MMS charges explained

Why did my text get sent as MMS?

Your text message will sometimes automatically get converted to MMS.
This is completely beyond iD’s control. It depends on your phone’s operating system, and the person – or persons - you’re messaging. It might happen for these reasons:

• Your text includes a photograph, emoticon, GIF, video or sound clip.
• Your text has more than 160 characters.
• You send a text to an email address.
• You send a text to enter a competition or make a donation.
• You send a text with a subject line on it.
• You use iPhone Messages to send a text to a non-iPhone user.

Will I get charged for sending an MMS?

Yes.
MMS messages aren’t included as part of your monthly allowance of texts, so every time you send one you get charged at our out-of-plan MMS rate - this is 30p per message.

How can I keep MMS costs down?

If you enjoy sending multimedia messages, why not use a popular app like WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger? Chat apps like these use your phone’s internet connection, so if you’re on Wi-Fi it won’t cost you anything. If you send an MMS when you’re out about, the data you use will simply come out of your monthly allowance.

Can I stop my phone from sending an MMS?

To stop your texts being converted into MMS, you should try and stick to these rules:

• Don’t send photographs.
• Keep your text messages under 160 characters.
• Don’t use emojis.
• Don’t use normal characters that could be change into emoticons. For example, writing :) might be converted into a smiley face.
• Don’t send group texts – stick to individual messages.
• Don’t send a text to an email address.
• Don’t add attachments to a group message.
• Don’t give your text a subject line.
• Don’t send any contact cards or business cards with your text.