“Those dreaded MMS messages are so frustrating! I can't them to automatically download, and even when I manually try to download it, sometimes it still doesn't even work!” This is the problem that many smartphone users go through. MMS messages not automatically downloading is widespread and extremely frustrating. There's no telling as to why MMS messages just won't work how they're supposed to without any tinkering, but with just a few minutes of your time, you can get your favorite text messaging app retrieving and downloading MMS without a hitch.
It's not a difficult process, and in most cases, it's the same series of steps for any text messaging app. And without further ado, here's how to get MMS messages to download automatically.
Setting up MMS auto-retrieval
Setting up MMS messages is pretty quick and easy, and we'll show you how that works with Google's default Android Messages app. Other apps may be slightly different, but the general idea is the same, so you should be able to follow along with this guide for whatever device you have.
When the app opens up, you're going to want to tap the three dots in the top right corner, then tap settings. This will take us into the regular settings for your messaging app.
Here, you'll want to tap Advanced and make sure Auto-download MMS is turned on. Also, check the setting right above it and verify that group MMS is turned on, just like you see in the screenshot.
Doing this should encourage your MMS messages to automatically download. However, even after following the prior steps, some people still have trouble with getting MMS messages to download properly.Here are a couple of ways to fix that problem:
1.Shut down, power on
The problem could be that your smartphone just needs to be restarted. It's normal for technology to get hung up and error out, and while it can happen quite frequently, it can be fixed by quickly restarting or powering your smartphone on and off. To do this, hold down the power button for a few seconds and selectPower off.Once powered off, hold down the power button again for a few seconds and let it boot up. Alternatively, hold the power button down for a few seconds. When the menu appears, selectRestart.Both of these messages should fix any errors or hang-ups your smartphone is having.
If that didn't work, you may need to move onto the next step.
2. Out with the old
Sometimes you just have way too many messages saved on your Android device.This can easily clog up your smartphone and cause it to experience some hang-ups. Head on through your list of saved messages and start clearing out text and MMS messages that you no longer need. This will not only free up some space on your Android device, but could fix the problem of having some MMS messages refuse to download as well.
If this didn't work, it might be time to take some more drastic measures.
3. Try a different app
If you're struggling with the built-in messaging app on your phone, try downloading Android Messages from the Play Store and set that up. Sometimes apps can just be weird, while a similar but different app will do the same thing with no issues.
There are tons of alternative messaging apps available to download, but if you think you can live without the limitations of MMS, you might try something that doesn't use your carrier's messaging network at all. Facebook Messenger, Google Hangouts, WhatsApp, Telegram, Discord, and more all allow you to send text, pictures, videos, GIFs, and all kinds of files with significantly fewer restrictions. You'll have to set an account up at first, but you'll have a much better experience, too.
4. Clear the app's data
If using Android Messages does work, while Samsung's messaging app doesn't, or vice versa, you might just need to clear the malfunctioning app's data. This is easier than it sounds, don't worry.
First off, you'll want to go to Settings > Apps then scroll through the list to find whatever app is acting weird. This screen can look different depending on your phone and software version, but you're generally looking for a button that says Clear Data or Clear Cache. On newer versions of Android, that's usually accessed by tapping Storage on the app's page here.
From here, clearing the cache first is a good place to start. If that doesn't work, you can clear data for the entire app, which shouldn't delete your text messages, but you might want to make a backup first, just in case.
5. Hard reset
If the above methods haven't worked, it might be time to reset your smartphone. Before continuing with a factory reset, you'll want to make sure all of your data is backed up first. Go ahead and read this handy step-by-step guide on how to backup tothe cloudwe put together. Alternatively, in most cases, much of your app data is backed up to Google's servers. You might want to double checkon that by going intoSettings > Backup and Resetand making sureBack up my datais checked. If so, you can go ahead and follow the below steps.
Head intoSettings > Backup and Resetand select Factory data reset. Follow the steps that the reset wizard takes you through, and then when initializing your smartphone again, make sure to select the option for restoring your device over starting fresh.
Closing
These steps should have fixed your woes with MMS messages. One thing to keep in mind is that some MMS issues have to deal with your carrier. For instance, sending an MMS message over 1MB on T-Mobile's network just won't work. Likewise, MMS messages sent to you over 1MB will have trouble downloading. If you have a particular picture or video you really want to share, it might be worth uploading it to Facebook or another social networking service and sharing it with your friends and family there.
If you're still having troubleretrieving and sending MMS messages, it mightbe worth contacting your carrier to see if there are any deeper, underlying issues at hand. Otherwise, if we helped you fix your issue, be sure to leave us a comment below!
Updated July 2019 to reflect newer versions of Android.
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Jared PetersAuthor
Born in southern Alabama, Jared spends his working time selling phones and his spare time writing about them. The Android enthusiasm started with the original Motorola Droid, but the tech enthusiasm currently covers just about everything. He likes PC gaming, Lenovo's Moto Z line, and a good productivity app.
