MMS

Even as of iOS 6, the iPhone offers no native ability to send an MP3 via MMS. Tapping and holding an MP3 file sent to your iPhone via email will offer a pop-up menu that will allow you to send the file via email, but not via MMS/iMessage.

There is a slightly tedious workaround, however.

1) From a desktop or laptop computer, send the MP3 to your phone as an MMS using the email to SMS method (read the old instructions at the bottom).

Sometimes a multimedia message or picture message (MMS) will cost more to receive for prepaid wireless subscribers. Some devices won't even accept an MMS message. The iPhone will attempt to send an MMS in certain situations, such as when texting multiple recipients.

So how can you be sure your iPhone only sends SMS text messages? You can turn off MMS on the iPhone by following these steps:

Navigate to Settings -> Messages -> MMS Messaging -> OFF

Now that the iPhone 4S will be available on three different US carriers, it's time to revisit data and voice plans available with each company. Aside from differences in their networks, AT&T, Verizon and now Sprint have a variety of pricing structures available to meet your mobile needs. Overall, with AT&T and Verizon offering the iPhone for some time now the two competitors have similar pricing, although Verizon offers more tiers for data and messaging.

Sprint enters the game with higher prices for single and family voice calling, however their data option is cheap and simple. A flat ten bucks every month gets you unlimited data and messaging. AT&T and Verizon charge extra for text or MMS message packages and stopped offering unlimited data plans on the iPhone long ago. It remains to be seen if Sprint's unbeatable data plan pricing can attract iPhone 4S customers looking for unlimited data.

There are several things included in the iPhone 3.0 MMS release that users may not be aware of until they start flexing the application. The key here is that you can send much more than photos. Information from your Contacts can be sent via MMS by touching the Share Contact button when viewing entry details.

Similarly, touching the share button in Voice Memos will give the option to send via MMS or email. The iPhone 3GS will send video using MMS, although it will severely degrade the size and quality. This helps to insure the video will play on smaller and older phones.

You are getting the notorious exclamation point when you try to send an MMS on your iPhone 3G or 3GS. There are a few steps you can try to fix the problem before you contact Apple or AT&T and they give you the same advice.

First check your AT&T Wireless account and make sure you have an active iPhone text plan. You can check this online and you should see a 200, 1500 or unlimited messaging plan on your account.

The answer is yes. International users already know this fact. In the US, you can update the AT&T carrier file to version 5.5 without updating your iPhone to firmware 3.1.

There are reasons not to update to iPhone OS 3.1. Many users are complaining about decreased battery life and other problems. Here's how to get MMS on your 3G or 3GS without updating the firmware.

This Friday AT&T is expected to text its iPhone customers in groups every hour, notifying them that MMS is finally ready for action on their iPhone. Some reports have indicated this process could start as early as 10AM Eastern Time.

MMS will be activated by a carrier settings update from iTunes. The service will make it possible to send photos and videos along with text to other mobile devices without using email. MMS will not be supported on the original (2G) iPhone.

Only three short weeks until AT&T activates iPhone MMS on the 3G and 3GS. The company announced today that service would be made available via software update on September 25.

AT&T has been coping with an onslaught of data usage, and they expect the situation will get worse as soon as iPhone users start texting with pictures and videos. Wireless use on the AT&T network has grown 350 percent year-over-year for the past two years. The company released the following announcement:

Next year could be it for AT&T. Customers are losing patience with spotty service. Lawyers are filing class action lawsuits about the lack of MMS. Now Piper Jaffray senior research analyst Gene Munster has forecast the end of Apple's iPhone exclusivity deal with AT&T.

According to Munster, the economics of the situation don't make sense for Apple, as evidenced with the success they've had in France moving to a multiple carrier business model. Market share for the iPhone in France has increased to 40 percent since they ended an exclusive deal with Orange.

Update: Apple iPhone 3G and 3GS will support MMS. AT&T will begin support of MMS on their network starting on September 25, 2009.

iPhones across the world have had MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) capability since the iPhone 3GS was released on June 19. Apple declared that AT&T would make MMS available to its customers in "late summer" of this year.

Well it's getting close to crunch time for AT&T. Last time we checked, the second half of August can be referred to as "late summer" here in the Northern Hemisphere. There's been no MMS news except for disgruntled iPhone owners complaining.