HTC One X converting SMS to multi-media messages

[Anonymous]

I have just changed my phone to an HTC One X and getting used to it.  I have never sent a multi-media message on there yet a few days ago I replied to a text from a friend who has a Galaxy Note and in my text (which was a short one) I used a smiley face.  I checked my bill the other day and I have been charged 0.29p for this text !!!  My HTC seems to have recognised it wrongly as an Multimedia message.  I checked my friends phone and it appears as a 'picture' message yet she was unable to open it.

I contacted o2 and they are looking into it.  in the meantime, I wonder  if this

happened to anyone else?  I am now wary of using emoticon characters.  Any advice would be very helpful.

Update:  I guess I will have to wait and see what o2 have to say.  If in the meantime there is anyone out there who has an HTC One X mobile, I would be interested to hear if they have encountered any problems with SMS texts converting to MMS when inserting a smiley, even if the text is a short one.

Many thanks

Rozzie

[MI5]

If you send an emoticon from an app that provides pictures it has to be sent as an MMS. If you use normal keyboard letters : ) which appears as it is just sent as part of your character count and a normal SMS.

[Anonymous]

Thanks for your message.  I have been using SMS and sending the pictures from the SMS app (Menu insert smiley) for over 2 weeks and haven't been charged.  When I insert the smiley it shows on my screen as 🙂  then when it is sent turns into a face.  i was only charged on the one occasion when i replied to my friend who has a Galaxy Note. 

[MI5]

The only time it would convert to an MMS is if you went over the standard limit of 160 characters.

[Anonymous]

It was only a tiny text about 3 words and a smiley.  Obviously something is not right then

Thanks

[MI5]

Yes agreed, that's not right. I would get them to justify it to you.

[Anonymous]

UPDATE

I telephoned 02 today as they had not got back in touch with me.  I spoke to a different advisor and he seemed a bit perplexed and said he has not come across a problem like this with any other android phone.  He said there is no way that I should be charged for a multi-media message when I send a smiley within a text message and  suggested that I send a text to myself and monitor the situation  and they will also monitor it.  I was assured the 0.29 which was wrongly charged will be refunded.  I will not be sending any multi-media messages so if I get charged again will know for sure that something is definately not right.

So really I am no further forward

Rozzie

[MI5]

You are .29p better off tho
Keep texts under 160 characters and you should be fine....

[Anonymous]

The 29p is not the issues here.  My text was three words! It was a text message with a smilie and 02 charged me for a multi-media message.  In my book that should not happen and is probably happening to lots of people but it's so subtle that they don't even notice. That is why I posted on here, it's not about 29p.

Thanks

[Anonymous]

This may be of use to fellow HTC mobile users.  Regarding my problem, where my HTC One X converts any smileys I use in a text message to a 'multi-media message' hence I am then charged 29p.  Apparently this is a problem with HTC.  An o2 advisor informed me of this today and suggested next time I upgrade to maybe consider a Samsung or Iphone (where this problem does not occur) and recommended that I read the whole instruction booklet in future before I choose a new phone.

This information is a bit late now as I have nearly two years of my contract left hence no more smileys in my text messages from now on:-(

R