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SMS/MMS over WiFi

Why won't Verizon allow SMS and MMS to be sent over WiFi. At my home I can not send a picture message or get data. So I use WiFi calling so why can't I text on WiFi? I think they make the coverage maps look better then they are. It say I am supposed to get 4G all around me but some reason I get 5G when the map shows no 5G around me at all ( again making things look better than they are). So with lots of 4G around me I took a 4G phone and see how that worked. I could send MMS but was still using WiFi calling. And zero data I think the maps are not true. I somehow get 5G but I get nothing. Come on VZW I am only 5 minutes outside of Orlando it's not like I am in the middle of nowhere.

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Verizon_Support

Vaio165, we know you want to stay in touch with friends and family and want to help you with your text concerns. To help get started, we'd like to ask a few questions. What text messaging app do you use on the phone? Also, what is the make and model phone you're using?

-Alex

curtis_1

I have almost no mobile coverage at home & rely on wifi calling. On my previous Galaxy S21 I could only text images (MMS) with Message+. Other clients would hang for 15-20 minutes to send an image (I assume using my weak mobile connection).

I just bought a Pixel 7 Pro & have the same problem, except Message+ is no better, but I really just use Google Message. What's odd, is yesterday someone on AT&T with an iphone texted me an image on my wifi & I received it right away.

So can you not text MMS outbound on Verizon with wifi calling but you can receive them? That makes little sense. This is driving me crazy!

BTW, have "chat features" (use wi-fi for messaging) enabled. I also have "Automatically resend as text (SMS/MMS) enabled.

BTW,

Verizon_Support

I understand how important it is to be able to use Wi-Fi messaging and get quick responses. Does this only happen when connected To Wi-Fi? Do you have this issue when outside of your home?

curtis_1

No issue texting mms away from my home with good cellular coverage. I can text an image in about 3 seconds.

I spoke to 2 Verizon techs yesterday & they both said that I should be able to text mms over wifi when I have poor, or no cellular coverage.

I AM able to receive mms texts over wifi. I just sent an image with an iphone on our wifi and it went out in seconds and I received it 10 seconds later on my Pixel. Also replicated the same with friends using AT&T on our wifi.

My wifi signal is "excellent" with full bars & 5GHz.

I just tried resetting all my network settings. One (temporary) development is I was able to send an image in about 2:20 instead of 5-10 minutes and it was received by an iphone about 10 seconds later. Once "sent", Message said "2 min" even though technically it had just completed sending.

Tried turning off "Chat features", but after 4:00 waiting for my text to send I gave up. After turning Chat back on, after 4:20 minutes the iphone then received but Message still said "Sending...". After 9 minutes, still says "Sending..."

pyurga

Finally, someone with the exact same problem as me. It is infuriating that MMS messages are so painfully slow when you have a poor signal at home. When I have a signal away from home pictures are sent in seconds but when home it's minutes of at all. I also use Goolge Messages. My wife uses Verizon+ and has no issues. I will be trying to get a free extender since I pay a lot of money and get no signal at home. If I could just get Ape to support RCS I could get on with my life.

curtis_1

I wouldn't hold my breath on Apple supporting RCS, but why Verizon doesn't support MMS over wifi is the real question. Message+ is only slightly better on my new Pixel 7 Pro. It worked great over wifi on my previous Galaxy S21, but I prefer Google Message.

pyurga

Having worked for a cellular provider many years ago - it's complicated. SMS/MMS are very old protocols that travel amongst the spare bandwidth in cell signals. WiFi it's a totally different protocol.

Bottom line is that Google would need to develop the capability to package the MMS messages over WiFi protocols and then send it back out to Verizon as MMS. They will never do this because they want to convert everyone over to RCS which is basically their answer to replacing SMS/MMS just like Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and all the other proprietary services.

That's all well and good except Apple doesn't support RCS and won't let Google hook into iMessages themselves. So unless Google wants to keep SMS/MMS alive (they don't) or Apple allows RCS hooks we are stuck.

I imagine it will happen one day but not anytime soon.

Verizon_Support

Hi, pyurga. Thanks for reaching out. Please send us a Private Message, so we can gather more details.

*Alexis

Verizon_Support

We would be happy to assist you with your concern. Please private message us for further assistance. *Mabell

DannyV89

I have the same issue with having no service at my house, and yet I can seamlessly use wifi for calling but somehow can’t use wifi for texting or sending photos to my family. I have read every support forum, tried every solution, even changed to a brand-new phone (Samsung Galaxy S21 and now Pixel 7) and I have found only two legitimate solutions to this problem that the user of the phone can accomplish themselves without begging for Verizon, Google or anyone else to cooperate and implement a real solution.

First of all, anyone with an Android should absolutely be using Google Messages as their default SMS/MMS app. When you communicate with someone who is also using Google Messages – this problem doesn’t exist. You will seamlessly text over wifi even when you have no cell service at home (it’s actually wonderful). However, it will not solve your problem when you have to text someone with an iPhone, or even when you text another Android user that isn’t using Google Messages. There are so many other reasons why Android users should use Google Messages. If I really have to spell them out for you, keep on reading. Otherwise jump down to the numbered solutions.

Google Messages is the ONLY app available on every Android phone regardless of who the manufacturer of that phone is, or what network provider they are using. For example, you’ve got Samsung, LG, Motorola, Google, Verizon, T-Mobile, AT&T etc. and pretty much all of them offer their own SMS/MMS apps. Google Messages gives you the ability to send end-to-end encrypted messages to others on the same platform AND it is able to utilize the real internet (via Wifi or Mobile Data) for every communication - yes even SMS and MMS messages sent to iPhones and other off-platform users despite what Verizon support is telling us!

Sure, any other texting app might technically claim to copy a lot of this functionality (take Samsung Messages or Verizon Messages + for example), but why limit your ability to use the enhanced communications features with such a small pool of people? Wouldn’t you rather be able to seamlessly text and enjoy encryption with ALL Android users, not just Verizon or Samsung users?

When the person you are texting is also using Google Messages, you are circumventing the outdated SMS/MMS protocols entirely. This not only keeps the contents of your communications from Verizon’s prying eyes – it also stops Verizon’s ability to charge users based on how many text messages they send and facilitates the technological advancements of the internet since the dawn of SMS/MMS.

It allows you to send full size photos in high quality without downsizing, and it integrates seamlessly with Google’s own video chat program (Meet) which gives users the rather basic quality of life improvements that iPhones have been enjoying for years now. For example, just imagine when you read a text from someone and suddenly you want to video chat: you simply click the video button within the text conversation window and viola, you jump seamlessly into a video call*. You know… without having to have that awkward conversation about which Mark Zuckerberg app they want to use first.

*Note that this is possible assuming they also have Google Meet installed.

Google Messages and Google Meet are the iMessages/Facetime equivalent for Android users, or at least, the best attempt at an iMessages equivalent we have right now. When you realize that one of the primary benefits of iMessages is the size of the network (EVERYONE on iPhone is using the same app for both texting and video calls) then you must understand that the only way Android's would ever enjoy the same functionality is if we all use the same app for texting and video calls too.

Apple achieves this by forcing all iPhones to use iMessages as the default SMS/MMS app. Apple actually blocked users from changing the default SMS/MMS app, it's a forced limitation. This is genius because in doing so they prevented users from getting confused with using a mish mosh of different apps - AND ALSO they prevented big companies (like phone manufacturers and network providers) from trying to push their own apps on you (viola Verizon Messages + app, Samsung Messages, etc....). It is an absolute pain to hear Verizon trying to push their Messages + app on us Android users to solve this 'problem' that Verizon likely created for us! Even if they didn’t, their Verizon Messages + app won’t do us much good when we try to text a T-Mobile user now will it? Sure maybe the text will go through but then you’re limiting yourself to basic SMS/MMS technology and you aren’t going to get any of the advanced features of a modern messaging system.

After all the testing I have done I have arrived at one conclusion. The real issue is that Verizon is manipulating the phones ability to send SMS/MMS over WIFI on apps that aren't - you guessed it - their very own Verizon Messages + app. A manipulation that they can't bother with for iPhone users of course, because there is no point in promoting an app on a platform that blocked it. Thanks Verizon... you hurt all users of any phone that isn't an iPhone in the process. I can't tell you how irked I am at all these 'support' comments saying to fix the problem by using Verizon's Messages +. That is not correct, and not helpful. It is manipulation that is ruining our user experience and dragging down all Android phones in the process.

If Google had a clue how to implement Google Messages properly, they would apply the same limitations Apple did across all Android phones to save us from Verizon, Samsung and ourselves. It’s really simple, just make Google Messages the default SMS/MMS app period. Do this on all Android’s regardless of manufacturer and stop us from trying to change the default SMS/MMS app like Apple did! These are the key ingredients of the success of iMessages and the reason why all Android messaging apps are so feeble in comparison. Google should also make Google Meet a standard installation on Android’s that can’t be uninstalled (like Facetime is for iPhone users). These things must happen to fix these issues and they must happen for Android phones to have a level playing field against iPhones. Otherwise, Google Messages is doomed to forever be a weak and failed attempt at trying to replicate what iMessages has accomplished for iPhones.

Without blocking Android users from changing the default SMS/MMS app, you would have to hope everyone voluntarily agreed to use the same text and video app AND ALSO hope that Verizon, Samsung (and other companies that have their fingers on your phones) won't inject their own limitations onto the phones in an attempt to push users into using their proprietary messaging apps instead. That is essentially bullying.

Anyway I am off topic. The two fixes for you are below (These fixes work on Samsungs and Google Pixel phones - and YES please use Google Messages with these fixes, not Verizon messages +):

Solution 1) When you are home, enable airplane mode. Then turn wifi back on (Bluetooth too if you want of course). Now go to your Messages app, clear cache and force stop the app. Open the Messages app and take a look at your text or picture messages that were having trouble sending. You will notice that they send INSTANTLY now. You can go crazy testing this. Send all the texts and picture messages you want, and make sure to send them to people that aren’t using Google Messages, even send some to iPhone users. All your messages and pictures will send instantly! You will notice the SMS/MMS indicator on all off-platform messages. How is this possible? Wifi! Yes, this is unequivocal proof that Google Messages has indeed got the capability to send SMS/MMS over wifi. Verizon support has lied to you when they said that only their app could do that.

This is also an incredible pain to have to do. Every time we come home, turn on airplane mode and every time we leave the house you have to remember to turn it off again? Honestly, horrible way to have to live! Should we program IFTT to manage this for us in the meantime? Maybe that is the best way for now.

The real issue appears to be that when the phones are connected to both wifi and mobile SMS/MMS networks, for some reason they get confused and prioritize attempting to send as SMS and MMS first (rather than your perfectly stable wifi connection). The phones are programmed to wait a long time to let those messages go through. When that time period expires (and we are long upset at this failure by now) the phone might attempt to repackage the message over wifi. Often times, the wifi message will send and then shortly after the mobile network message will finally go through (resulting in users receiving those embarrassing double texts from us).

There does not appear to be a setting on our phones to change the network priority management of this issue. So for now our phones are embarrassingly failing to juggle two different types of connections even when one of those connections is not usable. I gets over 900mbps connection speeds over my at-home wifi (yes, literally a full gigabit wifi connection, on a cell phone!) My mobile network connection? Can’t even load an email. So why on earth are my SMS/MMS messages attempting to use the failing network every time?

Perhaps the real problem is the fact that SMS/MMS technology still exists. Really, what are we doing with those old networks? Perhaps the real failure is on us for even trying to use such an outdated communication method. Again – this is part of the genius of iMessages. They solved this problem for iPhone only users by forcing all iPhone users to circumvent SMS/MMS entirely with their proprietary software. Perhaps we should all just install iMessages and leave SMS/MMS behind for good – oh wait we can’t, Apple won’t let us use it (ahh, yes another technological limitation imposed on us by a large corporation -.-)

I am betting our issue is a Verizon imposed limitation and one they could theoretically change. As I'm sure you've all already exhausted your phones network settings and Google Messages settings like I did.

By the way, the Google Messages option to “automatically resend chats text (SMS/MMS)” has no effect on fix #1. This setting only applies when you are communicating with someone else that is using Google Messages with Chat Features enabled. The setting is there for the rare circumstance when Chat Features fail to connect, so it’s actually best for you to leave that setting OFF so you can make sure you always enjoy the protection of end-to-end encryption when you message someone else that uses Google Messages. When you aren’t messaging a Google Messages user, you are already on the SMS/MMS protocol in the first place, so this setting is irrelevant there.

2) If you don’t like the pain-in-the-butt airplane mode fix above, the only other thing you can do (aside from switching to iPhone) is to change network providers. T-Mobile allows users to sample their network for 3 months for free, by downloading a virtual sim card onto your phone that you can use alongside your Verizon sim card. I am doing it now and it’s a pretty neat feature. I literally have a Verizon and T-Mobile phone number and sim card active on my phone simultaneously. Whenever I call or text someone, I have a sim card option so I can choose to send the call or text via either network. I even tested T-Mobile with wifi completely OFF and my texts and picture messages are going through perfectly fine at home. So personally I am going to switch to T Mobile now and finally put this problem behind me for good.

Obviously this fix is super dependent on the networks that work well in your area, not just at your home but everywhere else you tend to be. So I wanted to share with you that it’s not just T-Mobile that offers this type of free trial period. Every network provider (even Verizon) has some program for you to try out their network for free using your current phone and without formally signing up for their services. So I encourage you to try other providers out and if you find one that works well for you, you will be much happier.

If we really can’t get our phones to juggle SMS/MMS and wifi connections simultaneously, then we might as well put our phones on a network that has enough service for SMS/MMS to just work as is.

Verizon_Support

Being able to text while on Wi-Fi is vital. I will be more than happy to assist. Please share with me some details on what error message you receive when attempting to text while connected to Wi-Fi? Also, confirm for me does this happen in one location or multiple locations?

-Rodney

DannyV89

Only seems to happens at my house, while connected to wifi. No error message per-se, just that texts and pictures will be stuck saying 'sending' for an extended period of time

Verizon_Support

We thank you for the details, DannyV89. While at home when WiFi is turned off. What happens when you attempt to message? Also, when did the concerns begin?

-Arya

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