S4 won't send or receive MMS if Wi-Fi is turned on since 4.4.4 update

I do not believe that mms works over wifi. When I recieve a picture message on my s4 even with wifi turned on my cellular data kicks in and when I recieve the message, then goes back to wifi. If you have to actually turn off wifi in order to recieve an mms then I would think the hand off from wifi to cellular data is experiencing issues. As far as a factory reset being the don't know what the problem is, with all of the updates files get corrupt or a corrupted download. If you back up through kies most of your phone data and apps will be restored when you restore the back up. the only things that will have to be manully restored will be purchased apps and you will have to reset tones to the ones you want to use. widgets may have to be replaced and setup.(app data will not be restored so apps will have to be resigned into and setup). If I get an update that seems to screw up my phone I reflash the official factory firmware then restore the backup and if it was because of corruption the issue does not come back. Restores are usually what is suggested as the fast fix, some people just want it to work they don't want to try this then that. And on locked down phones our tech options are limited, with computers I can get into everything on the computer on phones you can't. I do not have this problem on my i337 on 4.4.4 nj4, so I do not think that it is just the update. I hope this helps you

I do not believe that mms works over wifi. When I recieve a picture message on my s4 even with wifi turned on my cellular data kicks in and when I recieve the message, then goes back to wifi. If you have to actually turn off wifi in order to recieve an mms then I would think the hand off from wifi to cellular data is experiencing issues. (beginning of my post)

MMS is a system that uses the phone network to deliver messages to other devices. The routing/Delivery is done by the phone system itself, and so cannot work over wifi.

If you're concerned about data usage/charges on your phone connection, and want to use your wifi connection instead.. don't send MMS, send an email.

MMS requires at least a third generation (3G) network to enable such large messages to be deliverd.

 I read your post thoughly. You wrote  However, the only way this phone will send or receive MMS now is if Wi-Fi is turned OFF, which means MMS now runs my data plan usage up, which it is not supposed to do when connected to Wi-Fi.

Hi there @HoggyDog

I’d be happy to help with your MMS! Sounds like the device is turning Mobile Data off on a service level whilst WiFi is on and connected, likely to save power. Try heading to Settings > WiFi > Menu > Advanced and disable Auto Network Switch

Power your device off and back on, then test to check if this has resolved the issue.

Thanks,

Charise

Charise, thanks for your reply.

Automatic network switching has never been enabled on my phone for the reasons I have already cited- I insist on having control over my Mobile Data toggle to avoid paying for data overages. The Mobile Data switch used to be clearly visible in the drop-down settings, until an Android update took that away, which I always deplored as an underhanded strategy by cellular providers to force customers into data overages by concealing the Mobile Data switch several layers deep in a menu system. Underhanded tactics like this are just another reason that people distrust and dislike cellular providers today. So I installed a widget to restore my ability to quickly and easily switch Mobile Data on & off.

I keep Mobile Data turned off at all times to avoid data overage charges. When I want to receive or send an MMS while at home and connected to wi-fi, I simply turn on Mobile Data until the message transaction is done, then turn it back off. Again, as I have stated clearly, it always worked before the 4.4.4 update. Also, two different AT&T reps have assured me that MMS works fine over wi-fi, that the only reason Mobile Data has to be turned on to send/receive MMS is that the message header info has to come over the cellular data network, but that the MMS message itself, including the image(s) or video(s), passes over wi-fi and the entire process does NOT run my data plan usage up.

I am fascinated by all the replies here alleging that MMS over wi-fi is just not possible, yet nonetheless AT&T Wireless Tech Support spent hours in chat with me 2 days ago trying to make it work like it always worked before the 4.4.4 update, and now sweet Charise, an AT&T employee, is posting suggestions to try to help me get it working again. Why would all of these AT&T employees do that if it was impossible for MMS to work over wi-fi? Are those of you who claim it's impossible actually saying that you know this to be a fact, and AT&T Wireless Tech Support (and now, Charise) are so un-knowledgeable that they don't know what you know? Also, my preferred messaging client, Textra, has a setting to "prefer wi-fi for MMS when available." Why would this program have a setting to enable something that is impossible???

As info, I have tried the AT&T Messaging app as well as the other (default-generic) messaging app that came pre-loaded on the phone (it's just called "Messaging" so I don't know if it's a Samsung app or an Android/Google app). With all 3 clients, the result is the same: although I used to be able to, now I can no longer send or receive MMS over wi-fi, or even when wi-fi is turned on.

Thanks for trying to help, Charise, but Auto Network Switching is not the culprit because it is, and always has been even when MMS over wi-fi worked for me, disabled.

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@HoggyDog wrote:

 

I keep Mobile Data turned off at all times to avoid data overage charges. When I want to receive or send an MMS while at home and connected to wi-fi, I simply turn on Mobile Data until the message transaction is done, then turn it back off. Again, as I have stated clearly, it always worked before the 4.4.4 update. Also, two different AT&T reps have assured me that MMS works fine over wi-fi, that the only reason Mobile Data has to be turned on to send/receive MMS is that the message header info has to come over the cellular data network, but that the MMS message itself, including the image(s) or video(s), passes over wi-fi and the entire process does NOT run my data plan usage up.

 

I am fascinated by all the replies here alleging that MMS over wi-fi is just not possible, yet nonetheless AT&T Wireless Tech Support spent hours in chat with me 2 days ago trying to make it work like it always worked before the 4.4.4 update, and now sweet Charise, an AT&T employee, is posting suggestions to try to help me get it working again. Why would all of these AT&T employees do that if it was impossible for MMS to work over wi-fi? Are those of you who claim it's impossible actually saying that you know this to be a fact, and AT&T Wireless Tech Support (and now, Charise) are so un-knowledgeable that they don't know what you know? Also, my preferred messaging client, Textra, has a setting to "prefer wi-fi for MMS when available." Why would this program have a setting to enable something that is impossible???

 

As info, I have tried the AT&T Messaging app as well as the other (default-generic) messaging app that came pre-loaded on the phone (it's just called "Messaging" so I don't know if it's a Samsung app or an Android/Google app). With all 3 clients, the result is the same: although I used to be able to, now I can no longer send or receive MMS over wi-fi, or even when wi-fi is turned on.

 

Thanks for trying to help, Charise, but Auto Network Switching is not the culprit because it is, and always has been even when MMS over wi-fi worked for me, disabled.

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Tech support has one thing right, MMS does not count against your cellular data but it requires cellular data to work.  Regardless of what else they have told you, I believe MMS does not work over wifi and never has. If there have been changes to the MMS protocol that I'm not aware of and it is now supported over wifi, then maybe I'm wrong, but until someone proves it to me, I'll continue to believe that MMS does not work over wifi. As you noted, your preferred client "Textra" has a setting for wifi over MMS.  That means when it is using wifi, it is not using MMS but rather it is using some other protocol. All I'm saying is that the MMS messaging protocol does not work over wifi. Other messaging protocols may well work over wifi.

sandblaster wrote: "Tech support has one thing right, MMS does not count against your cellular data but it requires cellular data to work.  Regardless of what else they have told you, I believe MMS does not work over wifi and never has. If there have been changes to the MMS protocol that I'm not aware of and it is now supported over wifi, then maybe I'm wrong, but until someone proves it to me, I'll continue to believe that MMS does not work over wifi. As you noted, your preferred client "Textra" has a setting for wifi over MMS.  That means when it is using wifi, it is not using MMS but rather it is using some other protocol. All I'm saying is that the MMS messaging protocol does not work over wifi. Other messaging protocols may well work over wifi."

{{I can't for the life of me find how to make this forum show quotes from previous posters, so apologies that I have to cut-n-paste them in manually as I did above}}

You may be correct about it using some other protocol, although if you're right, it really paints AT&T Tech Support in a bad light since they (obviously, see my previous posts here) are convinced that MMS over wi-fi should work.

I recall that the advertised ability to actually use wi-fi for MMS was one of the reasons I got Textra. All I know for sure is: before the 4.4.4 update, it worked flawlessly without having to turn wi-fi off, now it requires that wi-fi be turned off- Since the 4.4.4 update, I can neither send nor receive MMS using any of the 3 clients on my phone as long as wi-fi is enabled.

On a probably unrelated note, the 4.4.4 update also broke my clock widget, which keeps time for a day or two, then randomly just stops working (freezes) for no apparent reason- requiring a restart to get going again. Meanwhile, the default clock app continues to keep time flawlessly, which leads to the inescapable conclusion that 4.4.4 broke some connectivity somewhere. Very annoying, but an online search suggests that the 4.4.4 update broke ALL clock widgets, and nobody has an answer. I mention this only as an indication that wi-fi MMS isn't the only thing that the 4.4.4 update broke.

Thanks for your reply.

Turned WiFi off and I still can't send pics via messages...what is the problem????

And furthermore, this happened after the latest update a few months ago..Never had a problem sending pics(mms) prior to the update!!!!