No More MMS

[onthesidelines]

Does anyone else have this problem?:  Up until recently, I was able to get all messages, both SMS and MMS, over the regular phone network (4G). But now the only way to get MMS messages is to leave the Mobil Data on all the time.  That is a BIG drain on the battery, and forces you to use (expensive) Data.

This is also an issue with the vzwpix emails.

While others have also indicated the problem, I was told by one person that Verizon has decided that they only way they are going to make money on the Data Plans is to force customers to use it and leave it on all the time, without telling anyone what the new policy is, and by telling people that it's an acute "tech problem" and that their techies are working on it.

Can anyone confirm this "slight-of-hand" trick by Verizon?

Thanks.

[Weth]

What phone do you have? Did you recently get it?

VErizon phones never show 4G, where are you seeing that?   They will show LTE, but that is the data network, not just "phone". 

MMS always required the data to be on, but the data used for MMS does not use up your data allowance.  You could have LTE off, then the phone will say 3G, which is also data.  MMS will then go over the 3G data network and again, while  using data it does not count against your allowance. 

It has always been this way for me

[onthesidelines · Accepted solution]

LG "Enact."  It certainly does show the 4G, but that's not the issue.

I've had the phone for about a year.  Prior to that, I had a flip-phone, a Casio G'zOne, which I got ALL my text and MMS messages, including pictures, and I certainly didn't have a "data plan" with that phone.

And, only up until recently, I started getting messages in my "Notifications" that said, in essence, An MMS message is waiting; activate the Mobil Data.  At first, I thought it was a mistake, and dismissed it, until I started to NOT get MMS messages that were expected.

Obviously, Verizon has changed it's policy (probably for the reasons given above).  And you can't say the MMS messages don't count towards the Data Plan, because during my recent testing to determine what the problem is, my rarely-used data plan went up 2 percentage points due to my sending MMS messages to myself.

[Snn5]

Weth is correct that MMS is not counted towards mobile data.  Most newer phones can allow data off and only connect when MMS is sent or received.  Older phones were sometimes unable to do so.

[Weth]

MMS has always used data, and it used data on the basic phones too. As Verizon does not count MMS data against a data plan, you would not need a data plan on a basic phone, although it had access to the data network for only MMS sending and receiving.

I do see pictures where the Enact does show 4G when on Verizon LTE. But that is again the data network, not the phone network (at least on older phones).