What are SMS and MMS and How do They Differ? | Twilio (2024)

What are SMS and MMS and How do They Differ? | Twilio (1)

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Article

What are SMS and MMS and How do They Differ?

SMS and MMS drive the majority of messaging communications. We define them and show their crossover with products like iMessage, Whatsapp, and other apps.

Pranav Deshpande, Product Marketing Manager

SMS Marketing Best Practices

There are so many different ways to sendtext messagestoday that regardless of whether you use an iPhone or an Android, you’ve probably used multiple texting applications. You’ve also probably heard of different acronyms like SMS and MMS and come across popular mobile text messagingapps like iMessage, WhatsApp, and WeChat. We discuss what each of these terms mean and the differences in the technologies powering them. In particular, we’ll cover:

  • How SMS and MMS differ
  • Examples of OTT applications like iMessage and WhatsApp
  • The differences between SMS and OTT apps
  • What drives app popularity in different parts of the world
  • Commercial applications of texting

SMS and MMS: What are the differences and similarities?

SMS stands for Short Message Service.Invented in the 1980sand defined in the 1985 GSM standards, it is one of the oldest texting technologies. It is also the most widespread and frequently used.

MMS stands for Multimedia Messaging Service. It was built using the same technology as SMS to allow SMS users tosend multimedia content. It’s most popularly used to send pictures, but can also be used to send audio, phone contacts, and video files.

Because SMS and MMS are sent over a cellular network, they only require a wireless plan from cellular carriers to get started. Standard SMS messages are limited to160 characters per message. If a message exceeds this limit, it is broken up intomultiple segments of 160 characterseach, depending on its length. Most carriers today automatically chain these messages together to ensure they arrive in the order they are sent. Unlike SMS, MMS messages do not have a standard limit. While their maximum size depends on the carrier and the device receiving the message, 300 KB is often mentioned as the largest size most carriers will reliably handle.

What are iMessage, WhatsApp, and other OTT applications?

iMessage, Whatsapp, WeChat, Facebook Messenger, and other messaging applications are often referred to as “Over The Top” (OTT) applications. They’re called this because they do not require a cellular network connection, and use IP (internet protocols) instead. To send and receive texts using these apps, your device needs to be connected to the internet, either over WiFi or via a mobile internet connection.

iMessage is exclusively available on iOS and works through the Messages app on the iPhone. While composing a text message, iOS automatically uses iMessage if it detects that the recipient’s phone number is used with an iPhone. Otherwise, it falls back to regular SMS.

To use WhatsApp, WeChat, and other OTT apps you need to download the respective application from the app store. Once installed, these apps will identify every phone number in your contact list that uses the same application and allow you to send messages and multimedia to those contacts. Some, like WhatsApp, WeChat, and Facebook Messenger can also make audio and video calls.

How do iMessage, Whatsapp, and other OTT applications differ from SMS?

Because OTT applications and SMS use completely different protocols to send messages, each has different platform and network requirements. OTT applications require an internet connection while SMS needs a mobile network connection. And while OTT apps need to be downloaded from iOS or Android app stores, SMS is supported by all modern mobile phones. As a result, each has its own relative advantages and disadvantages.

SMS is a universal technology supported by every single mobile network and device today. All you need to start texting over SMS is another person’s phone number. This makes SMS a popular channel for businesses to communicate with customers because it is more immediate than email and doesn’t require any additional app downloads. OTT apps, on the other hand, are ‘walled gardens.’ Someone usingWhatsAppcan’t text someone else using WeChat. They both need to be using the same apps.

OTT apps are preferred over MMS for sharing multimedia files since they don’t have the same file size limitations. They also have more features like group messaging, message broadcasting, and audio and video calling. And most importantly, OTT apps are —unlike SMS— free to use.

SMS and MMS: Global Usage

As mentioned above, SMS is most popular in the US since most carriers offer plans with unlimited texting, making SMS free or nearly free to use. iMessage is a close second because of the large number of iPhone users in the locale. Texting has exploded over the last decade to the point where we’re currently witnessing over6 billion SMS messagessent daily in the US alone. Annual MMS traffic in the US increased from 57 billion to 96 billion messages from 2010 to 2013. And with no significant costs to hold them back, we’re seeing US smartphone owners aged 18 to 24 send an average of67 texts a day.

Unlimited texting plans are less common in other parts of the world. This is the primary reason why messaging apps like WhatsApp and WeChat gained such a significant foothold in these markets. WhatsApp is by far the most popular messaging application in the world today, with more than1 billion peopleusing it at least once a month. Person-to-person SMS usage in locales like India and Brazil — where mobile operators rarely offer unlimited texting plans — has been largely replaced by the free-to-use WhatsApp.

Resembling WhatsApp, WeChat also needs to be installed from the app store and has similar communications capabilities. It’s extremely popular in China, having amassed almost500 million usersto date. Like WhatsApp, WeChat was able to displace SMS because it is free to use.

Commercial applications of SMS

People are spending a significant amount of time on their phones these days: the average American adult uses a mobile device nearly3 hours every day. Since much of this time is spent texting, many businesses have correctly surmised that SMS is one of the most effective channels for businesses to reach new and existing customers.

People simply prefer to communicate with businesses by text. The higher open and response rates — 90% of all text messages areread within 3 seconds— makeSMS marketingeven more attractive, especially when used in the context of customer service. For example, hospitals and clinics are successfully using SMS to send alerts and appointment reminders. And e-commerce and logistics companies are using it to provide customers with delivery notifications. For routine customer service channel inquiries, many businesses rely on automated workflows and hand off more sensitive requests to human customer service agents.

Twilio is your SMS Marketing partner

Twilio offers a comprehensive suite ofdeveloper-friendly APIsto help you easily add communications capabilities such as SMS, voice and video to your applications and mobile marketing solutions. Twilio manages the complexity of the global carrier network to provide industry-leading message deliverability, allowing you to maximize conversion. You can also easily add new features like automated response handling or new channels like voice and push notifications, allowing your marketing platform to respond to and evolve with the preferences of your audience. This way, you'll have the right conversation at the right time, every time.

Interested in learning more? Here are additional resources for your consideration.

For marketers:

For developers:

  • Text Marketing API Overview
  • Quickstarts, Guides, APIs, and More
  • Twilio Programmable SMS
  • Sign Up To Try Twilio for Free

Questions? Contact sales.

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What are SMS and MMS and How do They Differ? | Twilio (2024)

FAQs

What are SMS and MMS and How do They Differ? | Twilio? ›

MMS is an extension of the SMS (Short Message Service) protocol, allowing the exchange of text messages exceeding 160 characters. Unlike SMS, which is text-only, MMS can deliver a variety of media. This media may include up to forty seconds of video, audio, one image, or a slideshow of multiple images.

Should I have MMS or SMS on? ›

If you simply want to communicate information with somebody else, then you may want to use an SMS message. It is shorter, easier to send, and more straightforward for someone to interpret. However, if you have additional content that you want to include, you may be better off using an MMS message.

How do you tell if a message is SMS or MMS? ›

What's the difference between SMS vs. MMS? A text message of up to 160 characters without an attached file is known as an SMS, while a text that includes a file—like a picture, video, emoji, or a website link—becomes an MMS.

Why am I sending MMS instead of SMS? ›

Possible reasons for sending MMS instead of SMS

One common reason is that the recipient's device might not support SMS or might be set up to receive MMS only. Another reason could be that the message you are trying to send exceeds the character limit for SMS, prompting your device to automatically switch to MMS.

What does SMS and MMS mean on Android phone? ›

You can send and receive text (SMS) and multimedia (MMS) messages through the Messages app . Messages are considered texts and don't count toward your data usage. Your data usage is also free when you turn on chat features. Learn how to turn on chat features (RCS).

Why do I have to keep switching from SMS to MMS? ›

Why do my SMS messages sometimes change to MMS even when I'm not sending images? This likely only happens when you send a particularly long group text message. The default Messaging application in the Android OS supports sending group SMS messages to a maximum of ten contacts.

Does SMS cost money? ›

SMS pricing is based on the destination and type of message you're sending, as well as the carrier to which the SMS is being sent. Our pay-as-you-go pricing gives you control over your messaging costs, with discounts as you scale.

Does MMS cost money? ›

Yes, MMS messages usually cost more to send than SMS messages.

Why does my text say SMS? ›

You'll sometimes see 'Sent as SMS via server' when you send a message using Google Android's RCS (Rich Communication Services) protocol. Traditional SMS texts are sent directly from one device to another via cellular networks.

How do I switch between SMS and MMS? ›

Steps to change from SMS to MMS on android

Compose a New Message: Tap on the option to compose a new message. Add Multimedia Content: To switch from SMS to MMS, you need to add multimedia content to your message. You can attach pictures, videos, or audio files by tapping on the attachment icon.

How do I stop my SMS from automatically converting to MMS? ›

You need to change the Creation Mode in the messaging app's settings to "Restricted". I tried it on my Galaxy S II and it worked. I have found this feature request with a long discussion in Android issue tracker. From what I understand this issue was fixed long ago in stock Android starting from Froyo (2.2).

Why are my texts coming through as MMS? ›

For instance, an SMS has a character limit up to 160 characters, and if you are sending a message longer than this limit, it will be automatically converted to MMS. Similarly, if you are sending an audio, video, or even an image file that exceeds the set size limit, the message will be converted to an MMS.

What does SMS stand for? ›

SMS stands for Short Message Service. It is a text messaging service that allows the exchange of short text messages between mobile devices. SMS messages typically have a maximum length of 160 characters and can be sent and received on various mobile networks.

Should I be using SMS or MMS? ›

While SMS restricts your messages to written characters and links, MMS allows you to send videos or audio files up to 30 seconds long, and up to 500MB of data. And you can include up to 1600 characters – ten times as many as the 160 character limit for SMS.

How do I know if I'm using SMS or MMS? ›

These two terms are used interchangeably but actually refer to different types of messaging. The simplest way to understand the difference is that SMS refers to text messages, while MMS refers to messages with a picture or video.

Should MMS messaging be on or off? ›

There are a lot of great reasons to enable MMS on your iPhone. As the name implies, MMS is a smarter and more convenient way to send multimedia assets from your phone because you can embed these assets within the messages themselves.

What happens if I turn on MMS messaging? ›

When you have MMS enabled, you can send multimedia messages, such as photos, videos, and group messages to people who don't have iPhones, or who aren't using iMessage.

Should I turn off SMS messages? ›

SMS messages are unsafe because they lack end-to-end encryption or E2EE. Not only can your phone provider view all the texts you send and receive, but so can other organizations and people.

What is the difference between SMS and MMS mass texting? ›

Sending group texts via MMS allows the entire group to seamlessly chat in one conversation — for example, if you're collaborating with your team. With SMS, sending a text to multiple people at once is more like BCCing people on an email. Your message will simply be sent as individual texts to each person.

What is the difference between SMS and MMS in simple texting? ›

The main difference between SMS and MMS is MMS' versatility. With MMS, you can do much more, like sending longer messages, or sending messages that better capture and keep peoples' attention. Additionally, MMS usually costs more to use because you're sending much higher quantities of data over carrier networks.

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