Problem with sending Texts in the UK to multiple recipients,

[Anonymous]

I have recently upgraded from my trusty iPhone 3GS to an iPhone 5 with iOS7.1.

The phone is locked to the UK O2 Network.

When abroad multiple recipient text could be sent incurring a European Text Message Cost of 6p per recipient. So far so good. Idid not use data when I was abroad as I had the Roaming option off.

When back in the UK I tried to send Multiple Recipeint texts only to find there was a problem.

The recipeint received a message saying that I had sent them a Media Message without the text being included. I incurred a 33p cost per multiple text instead od the texts being free.

I have never paid for texts before as I am on an unlimited text tariff.

Any suggestions other than sending each text individually.

O2 seem to be aware of this issue.

Is it an iOS7.1 issue, or an iPhone 5 issue?

This was never a problem with my iPhone 3GS.

Many thanks.

[Anonymous]

Hi.

This explains what makes a text convert to a mms.

http://service.o2.co.uk/IQ/SRVS/CGI-BIN/WEBCGI.EXE?New,Kb=Companion,question=ref%28User%29:str%28Mob...

You can turn off mms in your iPhones settings too.

Settings - Messages.

Toggle off mms

[adamtemp64]

Just go in to settings> Messages > MMS messaging > and turn the switch off then the iphone cannot convert to mms .

[Anonymous]

There appears to be more and more people getting caught out by this

[Anonymous · Accepted solution]

Thank you all.

I have just read this on the Apple Site:

"iOS: Understanding group messaging

Learn about group messaging.

You can send a message to multiple recipients using SMS, MMS, and iMessage.

Group messaging allows you to send messages to multiple people and have any responses delivered to everyone in the group. Group messaging works with iMessage and MMS.

If you send a message to multiple recipients without group messaging in use by the sender and all recipients, an individual message will go to each recipient using either SMS or MMS. Responses to these messages will be delivered only to the original sender in separate messaging threads."

This would suggest that Multiple Recipient Text do not necessarily need MMS.

It would seem that unless MMS is prevented then Multiple Recipient Texts will default to MMS.

I have switched off data and have been able to send Multiple Recipient Texts which the recipient has been able to read as texts.

I would think that turning MMS may have the same result.

I am glad I checked my MyO2 App and picked up this expensive issue before it ran more than £2.00 in a few minutes in one day.

[Anonymous]

You're welcome.

Glad your sorted.

[Anonymous]

Well spotted it can be an easy mistake to make

[Anonymous]

One more thing....GROUP MESSAGING option does not appear on my O2 Locked mobile.

GROUP MESSAGING allows everyone to see all replies to the original text.

If this functionality does not exist on my O2 iPhone then MMS as the default position would seem inappropriate for Multiple Recipient Texts which are just individual texts sent in one go without everyone knowing other people's response.

Back to O2 I think?