MMS message types
MMS supports many different message types to enable you to send multimedia content. The multimedia attachments sent using MMS typically are images but you can also send other types of content, like audio and video files.
The media content may be displayed in different ways on some mobile devices. It is also possible that old devices may not be supported (for example, devices earlier than smartphones).
MMS file size limits
Unlike SMS, MMS does not have strict character limits for text. Standard text lengths for MMS can be up to 1600 characters, and some operators allow more (under the condition the message does not exceed the allowed MMS size).
Maximum MMS sizes vary depending on the network operator, but all operators will reliably handle messages of up to 300 KB of data.
Most of the US and Canadian carriers can handle up to 1 MB (results may vary).
MMS file formats
This section lists the file formats recommended when using MMS to send media content. Note that the list does not include all potentially supported file types.
As extra assurance for some media types, it's recommended that you test sending MMS messages to a device that is commonly used in your region.
Multimedia content | MMS file format |
---|---|
Images |
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Audio |
|
Video |
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Text |
|
Application |
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vCards
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A vCard is a file format that delivers the contact details for a person (or business) and can be sent via MMS. The file format is called Virtual Contact File (.vcf).
Support for vCards via MMS has some limitations:
A vCard can contain special characters, as well as different types of content, and will be successfully processed by the major carriers (Tmobile, Verizon, ATT, Rogers, Telus). The most common special characters and content types are:
For most carriers, the recommended character encoding format for vCards in MMS is UTF-8.
To help you to increase the success rate for your campaigns, consider the following guidelines in the request body:
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Supported Mobile Operators and Limitations
The MMS APIs support both Mobile Originated (MO) and Mobile Terminated (MT) messages on the mobile network operators listed in the table below. For sending messages in other regions, please contact your account manager.
MMS message size
The size of an MMS message is the number of bytes of the entire message, including all headers and the multimedia content.
Recommended file size
Mobile operator |
ID |
Maximum file size |
Supports delivery receipts? |
---|---|---|---|
United States |
|||
AT&T |
383 |
1 MB |
Yes |
MetroPCS (GSM) |
788 |
1 MB |
Yes |
Sprint |
34 |
2 MB |
Yes |
T-Mobile USA |
79 |
1 MB |
Yes |
US Cellular |
56 |
500 KB |
Yes |
Verizon Wireless |
77 |
1.2 MB |
Yes |
Canada | |||
Rogers Wireless |
1696 | 750 KB | Yes |
Rogers Wireless - Fido | 2334 | 750 KB | Yes |
Telus Mobility |
2337 | 750 KB | Ye |
Important
If your campaigns are time sensitive, limit the file size to 150 KB.