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Help MMS sometimes works, sometimes not

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Pezpilot

Lurker
Hi All. My first post, though I've found this forum extremely useful already. Thanks for being here.

Using the onboard Messaging app, sometimes I can send a picture, sometimes not. Sometimes I can receive a picture, sometimes not. I cannot find any consistent variable for when I can send or receive. Sometimes I can receive but not send. Sometimes I can do both, sometimes neither.

I saw a thread in which some users could only send and receive in 4G, not 3G or wireless. However, I can often send pictures with wireless. Just now, I tried turning off the wireless to force the send through the network, and it still wouldn't send.

To further complicate matters, it appears that sending pictures taken from within the message app (ie, "attach - picture - take picture") works, and attaching a picture from the gallery works, unless it is a picture I originally took through the Facebook app. However, sometimes I cannot send a picture taken from within messaging either.

Receiving is also inconsistent, from the same people on their same devices.

I cannot find any variable that affects the problem consistently.

I also cannot find any settings for MMS or SMS. Are there settings, and what should they be?

With thanks for your help and patience.

Casio GZOne Commando C811 4G LTE
Verizon branded phone
Consumer Cellular (using AT&T netrwork)
phone is rooted, Verizon bloatware disabled
using Go Launcher
 
Thanks, rjglenn. Unfortunately, I've already done that. That's why I rooted the phone in the first place. (Or I should be honest and say I observed while a friend rooted it). The Consumer Cellular APN didn't work after that, but the Straight Talk APN did.

Do I understand, then, that this is something I'll have to live with because of using a Verizon phone on another carrier?

Forgive me if this is a stupid question, but I'm just learning all this - if I were to flash a new ROM to the phone, then would that delete or override *all* the Verizon crap and make it essentially an unbranded phone?

Would this be a possible solution?

Thanks.
 
Have you tried any other messaging apps?

I have issues receiving MMS from iphones (photos from an iphone turn into weird little lo-res videos when I receive them. I tell my iphone friends to just email me the pics to avoid the problem. Also, weird group-conversation bugs.)
Not sure if that is due to my phone, the messaging app, the iphones, or Verizon.

I haven't tested any other messaging apps, but it's worth a try.

You can find messaging settings in the stock app by opening the app and touching the 3 vertical dots button

If you're roaming a lot, that can affect receiving MMS also and might explain the inconsistent retrieval and sending of your messages. There's a 'roaming auto-retrieve' in settings.
 
Thanks Space Cat and rjglenn. I have the same problem with *some* photos from an iPhone becoming tiny videos, but this seems to be different from my image downloading problem.

That's a good idea to try another app. I'll do that and report back.
 
rjglenn, you're the man! just tried 8SMS. Iphone problems vanished. Even images that had been sent to me a long time ago, that look like crap in the stock app, display just fine in 8sms. Also had an iphone friend send some new images, and they too, displayed fine. 8sms also has a lot of options for MMS, including a setting to specify MMS over Wifi, MMS proxys (?) and lots of other settings goodies. I haven't tested the group messaging yet, but this app is definitely a huge improvement over the stock app.
 
I've installed 8SMS, too, but I'm still having problems with downloading pix. I think it must be an incompatibility with Consumer Cellular/Straight Talk, and this Verizonized GZ One. I agree, though, that I prefer this to the standard app, so if it didn't solve my problem it at least improved the rest of the experience.
 
I read this on the 8sms site regarding MMS settings. Maybe there's something in there that can help.

MMS Settings | 8sms and Can't send or receive mms | 8sms

Do you use Adblock Plus by chance? It can break MMS.

Also, Straight Talk and MMS have known issues. 8sms will allow you to input straight talk proxys and ports (though , that stuff can also be set in the APN settings, which probably means you already did it.)(that article is from Feb 2014, so who knows if it's relevant anymore.) Read some of the comments on that link also...
 
My dad used to say "if all else fails, read the instructions."

I adjusted some settings, and now I seem to be in business, at least at home. Thanks.
 
Seems like the last few SMS apps I loaded are all the same and seem to have the same exact setting menu and same issues with MMS.
They all have the adjustments to change some of the APN settings, but verizon in their infinite wisdom does not allow any changes to the APN in any way.

I added them manually inside CHOMP just like I did with the other 3 SMS apps that all had the same inability to send or receive MMS. Every now and then I get one or am able to send one, but most of the time it fails.:mad:
 
My experience is you have to have the Wi-fi off or else MMS won't work.
I use Chomp and am on strait talk (not-rooted). Also, applies to stock app.
 
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