{"id":98427,"date":"2026-10-02T20:16:20","date_gmt":"2026-10-02T20:16:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mailrelay.com\/glossary\/mms\/"},"modified":"2026-10-02T20:16:22","modified_gmt":"2026-10-02T20:16:22","slug":"mms","status":"publish","type":"glossary","link":"https:\/\/mailrelay.com\/en\/glossary\/mms\/","title":{"rendered":"MMS"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

An MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) is a mobile message that, besides text, can carry images, audio or video. It works with the phone number, with no app to install.<\/p>\n\n

It’s the big brother of SMS<\/a>. While an SMS is limited to 160 characters of text, a multimedia message lets you send a photo, a short clip or a contact card.<\/p>\n\n

Today it’s rarely used in Spain, but it’s still active on every phone. And it’s worth knowing about if you work in mobile marketing<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n

What does MMS mean and how does it work?<\/h2>\n\n

The acronym stands for Multimedia Messaging Service. The standard was developed by 3GPP and the WAP Forum, and its commercial launch began in March 2002.<\/p>\n\n

It works in three steps:<\/p>\n\n

    \n
  1. Your phone packages the text and files and sends them to your carrier’s multimedia messaging server.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. That server stores the content and notifies the recipient’s phone with a small control message.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. The receiving phone downloads the content using its data connection.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n

    That’s why a multimedia message needs mobile data turned on. If it’s off, the message stays waiting to be downloaded.<\/p>\n\n

    What’s the difference between SMS and MMS?<\/h2>\n\n

    The main difference is the content. But the price, the network they use and what can go wrong also differ:<\/p>\n\n

    Feature<\/th>SMS<\/th>MMS<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
    Content<\/td>Text and emojis only<\/td>Text, image, audio, video or vCard<\/td><\/tr>
    Text length<\/td>160 characters per message (70 with some symbols)<\/td>Much longer, without being split into parts<\/td><\/tr>
    Size<\/td>A few bytes<\/td>Usually between 300 and 600 KB, depending on the carrier<\/td><\/tr>
    Connection<\/td>Mobile network, no data<\/td>Needs mobile data to download<\/td><\/tr>
    Cost for the user<\/td>Usually included in the plan<\/td>Many plans charge for it separately<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n

    A detail many people don’t know: your phone turns an SMS into an MMS on its own. It happens if you add a photo, if you write to a group or if the text is very long.<\/p>\n\n

    If your plan doesn’t include multimedia messages, that message can end up costing you a lot without you noticing.<\/p>\n\n

    \"SMS<\/figure>\n\n

    How much does it cost to send an MMS?<\/h2>\n\n

    It depends on the carrier and the plan. Many include unlimited SMS, but not multimedia messages.<\/p>\n\n

    A striking example: according to El Debate in 2023, Movistar charged 1 euro per MMS, a rate in place since 2008. Always check your carrier’s terms before sending photos this way.<\/p>\n\n

    For a business, the cost per message is also usually much higher than for an SMS.<\/p>\n\n

    That’s why hardly anyone uses it for mass campaigns in Spain.<\/p>\n\n

    How do you enable MMS on your phone?<\/h2>\n\n

    If you can’t send or receive multimedia messages, check these settings:<\/p>\n\n