S22 Ultra cannot send MMS/photos

Krawk · May 14, 2022

The messaging apps on the Galaxy S22 are a big mystery to me. The default app is titled 'Messages' and is NOT the app with the "..." as the icon, it's the other one, looks like a scribble scribble scribble.
When I try to send pictures to people in the new app, I get an error: "Message not sent: service not activated on network"
If I set the default app to the other Messages app (the one with ...), I briefly see that same error message.

If I forcibly disable the newer messages app and reboot the phone, I am able to send photos, but the problem is, the Icon to get into the SMS/MMS app is only found when you go into Settings->Apps->Messages and select 'Open App' from the settings screen. There appears to be no way to get the icon for that app to the Apps screen or to the home screen, and disabling the new messaging app kills that icon.

I like the new chat/message app because it has chat like features and uses wifi for some functions but the inability to send and receive MMS/pictures makes it useless.
I did try a reset network settings from the reset screen to no avail. I kind of prefer not to do a factory reset on the phone because of data loss (not everything is backed up despite being connected to Samsung Members and Google!)
Googling the error message also gives no useful results.
TIA for any insight.

jhtalisman · May 14, 2022

Are your APN settings correct? You should be able to find them on your carrier's website and compare to the configuration on your phone. They are under Connections>Mobile Networks>Access Point Names.

Krawk · May 14, 2022

jhtalisman said:
Are your APN settings correct? You should be able to find them on your carrier's website and compare to the configuration on your phone. They are under Connections>Mobile Networks>Access Point Names.

I am on Total Wirless, the data says TRAFONE.VZWENTP.
I cannot find the right info on TW site because this phone is not specifically listed. If I select the closes thing, it simply says my device does not need updated settings.

jhtalisman · May 14, 2022

Krawk said:
I am on Total Wirless, the data says TRAFONE.VZWENTP.
I cannot find the right info on TW site because this phone is not specifically listed. If I select the closes thing, it simply says my device does not need updated settings.

There is a specific configuration setting that has to be right to send MMS that is under APN.

Here is a screenshot of mine to use as an example.

Krawk · May 14, 2022

jhtalisman said:
There is a specific configuration setting that has to be right to send MMS that is under APN.

Here is a screenshot of mine to use as an example.

I cannot Add APNs, the button is greyed out.
When I try to edit the existing one, everything is greyed out.

Just got off phone with Total Wirless... They claim this is a known issue with this model.
Samsung is currently acting 'surprised' about this problem.

jhtalisman · May 14, 2022

Krawk said:
I am on Total Wirless, the data says TRAFONE.VZWENTP.
I cannot find the right info on TW site because this phone is not specifically listed. If I select the closes thing, it simply says my device does not need updated settings.

There is a specific configuration setting that has to be right to send MMS.

Here is a screenshot of mine to use as an example.

Krawk said:
I cannot Add APNs, the button is greyed out.
When I try to edit the existing one, everything is greyed out.

Just got off phone with Total Wirless... They claim this is a known issue with this model.
Samsung is currently acting 'surprised' about this problem.

Might need to contact your carrier in this instance.

Krawk · May 15, 2022

jhtalisman said:
There is a specific configuration setting that has to be right to send MMS.

Here is a screenshot of mine to use as an example.

Might need to contact your carrier in this instance.

Thanks for your suggestions.
Have seen somewhere else that some of these phones have internal problems and require replacement. Not exactly a 'flagship' phone if it has such issues. I get the feeling I am in for a goose chase when I call Samsung and it will involve data loss as they force me to do a hard reset, which will not likely resolve the issue. Then there will be finger pointing between the two parties, even though TW says it is a 'known software issue' with Samsung.

mikedt · May 15, 2022

Krawk said:
I cannot Add APNs, the button is greyed out.
When I try to edit the existing one, everything is greyed out.

Just got off phone with Total Wireless... They claim this is a known issue with this model.
Samsung is currently acting 'surprised' about this problem.

Is your S22 a carrier version device? i.e. was it originally sold and customised by a service provider, e.g. Total Wireless, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, etc. ? Where did you buy it? If necessary post the Settings, Software information here, like the Service provider software version.

I have Samsung Note20 Ultra phone myself, that didn't come from a carrier, and it can add and edit APN details if needed. Nothing is greyed out.

Krawk · May 15, 2022

mikedt said:
Is your S22 a carrier version device? i.e. was it originally sold and customised by a service provider, e.g. Total Wireless, Verizon, Sprint, T-Mobile, etc. ? Where did you buy it? If necessary post the Settings, Software information here, like the Service provider software version.

I have Samsung Note20 Ultra phone myself, that didn't come from a carrier, and it can add and edit APN details if needed. Nothing is greyed out.

S22 Ultra Unlocked, direct from Samsung. Each time you replace a phone, Total Wireless requires you buy a new sim card, which I did.
I replaced a S21+ unlocked that I had bought a year before from Samsung.

jhtalisman · May 16, 2022

Krawk said:
S22 Ultra Unlocked, direct from Samsung. Each time you replace a phone, Total Wireless requires you buy a new sim card, which I did.
I replaced a S21+ unlocked that I had bought a year before from Samsung.

Is there a local store that you could take the phone to the make sure it is correctly provisioned?

marctronixx · May 16, 2022

ok so total wireless is an mvno that uses Verizon. your issues stem from this not from the phone.

cursory search yields some folks are having issues with this mvno that seem to mimic yours.

so you had an s21 prior and you used it on TW (total wireless) ? you had no issues correct?

you need a new sim because TW attaches the imei to the sim. you should try to get a new sim EVEN THOUGH you did get one -- this one could be faulty.

did you use this step to fix/add you apn? https://www.totalwireless.com/apn

did you try these settings:

Name: Total Wireless

APN: TRACFONE.VZWENTP

MCC:311

MNC: 480

APN type: default,mms,supl

APN protocol: IPv4

APN roaming protocol: IPv4

Everything else, not set, unspecified, or none.

i just got an update to the s22 ultra just now. im on tmo and unlocked. what software version are you running on the phone?

screenshots of the app you are using is helpful to us since we cant see your phone.

your issues are with the carrier, not the device. the issues you post are not a behavior of a faulty phone.

Krawk · May 17, 2022

This is a screenshot of the software version...

marctronixx · May 17, 2022

other than the google play store (yours is more up to date than my s22u) we have the same versions.

have you tried the settings i suggested up top? and the link I sent you?

what other texting apps have you tried? do you use whatsapp? have you disabled cellular and tried wifi only? did you disable wifi and try cellular only? does this happen on any wifi network regardless of where you are?

again i think its going to be an issue with your carrier not provisioning your phone properly. that or you have the wrong apn settings. see if you can escalate to a higher tech support level at this mvno.

Krawk · May 17, 2022

marctronixx said:
other than the google play store (yours is more up to date than my s22u) we have the same versions.

have you tried the settings i suggested up top? and the link I sent you?

what other texting apps have you tried? do you use whatsapp? have you disabled cellular and tried wifi only? did you disable wifi and try cellular only? does this happen on any wifi network regardless of where you are?

again i think its going to be an issue with your carrier not provisioning your phone properly. that or you have the wrong apn settings. see if you can escalate to a higher tech support level at this mvno.

And the finger pointing game begins. Total Wireless says it's a 'known' Samsung issue, Samsung says it's a carrier issue as there are 'no known issues' with this phone.
As mentioned, I am unable to edit or add APN info, so the above link does nothing for me, thanks any way. On the tech support line, TW wanted me to edit the MMSC field within the APN but since it's greyed out, I cannot. I cannot ADD an APN either, again, greyed out.

I have tried both message apps, as described in post 1. I have tried various Wifi networks as well as different locales for Mobile Data. As far as Mobile Data it's always been on a 5G tower.
On the S21+ the app would always auto-enable mobile data, send the photo or attachment, then turn mobile data back off. No problems whatsoever.

Do I dare do a factory reset, which no matter what, always results in some sort of data loss?
Do I get another sim card?
Do I persist with support on both TW and Samsung?
Do I allow Samsung to do a factory service on this device after factory reset and sim card replacement?
On my S21+, despite having all software up to date, I had the symptoms of a bad charging port, but yet when factory service did their thing, they seemed to update the software on the phone and that problem went away. So there is obviously firmware/software out there that only they have in Texas.

campingfool · May 17, 2022

All I will add is I have a S22U, purchased from Samsung, unlocked, same software level and I have NO problems sending plain text of text with photos. Big difference is I am on Tracfone; also an MVNO that runs off Verizon towers. (In fact, Verizon purchased Tracfone a year or two ago.)'
As for the apps.

The first app with the ... is Samsung's message app, the other app is google. I only use the google app.
At home I'm on a wifi, however, I have turned 5G off and only run LTE since there is NO 5G near to me so to save battery no need to have the phone searching for a service I may only drive in if I drive 50 miles or so; north/south, west (basically cannot drive east very far from where i live).

marctronixx · May 17, 2022

Krawk said:
Samsung says it's a carrier issue as there are 'no known issues' with this phone.

agree with samsung on this. i think total wireless do not have competent techs who know how to properly work with high end android flagships. if this were an issue, it would crop its head up all over the wireless community.

i would get another sim card since that is all thats left to do. a hard/factory reset wont change anything. this is simply a provision issue with your carrier of choice.

if the same issue happens across more than one app. its not the apps nor the phone. its the network the phone is on. if you can go to another prepaid service just to test, that for sure would eliminate the phone.

also we over the internet are at the mercy of what the OP tells us, but based on what i have seen (sorry i did not read everything op posted verbatim) this is NOT a phone issue. ill eat my tie if it is!!!

campingfool · May 18, 2022

I remember reading about Total wireless, and I have to interject, Total is part of the deal where Verizon purchased related brands America Movil; this purchase included Tracfone and Total wireless. So, I'm guessing Total should be run about the same as Tracfone.

However, agree, with doing way too much phone/android surfing during the winter months at quite few other sites, I believe I only read about this problem one other time. Cannot remember where, what service, and even what phone. So, opinion is it is either a very small percentage of phones.

I would also question why this texting services problem would be more of a problem with high-end phones vs. other phones. Texting is basically the same between all of the S22 models; Pixel models, etc. Biggest difference is the app.

If using the google message app, I would make sure the cache is clean and possible try it in safe mode. I do not believe you can delete either of the message apps.

Eat your tie? Wow, that was the first thing I did when I retried back in 2008; donate my ties to the goodwill.

marctronixx · May 18, 2022

congrats on your retirement!

mms is not texting as it uses data.

high end phones have more options , especially unlocked ones, vs lesser phones. some techs at these 3rd party mvnos dont know the nuances of unlocked android phones as they are only "trained" on apple and its closed ecosystem, which is much simpler than android.

yes TW is basically tracphone, so their system may not be as robust to work with these super high end phones.

the fact the op cant change the apn settings whilst using their sim card tells me its an issue with TW and not the phone. s22 ultra is a phone that thousands of people use daily. majority are on top tier companies like vzw, tmo, att. if this was any issue it would be all over the web.

campingfool · May 18, 2022

Thanks but been retired for over 14 years now and so far all is good. In fact loading up a trailer to head up into the MT mountains.

As for the phone, I understand high-end phones have more features, but I'm only asking about text/mms and I would guess they operate the same on all, except that some high end (or at least more expensive) need to operated on 5g, but not sure if that would be a problem or not.

And most MVNOs that I have researched, (granted only those with Verizon; other than I gave Consumer cellular a try for a week) offer no high end. Tracfone appears to offer mostly A-series Samsung, some low end and unheard of by me iphones, etc. So I guess their tech assistance would not have any idea about features on a Pixel 6 pro or a S22U. I would guess, if you contacted them, they would say contact the manufacturer.

I've only dealt with MVNOs using unlocked, factory or Amazon purchased phones so I have no idea what they would say if I called with a problem; other than you bought it, you figure out how to get it to work.

I agree, this sounds like a SIM card or MVNO problem more than a phone issue. But it could be a one on with the phone.

If I were the OP I would start with a new SIM card, then try it in safe mode, then if it still exists, a factory reset. And only copy over contacts from google, do not copy over any apps. If all that does not help; let Sammy techs take over via the internet and see if they can iron it out. I've had some great luck with their techs.

marctronixx · May 18, 2022

campingfool said:
I would start with a new SIM card

this should be the next step which i and others have mentioned.

factory reset will not yield any fruit and would be unnecessary. the phones data works normally. meaning the op can get an ip address and access the internet and get online with apps that use the internet and not mms.

the issue is, once the sim card is loaded , info for the cellular service is loaded.no matter how many times you factory reset, this cant be changed/edited on the users end. the imei of the phone is automatically registered with the sim card. if the phone is not properly provisioned on the network, the network wont let the phone use its services.

campingfool said:
but I'm only asking about text/mms and I would guess they operate the same on all, except that some high end (or at least more expensive) need to operated on 5g, but not sure if that would be a problem or not.

s22u is a 5g high end device. its unlocked so it has no apps or internal coding specific to TW or any carrier. these types of handsets can be tricky to setup sometimes on these MVNOs that dont usually see this type/level of handset. most people who use these phones are not on MVNOs (although there are some of course as the op uses this).

i mention high end/flagship devices -- i should say anything not really an ifruit.

i assume the op by now has figured it out or has a plan b. this has been going on much too long for their not to be a solution.

campingfool · May 18, 2022

Factory reset could fix a problem if it is in the phone or one of the apps. Although I agree it does not sound like a phone issue, unless it is diagnosed by a tech who knows their shit; it could be the phone. And if a new SIM does not fix the problem? I would guess it is not a TW problem overall, since have not read anything about this problem (other than a mention a month ago). If it was a TW problem, it would also have shown up in places on the NET, just like if it was a Samsung phone issue.

I'll wait to hear what OP comes up with. Be interesting to see what happens. I'm headed out....and where I go, there is NO cell phone, nor internet service; other than an Iridium phone and PLB.

marctronixx · May 18, 2022

yea we are here speculating and can speculate ad nauseam. it could be anything.

houcatdad · Dec 26, 2022

We have Verizon, and had this problem on the S22, S22+ and S22 Ultra, as well as an iPhone 13. The problem is that in the transfer of data via smart switch, the MMS texting doesn't come over right. SMS texts are for short text only texts... and individuals. If the text gets too long, has a picture, or is to a group, it changes to MMS text. That's what was failing. the error was usually invalid delivery destination.

We tried every fix online... but we finally found the one that guaranteed immediately fixed all our phones. Go to verizonwireless.com on your PC. You want to go to my devices, and manage devices. You then go to BLOCKS. These are the services and features you are blocking. Go to advanced messaging, you will see MMS messaging. It is probably not-blocked. If it is, turn it off.
But if it's not... turn it on, to block the messages. wait 30 seconds. Turn the block off.
This resets the MMS blocking.

Your picture and group messages will now work.

BeepBeepPLZ · Dec 29, 2022

houcatdad said:
We have Verizon, and had this problem on the S22, S22+ and S22 Ultra, as well as an iPhone 13. The problem is that in the transfer of data via smart switch, the MMS texting doesn't come over right. SMS texts are for short text only texts... and individuals. If the text gets too long, has a picture, or is to a group, it changes to MMS text. That's what was failing. the error was usually invalid delivery destination.

We tried every fix online... but we finally found the one that guaranteed immediately fixed all our phones. Go to verizonwireless.com on your PC. You want to go to my devices, and manage devices. You then go to BLOCKS. These are the services and features you are blocking. Go to advanced messaging, you will see MMS messaging. It is probably not-blocked. If it is, turn it off.
But if it's not... turn it on, to block the messages. wait 30 seconds. Turn the block off.
This resets the MMS blocking.

Your picture and group messages will now work.

Thanks! That's exactly what was causing my MMS issue.

houcatdad · Dec 29, 2022

Oh that's awesome to hear!!
We bought my wife the S22 Ultra and tried to get it ready 2 days before Christmas for her so she could take pictures that morning. But the MMS broke and we could not figure it out at all! We tried EVERYTHING that people here suggested: clearing cache, rebooting, delete messages, APN reset, network reset, all kinds of things....
When it worked for her, we thought... let's see what happens on the other phones.
EVERYONE got an upgrade for Christmas. So the S22 Ultra, S22+ and S22 all had the same problem. In fact, after the S22 Ultra was fixed. When we started the other phones, the Ultra could no longer send to the 22+, 22 and iphone!
My wife said "Must be the same issue".
I did the MMS Block on the other 3 phones.... and my wife could text them all again from the Ultra. And the other phones can text OUT.

We said we have GOT to put this on a forum so people try this. I can't imagine how many people get new S22x phones, and have this problem!!! Verizon would be smart to just say go re-set the blocking....
or automatically do it for customers or something. I mean, my wife was in TEARS with frustration not getting it to work.

Glad this fixed your issue!

BeepBeepPLZ said:
Thanks! That's exactly what was causing my MMS issue.

S22 Ultra cannot send MMS/photos

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