Why Do I Have To Use Cellular Or WiFi To Message Others?

[palmerize]

Why all of a sudden do I have to turn on cellular or WiFi to get and send text messages ? I have not changed any settings. iPhone 7.

[lasinah_vzw]

Glenn, we want you to use that iPhone to it's full potential. Are you sending standard SMS messages or a multimedia text messages? You will need to connect to our cellular data network when sending/receiving picture, video, multi-media or group messages from that iPhone 7. Is Cellular Data currently disabled in the Settings of that phone? If so, you will need to enable Cellular Data on to send multimedia messages from that phone. For more information regarding multimedia text messages, click Multimedia Messaging FAQs | Verizon Wireless

LasinaH_VZW

[palmerize]

I am sending SMS messages and some of them are not being sent until I connect to cellular. In addition, some of them sent by others to me are not being received by my iPhone 7 until I connect to cellular or WiFi.

[Weth · Accepted solution]

SMS can be sent without cellular data active. However MMS will need cellular data active, even if you are on wifi. MMS messages are multimedia messages, but are also sent when sending group messages, any message with any accents or special formatting or emoticons, or messages longer than 140 characters.

The exception to this is if you have wifi calling active, which the iPhone 7 supports. If you have wifi calling active and you have the indicator VZW Wi-Fi in the status banner where Verizon usually is, then you can send MMS messages over wifi. You can force wifi calling active by making sure it is turned on in Settings - Phone and then putting the phone in airplane mode and turning on only wifi.

Remember, even though MMS text messaging requires cellular data to be turned on, using data to send an MMS message does not count against your total.

[palmerize]

Thanks Weth ... much appreciated ...