Verifying Your iPhone’s Cellular Data Connection, MMS Picture Messages, and Group Text Messages

This article explains how to verify your cellular data, MMS picture messages, and group text messages on your iPhone. Typically, you want to do this after you have set your wireless carrier’s APN on your iPhone. This article is only for the iPhone. The article is part of a series of articles that explain how to set up your Straight Talk APN on the iPhone but you can follow these steps for any wireless carrier. If you are trying to set the Straight Talk APN and haven’t done so yet, see Setting up Straight Talk Wireless APN for Cellular Data, Internet, MMS Picture Messages on Your iPhone Using iOS 8.


Verify Cellular Data

Follow the steps below to turn off Wi-Fi

  1. Press Home
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  2. From the bottom of the screen, swipe up
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  3. if Wi-Fi is on, Tap Wifi to turn it off
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  4. From Control Center, swipe down
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Once Wi-Fi is off, check to see if you can access the internet using your cellular data connection.

  1. Press Home
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  2. Tap Safari
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    On your iPhone, Safari will display whatever web pages you last visited.

  3. Tap address bar
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    info

  4. Enter a URL, http://smartphonematters.com for example
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    info

  5. Scroll around, tap random links to visit from different pages
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If your cellular data still does not work, see the If Your Cellular Data, MMS Picture Messages, or Group Text Messages Are Not Working section.


Verify MMS Picture Messages

Next verify that you a can send picture messages. Your iPhone sends and receives picture messages two different ways: iMessage and MMS. If you don’t understand the difference between iMessage and MMS see Understanding the Difference between MMS and iMessage on Your iPhone.

  1. Press Home
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    info

  2. Tap Messages
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    I blurred my messages.

  3. Tap New Message
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    I blurred my messages.

  4. Tap To and enter a name
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  5. Tap Camera
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  6. Select a photo
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    I selected a photo from the recents photos. You can do that, use the camera, or find one in your photo library

  7. Tap Add Comment
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    info

  8. Enter a message
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    for example Hi, I am trying to see if I can send and receive picture messages. Check out this picture. Could you do me a favor and send me a text message if you receive this and then send me back a picture message so that I know my phone is working

  9. Tap Send
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  10. Wait for a reply
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    Verify your friend received your picture message and you received their picture message reply.

If your MMS picture messagea still do not work, see the If Your Cellular Data, MMS Picture Messages, or Group Text Messages Are Not Working section.


Verify Group Text Messages

Repeat the process above, but this time for a group text message. Perhqps I’ll add the steps here at a later date. If you use group text messages, you already know what to do.
If your group text messages still do not work, see the If Your Cellular Data, MMS Picture Messages, or Group Text Messages Are Not Working section.


If Your Cellular Data, MMS Picture Messages, or Group Text Messages Are Not Working

Read this entire section before taking any action. If one or more features are not working, Sometimes resetting your iPhone will help. First, try Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings and then start verifying again. For detailed instructions to reset your network settings, see Resetting Network Settings on Your iPhone

If your cellular data, MMS picture messages, or group text messages still do not work, Try resetting your iPhone will help. First, try Settings > General > Reset > Reset Network Settings and then start verifying again. For detailed instructions to reset all settings, see Resetting All Your iPhone’s Settings

If your APN is wap.tracfone and you do either of these resets, you’ll need to go back and re-enter your APN settings. Before resetting, you might want to go back to Settings > Cellular > Cellular Data Network and double check the values you entered.

If after trying all this your iPhone is still not working, leave a reply on the following article: Setting up Straight Talk Wireless APN for Cellular Data, Internet, MMS Picture Messages on Your iPhone Using iOS 8


Finishing Up

If your cellular data, MMS, or group texts work now, please continue to Setting up Straight Talk Wireless APN for Cellular Data, Internet, MMS Picture Messages on Your iPhone Using iOS 8


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