SMS to MMS

[#1]

Am very sorry to have to raise this old chestnut again but it is just so that I understand the specifics.

My understanding is that an SMS message can only contain a maximum of 160 characters. I also understand that SMS messages in excess of the 160  character limit will sometimes be sent as extra SMS messages which, if within ones text number limits, will not incur an extra PN charge.  But , however, messages in excess of 160 characters will sometimes be converted to MMS messages for which PN will levy an additional charge.

My question is, what determines whether a long text message is sent as SMS or MMS.  Is it the messaging app on the phone one is using, or is it the service provider such as PN, or is it the network provider such as EE.

I would be very grateful for clarification.

[#2]

Hi @trymyluck,

Just to clarify, the difference between SMS and MMS is as follows:

- SMS

SMS stands for Short Message Service and essentially allows you to send short text-based messages of up to 160 characters. Once that character limit is reached the text message will be split up into multiple SMS messages.

- MMS

MMS stands for Multimedia Messaging Service and this is similar to an SMS in how it's used but differs in that you can send varying forms of media through it. This includes things such as images, videos or audio files and due to this it requires that more data be used, hence due to the higher cost of the service.

I hope this helps clarify the difference between the services, however if you have any further queries then please don't hesitate to get back in touch.

[#3]

Alex.

You say " Once that character limit is reached the text message will be split up into multiple SMS messages."

Who or what does the splitting up into multiple SMS messages? Is it done by the phone, the message app, the service provider or the network?   On my daughters Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge phone she gets an MMS warning as soon as she reaches 160 characters. 

[#4]

Thanks for your response @ trymyluck

SMS to MMS is changed automatically by the phone. Phones will have a text limit before the messages are then converted to MMS.

Let us know if you need anything else. -Alice