Sending a GIF via SMS/MMS

[Fahrenheit]

Seriously though, carrier file size limits.

 

[joetucci57]

Me too.

 

[JohnnyBroccoli]

Mine use to have issues sending GIF's but that hasn't been the case for a while now. Long hold to save the GIF, open text program, add GIF as a pic attachment and you're good. It always says the GIF is too big to send but sends it just fine.

 

[nonametimmy]

I had this issue and couldnt find a quick fix in google. Played around and found that Andriod compresses images when sending MMS, so it breaks the GIF. But, if your GIF is under about 1MB, it will send. Iphone will auto play, andriod you have to click. the biggest one i tested was 666KB.

Your welcome internet:

 

[JohnnyBroccoli]

Definitely doesn't have to be smaller than 1MB.










You're welcome, internet.

 

[dinoaz]

Hello, fellow Android users. I'm having trouble finding the proper way to send a .gif to someone via text.

I find a .gif via Chrome and save it to my Nexus 5. From there, I go the Photos app and can see the .gif animating just as it did on my mobile web browser. I then select the "share via Hangouts" option and send it. Testing this by sending it to myself, the .gif shows as it should via the senders end but the resulting text I get from myself shows up as nothing more than a still image.

I'd like to think there is something simple that I am missing here. If anyone can point me in the right direction, it'd be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

Google Messenger ( not to be confused with Facebook Messenger) works!

 

[JohnnyBroccoli]

Google Messenger ( not to be confused with Facebook Messenger) works!

22 months later....LOL. Got it down fine now with Textra.

 

[Since9ty5]

ATTENTION I THINK I GAVE FIGURED IT OUT. FOR ALL ANDROID USERS, THE ONLY THING THAT MATTERS IS THE SIZE OF THE .gif, GO TO WHICH EVER MESSAGING APP YOU AND GO TO MMS(MULTIMEDIA MESSAGE) SETTINGS. CHOOSE THE AMOUNT OF A FILE THAT YOU CAN SEND. FOR MY PHONE(HTC DESIRE 626) I CAN ONLY GO UP TO 1000KB WHICH EQUALS 1MB. THAT MEANS I CAN SEND AND RECEIVE PICTURES, .gifs, AUDIO, VIDEO, WHATEVER AS LONG AS IT'S UNDER 1MB. LET ME KNOW IF THIS HELPS. THANKS

 

[Opurmom]

It helped

 

[androveloper]

Hi,
We have a new android app project and we want share it with you. Name is GIFTMI.
GifTMi, can create Animated gif with your images. Then you can save it on your device or share with your friends on facebook.
Today, there is not a smiler app in googleplay which can share Animated Gif on Facebook. But GifTMi can do it.

If you try and share your ideas with me, we can fix our missing. Thanks.
GooglePlay : https://forums.androidcentral.com/e...ils?id=com.mozosoft.zgr.giftmi&token=8RYZWw4d

 

[GuccizBud]

roundabout way;

save the .gif

upload it to google drive

share .gif via hangouts / sms

recipient opens link & it parses it's native viewer to show .gif

^^ This is what I wound up doing to get it to work, as it's one of the few mobile-related annoyances I've yet to find the solution to. Tried everything I could think of, including things that I knew didn't logically even make sense, out of desperation. Tried attaching it as a video rather than an image — no go — tried viewing it as a slideshow — also no go — tried first just finding it in Root Explorer (or any other file manager) then SENDing it to (or SHAREing it with) the messaging app, which didn't change anything. Some other stuff I tried but can't think of right now. But what made me realize how hopeless everything I was trying was when I decided to try saving the GIF first, and then viewing it.

I was thinking that, okay fine, so it doesn't animate when viewed from within the message for some reason, but it should save just fine, and I should be able to view it that way after saving it. Decided to try it by sending it to myself, and if it worked then I could send it with a PS at the bottom telling the recipient that if the GIF appeared as a still image, to please long-press SAVE it and then view it using wtv method was favored by him or her, this until I found a more permanent solution.

So I send it to myself, and when it comes in I set about doing just that : I long-press the GIF, which pops up a 7-item menu — Delete, View slideshow (which doesn't work, as I said), Forward, etc.— and I choose SAVE ATTACHMENT. Up pops a little confirmation dialog which just has the name of the attachment (which is also the file name that will be used to save) and has a little checkbox next to it, and with "Save" and "Cancel" buttons underneath.

I tap the confirmation checkbox, the "Save" button becomes active, and I'm just about to tap it when WHOA-WHOA, WTF? I really see the file name that's about to be used. Let's say the animated GIF is called "weirdcats"; Rather than seeing this as a file name to save under :

    weirdcats.GIF

… it actually says this :

    weirdcats.JPG

This was in fact pointed out by someone in this thread, the JPG thing, and it guarantees it isn't a viewing problem, for one thing — the damn thing is being treated as a JPG either (a) right from the start, when it's attached, or (b) in transition, i.e. after SEND is tapped but before it arrives at its destination.

At that point I started going the Google Drive route.

Damn … potential tl;dr, sorry folks.

THAT SAID, it was mentioned a few posts up that the limit seems to be 1.00 MB and that under that limit they're shouldn't be a problem. The animated GIF attachment I recently tried and failed with was (drumroll) 1.07 MB, or juuuuust over that limit. It would be interesting (and instructive) to see if I would have better luck with the exact same file if I slightly altered its properties first to get it just below 1.00 MB.

So I will …

… and will post the results right here, along with any other pertinent data like whether Wi-Fi on/off made any difference, in just about 24 hrs.


SEE BELOW FOR CONCLUSION
     ⇓
     ⇓

 

[GuccizBud]

Success !

Two key points :

First, the SIZE question. It was stated in this thread that in order for animated GIFs going through as just that, i.e. as a GIF which when tapped by the recipient will indeed animate rather than just sit there like a static image as long as its file size is below 1.00 MB : this is TRUE, as I took my 1.07 MB GIF, which would NOT go through correctly as is, reduced it to 946 KB, sent it using nothing other than the stock messaging app on my Note® 4 and it does in fact view correctly as an animated GIF, without doing anything more than just tapping the attachment thumbnail in the message. No special, other texting apps were required. As to whether it would still work in those, I have no doubt, but they aren't required is the point.

And second, the WI-FI question. The point was raised in this thread as to the impact Wi-Fi and/or mobile data have on the animated GIF going through correctly. What I can say with certainty is this :

 • using Wi-Fi the reduced size attachment went through correctly

 • using mobile data the reduced size attachment also went through correctly

However, I believe the point being made was not that mobile data has to be used in the sense that Wi-Fi has to be off, but rather that mobile data simply needs to be on regardless of whether Wi-Fi is on or off. In other words, it's like if you're making a phone call — doesn't matter whether Wi-Fi's on or off, the call goes through the mobile network "by definition", so to speak. Same thing here.

So overall, unless you're among the minority who purposefully turn off mobile data sometimes, you needn't concern yourself with this last point, and the only thing you need to be vigilant about to get your animated GIF attachments through correctly, even using the stock messenger (at least on my Note® 4), is their size. This conclusion was in fact proposed by someone in this thread, so I guess I'm seconding it and confirming it. Observe the 1.00 MB file size limit and you'll be fine … as to that, there are several websites that'll reduce it for you for free, and using a variety of different methods depending on your preference.

 

[carl292]

Can you please list a couple of the website please. Thanks

 

[James8561]

even better is there any app that automatically compress gif down to 1 MB?

 

[JohnnyBroccoli]

even better is there any app that automatically compress gif down to 1 MB?

Pretty sure textra has options to do as much.

 

[James8561]

nope it doesn't. it just fail to send

 

[MilMascaras]

I've been doing it with about an 85% success rate, using the Native SMS/MMS Client, thusly:

Open up your desired .gif in a new browser window, by itself ....
Long press on gif until the "copy" option appears.
Copy it.

Open up the new SMS/MMS message window.
"Paste" the gif into it.
SEND.

This works about 85% of the time, from iPhone > to iPhone / iMessage / Android MMS for me, AT&T & Verizon... Have sent gifs up to 2MB in size successfully.

Sometimes the message doesn't go through immediately, and I get an error message, and it works on 're-send'.
Sometimes it doesn't work if I put some text in the MMS send.
Sometimes everything just works perfectly (sometimes not), but I'm having about an 85% success so far, fingers crossed.

Once the gif is successfully sent,
you can re-send it to anyone else by just copying/pasting it from a previously successfully sent gif MMS.

 

[JohnnyBroccoli]

nope it doesn't. it just fail to send

Actually it does. You must be doing something wrong.

 

[Wildo6882]

I wonder why is it so easy to send one in iOS but not in Android? I'm attempting to jump ship from iOS to Android and I would like to be able to send GIFs. I don't do it all the time, but I'd definitely like the option. Does using Textra (which would be my SMS app of choice) really help out?

 

[swarlos]

I wonder why is it so easy to send one in iOS but not in Android? I'm attempting to jump ship from iOS to Android and I would like to be able to send GIFs. I don't do it all the time, but I'd definitely like the option. Does using Textra (which would be my SMS app of choice) really help out?

Textra does work as I have gotten some GIFs from another defector who will remain rcklss I mean nameless. But whenever he tries to send me pics I don't receive them usually.