Wrong APN Type causing MMS issues

Every day, hundreds of people visit our blog looking for the correct APN Settings to fix a very common issue: Cannot send or Receive Picture Messages or so called Multimedia Messages (MMS).

There are many things that can cause the MMS functionality not working properly on your phone: Not having the APN Setup, Wrong APN Settings, missing important fields in the setup or sometimes even caused by a third-party messaging application.

One of the most common hitters is not setting up the Correct APN Type, this is a field that many people ignore or thing is not relevant.  It is the second most important field in the whole APN configuration (just after the APN field itself).  The APN Type is being used to specify what kind of “APN” it is, if it’s only used for data (browsing), Multimedia Messaging or Dial up networking connections.

If you are currently experiencing issues with your multimedia messaging feature in your smartphone, you probably would like to take a deep look in the APN Type which is setup on your phone.

You may want to Read:  Complete Guide to Fixing Straight Talk MMS issues

To validate and fix this issue on Android phones you will need to go to Settings / More / Mobile Network / Access Point Names.  Select the APN Settings you are using and hit EDIT.  Scroll down a little bit and you will find the APN Type filed.  If the same APN is being used for Data and MMS purpose, then It should include the default and MMS values on it – which should be entered both together, separated with a comma “default,mms” (you shouldn’t enter the quote signs).

APN TYPE causing MMS Issues

With the above settings, we are indicating your device to use the APN Configuration for both internet (general data usage on the phone) and Multimedia Message System communication.  Which solves many issues that users report not able to send MMS on Straight Talk or Cricket Wireless

If all these APN Settings look all right and you are still not able to send or receive MMS,  please take a look at our APN Troubleshooting guide, which will help you determine the root cause of the issue.