApp as they both work well but WhatsApp is better for me and most people I know who use it like it. Also FB Messenger is great because about 90% of people I know have FB and on Android you can use it as your text message app as well, which is neat.

Finally, your messages will start to come through after a couple of days once your iMessage is completely deactivated but if you didn't deactivate FaceTime as well it takes longer. Deactivating both, for me, makes it instant.

 

[Almeuit]

The 2nd is that you are sending a SMS when sending a video when a video or picture or really anything except text changes the message to a MMS or Multimedia Messaging Service. So basically the phone know what to do, compresses it to 1MB or so and then sends it off, hence the garbage you see sent.

This is correct. With 3rd party apps (such as Textra) you can have it use MMS for just text when the text is greater then 1, 2 , or 3 text. For example I have it set to >1 text. That way if I type over 160 characters it just makes it an MMS so when the person gets it the whole thing is intact.

iMessage is definitely a great thing that Apple has going for it. Hard to compete if you text a lot of videos and such.

 

[lsderuvo]

I just have to say I'm so sorry to hear this and I've had the same problem since I switched from an iphone 2 years ago to an Android. I just got a new Google Pixel phone and the gentleman at Verizon said I shouldn't have any texting issues,
but alas, I still don't always receive text messages when group texting.
It sucks and I feel for you. It seems ridiculous that these cell phone companies have not found a solution. I blame it on Apple and the fact that once an iphone user,
they want to own you.

Everything you said resonated with me. I had the same experience two years ago when I switched and I'd have Verizon reps look at me with surprise and say they never heard of this happening, to other reps repeatedly telling me to deactivate my Apple id, which I had already told them numerous times that I had. Grrrrrr. It sucks to not receive text messages and it seems ridiculous to ask all the iphone users in my world to check their text app settings and make sure it's set to MMS. That's a big ask. Not only annoying and invasive, but seems ridiculous when we seem so technologically advanced in this world.

Hey all - I am coming from an iPhone 6. Although I love the look and feel of my new Pixel 2 XL, there are some deal breakers I am coming to realize that may force me to switch back to iPhone.

90% of my friends have iPhones. All the groups I am in are using iMessage. In the day I've had my Pixel, I've missed dozens of texts because they are still sending as iMessages. I've disabled iMessage on my old phone and online through Apple, but still do not receive texts in a few groups. Extremely frustrating.

I feel like that issue can be fixed with time and tweaking though. This however, cannot. The quality of video sent to me from a friends iPhone is disgusting. It is small, extremely blurry, the sound is awful. It feels like it was taken from a 2007 flip phone. This is completely unacceptable if you ask me. I read that carriers limit SMS file size? So when someone sends a video (they natively took on their iPhone) it's going to come to me looking like crap? Is there any fix for this?

I know Apple is at fault here for enforcing this, which sucks. Its absurd that in 2017 iPhone and Android users can't share videos and text in their native messaging apps (I've found threads from 2-5 years ago complaining about the same things!) There has to be a workaround.

I know I can ask friends to send me the video in Snapchat, Instagram, or Whatsapp, but that's a little ridiculous and I'm not comfortable asking them to constantly jump through an extra loop because MY phone cannot perform.

Is it possible to switch SMS to always use MMS? I understand the phone carriers LIMIT the size of videos and such in SMS, so idk if it'll be any better in MMS. Probably not.

While these may be minor issues for some, it's pretty important to me. I feel handicapped and a nuissance to my friends. I don't WANT to use iPhone anymore (the User Experience of the Pixel is infinitely better) but if something as simple as group texting and video sharing is this inhibited, I may have to go back.

Hopefully you guys know something I don't and can help! Thanks~

 

[Cary Hungerford]

Hey - having the identical problem with my recent switch. I reeeeally don't want to go back but am at wits end with the photo and video texting issue. We're you able to find a fix or have you given up and gonna back?

 

[NightOrchid]

Hey OP, could you and your friends not set up a private locked FB page for you all to post in, then just set FB notifications for that page room, probably be alot faster too...

Or there's Viber, FB messenger

Just an idea