Answer: How to configure Android for MMS only on AT&T (no data)

[jjwatmyself]

How many times have you given your 12 year old a smart phone with data disabled, only to then get the complaints that they can't send or receive MMS. This is how to configure APNs for MMS only, and great for people that don't have a data plan (kids). Note: Data has to be enabled but the phone will be mis-configured, therefore will never use any. All data connection attempts will fail except mms.

I have fully tested this on at&t. An equivalent config for other providers will work. Simply, break the part that makes data work.

Instructions: Create the following two APNs. If a value is not specified, do not configure it.

Step 1 Create broken data APN
Name: Dummy APN
APN: dummy
MMS port: 80
MNC: 410
APN type: default,supl,internet <-- exactly as typed no spaces
(remember to hit lower left menu, save)

Step 2 Create working MMS APN
Name: ATT MMS
APN: wap.cingular
Proxy: wireless.cingular.com
Port: 80
MMSC: http://mmsc.cingular.com
MMS proxy: wireless.cingular.com
MMS port: 80
MCC: 310
MNC: 410
APN type: default,supl,mms <-- exactly as typed no spaces
(remember to hit lower left menu, save)

Step 3. Select broken APN as active
Now that the above are configured, select Dummy APN as the active APN.

Step 4. Enable data.

THE END


The result will be that data will not function. Sending and receiving MMS will function.

In this config, setting the phone to 2G is feasible, as data transfer speed is no longer a priority and 2G will yield far better battery life than 3G

Optional: If you have a situation that requires data, you can toggle over to the APN called ATT Data, below. In all cases android Data remains enabled, and using the APN toggle method determines if the phone will use data. MMS continues to work in all scenarios. At no point do you select the ATT MMS APN. The phone 'find's the APN with type mms, whenever it needs to send or receive a MMS message.

Optional Step 5:
Name: ATT Data
APN: wap.cingular
MMS port: 80
MNC: 410
APN type: default,supl,internet <-- exactly as typed no spaces

 

[jjwatmyself]

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk 2

 

[pre4speed]

I've just one question. How do you get around the "a data plan is required for this phone" that att makes you get?

 

[jjwatmyself]

I've just one question. How do you get around the "a data plan is required for this phone" that att makes you get?

You don't. This is for people that don't buy a smart phone from at&t, but a hand-me-down or one from ebay.

This gives you the technical method to ensure you don't use billable data on an Android phone, like when you swap your kid's sim into their first smart phone and still want MMS to work (requires data be enabled)

 

[pre4speed]

You don't. This is for people that don't buy a smart phone from at&t, but a hand-me-down or one from ebay.

This gives you the technical method to ensure you don't use billable data on an Android phone, like when you swap your kid's sim into their first smart phone and still want MMS to work (requires data be enabled)

Ah. So I bought a phone off ebay, if I put a sim from a dumb phone in it, I can set up this and wont get that txt from att saying they detected the use of a smartphone on the line and theyre adding a required data plan to the account?

 

[jjwatmyself]

Ah. So I bought a phone off ebay, if I put a sim from a dumb phone in it, I can set up this and wont get that txt from att saying they detected the use of a smartphone on the line and theyre adding a required data plan to the account?

They definitely do that for iphones. I don't know if they do that with Android or BlackBerry phones. Do you have info that indicates they do?

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk 2

 

[pre4speed]

They definitely do that for iphones. I don't know if they do that with Android or BlackBerry phones. Do you have info that indicates they do?

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk 2

Yeah I put a dumb phone sim in my old backflip about a yr ago and within an hour got a txt saying that. Was no problem calling and telling them it wasnt a permanent thing but they did add the highest data plan automatically. And they did this without the phone using any data at all. It was on wifi only, data disabled.

 

[cincy1020]

Hi:
This is great information, and has been very useful to me.

I have an odd question, does anyone know of a method like this for iphone?

I still have my gs3, and love it, but mom has an iphone that she would like to use for mms, but no data.

Ihave been searching everywhere, any help would really be appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[jjwatmyself]

Hi:
This is great information, and has been very useful to me.

I have an odd question, does anyone know of a method like this for iphone?

I still have my gs3, and love it, but mom has an iphone that she would like to use for mms, but no data.

Ihave been searching everywhere, any help would really be appreciated.

Thanks!

I don't know if it's possible or not.

Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk 2

 

[ravilov]

It would be more appropriate (and probably more productive) if you went to the iphone board and asked there.

 

[terthen]

incredibly helpful, worked great on a nexus on at&t. thanks!!

 

[tootang]

I left it at 310 which is the default and i think the Android OS is somehow using background data.

 

[tootang]

Can someone help me android os is still using data with these apn settings. Im using a rooted nexus 4 with the stock rom.

 

[eagleeyetom]

Can someone help me android os is still using data with these apn settings. Im using a rooted nexus 4 with the stock rom.

It's not Nexus 4 forum.

 

[knightster98]

Hi all. I'm a noob and a novice when it comes to phones and android. I have a AT&T galaxy S2 with a text plan, no data and I've been trying to figure out how to get MMS to work. I tried jjwantmyself's steps but I'm suspicious... MMS started working but so did all my apps and email.

jjwantmyself - is this what's happening in your case???

Also, I wasn't allowed to leave the MCC blank in the dummy APN. I had to use 310. For the APN type, I had to select from a predefined list which included internet, mms, supl for both the dummy and att mms. I tried setting the att mms APN type to just MMS but that didn't work.

 

[jjwatmyself]

Hi all. I'm a noob and a novice when it comes to phones and android. I have a AT&T galaxy S2 with a text plan, no data and I've been trying to figure out how to get MMS to work. I tried jjwantmyself's steps but I'm suspicious... MMS started working but so did all my apps and email.

jjwantmyself - is this what's happening in your case???

Also, I wasn't allowed to leave the MCC blank in the dummy APN. I had to use 310. For the APN type, I had to select from a predefined list which included internet, mms, supl for both the dummy and att mms. I tried setting the att mms APN type to just MMS but that didn't work.

You are correct in your assessment. I found that in some cases, Android would set the working 'data' connection as the selected / preferred connection, despite dummy having been previously chosen. I wish Android was a bit dumber in this area. My conclusion, for some time, has been that mms only is not viable unless your device properly honors your selected apn (ref anything that is not Android). Bottom line is that the people writing the code for smartphones are not catering for sms/mms only subscribers.

 

[alextrieur]

How many times have you given your 12 year old a smart phone with data disabled, only to then get the complaints that they can't send or receive MMS. This is how to configure APNs for MMS only, and great for people that don't have a data plan (kids). Note: Data has to be enabled but the phone will be mis-configured, therefore will never use any. All data connection attempts will fail except mms.

I have fully tested this on at&t. An equivalent config for other providers will work. Simply, break the part that makes data work.

The method on post #1 worked fine on my Nexus 4 until the Android 4.3 update.
Now it's not working anymore.

Well it's working if I'm connected to wifi (it uses the MMS APN for MMS), but if I'm not connected to wifi it doesn't work anymore.

Any idea? I was so happy that was working.
I have no data plan (I'm paying for what I use) but I have unlimited MMS.

 

[tang097]

it's still not letting me download my mms. "currently unable to download. please try again later." hmm...

 

[jjwatmyself]

I have not done any additional testing since I originally worked on this. Android continues to change with every version and manufacturer's implementation.

 

[AlaskanAmelie]

Solved for 4.4.2

I have not done any additional testing since I originally worked on this. Android continues to change with every version and manufacturer's implementation.

I have the Nexus 5 running Android 4.4.2 with the $30 T-Mobile plan with 1500 minutes/texts and 30 MB data, and finally was able to set mobile data to work only for MMS.

It seemed that no matter what the APN was set to, the phone would connect to the internet. Apparently, the newest Android got so smart that as long as there was any APN saved and the 'APN type' was set to 'internet,' 'default,' or was left blank, it would connect do mobile data regardless of any other settings.

The solution is to have only one APN with a fake name and APN, with the 'APN type' set to 'mms.' For example:

Name: Dummy
APN: dummy
Proxy:
Port:
Username:
Password:
Server:
MMSC:
MMS proxy:
MMS port:
MCC: 310
MNC: 260
Authentication type:
APN type: mms
APN protocol: IPv4
APN roaming protocol: IPv4
Bearer:
MVNO type:​

The actual details of the MMS-specific APN are found under the SMS settings through Hangouts - a separate APN with the original settings from T-Mobile. Using only the APN listed above means that the phone cannot connect to the internet except to send and receive MMSes.

Problem solved!