Electronics

[missy1]

My tracfone says "unable to send message to  xxx-xxx-xxxx". (when I send a text with a picture).  My memory is not full.

I have plenty of minutes. It's a LG phone.

thanks

[x Hedge]

Are you trying to send a text to a landline phone number, @missy1?
Are you trying to send a text outside of TracFone's service area?.
Are you trying to send a text to someone who has no 'Messages' app on their device? -or uses an app with restrictions?
Can you email or phone the party at that number, so you can verify it's a working number?

Is your TracFone an older 'single bucket' model, where your minutes aren't designated specifically for talk-text-data?

[missy1]

@x Hedge

I can send texts, but I can't send the text with a picture.

[Venezia]

@missy1- Do you have your phone set to just wi-fi?  I've always had to have the data (3G or 4G, whichever you have) turned on to send any photos.  Never have a problem when I have that setting.

My last four Tracfones have been LG (current one is the Premier) and I only ever had a problem when the data was switched off.

[missy1]

@Venezia  I will try that. thanks

edit: yes it was already on wifi. I guess I will have to call tracfone.

[Venezia]

@missy1- Let us know, if that works for you!

[Venezia]

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@missy1 wrote:

@Venezia  I will try that. thanks

edit: yes it was already on wifi. I guess I will have to call tracfone.

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@missy1- No, not wi-fi; you have a setting for wi-fi and a separate setting for data.  Both need to be switched to "on".  I don't know which phone you have, but you should be able to look through the settings to find the one I'm talking about.

And you don't need to worry that having the "data" set to on will use up your data instead of defaulting to wi-fi.  If you're home, for instance, and have wi-fi, your phone will still use that.  It's just for things like sending photos or if you're where there is no wi-fi, that it will use the data.

[x Hedge]

@missy1, 

To send a text with an attached photograph or sound bite you need to get your text ready to send, tap mobile data on, then send the text, and turn your data off as soon as the transmission is completed. 

Don't waste your mobile data by leaving it on all the time. 

There are specialty apps that send messages over WiFi instead of the phone lines but both the sender and the receiver have to use the same app

I'm assuming you're sending a typical text which uses phone lines for transmission. In that case having WIFI on or off while sending a text makes no difference.

[Venezia]

I leave the data on all the time and my phone never uses that, when wi-fi is available.  I still have pretty much the same amount of data that I've had for the past several years, since I don't use it for much else.

My phone definitely defaults to wi-fi when it's available.

[x Hedge]

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@Venezia wrote:

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@missy1 wrote:

@Venezia  I will try that. thanks

edit: yes it was already on wifi. I guess I will have to call tracfone.

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@missy1- No, not wi-fi; you have a setting for wi-fi and a separate setting for data.  Both need to be switched to "on".  I don't know which phone you have, but you should be able to look through the settings to find the one I'm talking about.

And you don't need to worry that having the "data" set to on will use up your data instead of defaulting to wi-fi.  If you're home, for instance, and have wi-fi, your phone will still use that.  It's just for things like sending photos or if you're where there is no wi-fi, that it will use the data.

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It depends on your settings.

I have the feeling that someone who doesn't know mobile data is needed to transmit a text with attachments also hasn't restricted background data useage on all apps, opted to prevent automatic updates, and defaulted to WiFi.

Also, I'm disturbed by the fact my newest phone has the ability to override my setting, and I periodically find my group data restriction to apps has been turned off!