Cannot send multipart SMS to iPhone users
asked 2016-09-20 18:21:26 +0200
Type an SMS message that spans two parts, no special characters or emojis just plain text, and when sending to an iPhone recipient the sending will fail ("Cannot send SMS to +447whatever", and then "Problem with sending message" below the message, and retrying never works). Send the same message to myself (Jolla Phone) or a user of a cheap old Nokia and it succeeds. Both devices (sending Jolla and receiving iPhone) are on the EE UK network, in the UK. I've now had this problem twice, it's repeatable, with two iPhone recipients (no idea what network the second iPhone was on but couldn't send them a message and had to call them in the end as it was urgent). Jolla device is fully up to date with 2.0.2.51.
This is absurd, please fix ASAP, this has only been a problem since upgrading from the previous stable Sailfish release and I had thought it a problem with the receiving phones (numbers no longer valid etc.) until I realised it only affected multi-part messages. This renders the Jolla phone pretty useless as most people I know are (sadly) iPhone users. If you need debug info let me know.
Sounds like a network setting by your provider for Jolla<>iphones, not something a device is actually capable of, how should your Jolla know the other end is an iPhone? Call your customer support (provider).
chemist ( 2016-09-20 18:41:23 +0200 )editThanks, yes that was my initial thought, and perhaps it's purely a coincidence this problem only started since the last Sailfish 2.0.2.51 update, but this just kills Sailfish and Jolla for me. Unfortunately I really don't think my network provider is going to give a toss about a Jolla phone they don't sell, don't support and of which there are hardly any in the world, that can no longer send multi-part text messages to iPhones (or maybe it's just other smart phones?) since the last OS update, to be honest. I can just imagine how that conversation is going to go, and I'd rather put the money I'd waste on the phone calls towards a phone that "just works". When faced with fundamental issues like this it's hard to keep fighting against the tide, and probably now time to go with the flow. I'll give Jolla a few more days to respond - maybe they have an idea what is going on - then my Jolla will be going in the device museum drawer. :(
Milhouse ( 2016-09-20 18:57:53 +0200 )editCould Jolla with 2.0.2.51 be screwing up the multi-part message send, perhaps the way the message is stitched together? I can send single part messages (less than 160 chars) to these iPhone recipients without any problem, but not a 2-part message (more than 160 chars) as these always fail to send. Is there any way to understand why the multi-part message cannot be sent, some debug information? Having a device that cannot reliably send a long text message to all recipients is a PITA. Can I downgrade to the previous Sailfish version?
Milhouse ( 2016-09-20 19:06:45 +0200 )editIf that is a question of OS release.you could always version --dup yourself to 2.0.3.14 or higher to see if it is a problem on your side, which I think is not.
Mr.Pancake ( 2016-09-20 23:13:00 +0200 )editI'd imagine if the problem was sending multipart SMS to any device but if it just affects Apple users.... fairly strange.
You note that sending a multipart SMS to an old featurephone works, does it work correctly if you send a multipart message to an Android device or a WP device?
How long after the message sending do you get the error? Does the recipient get any kind of notification of the sending attempt?
Have you tried to send so that the recipient's iDevice is switched off, will you get the error notification only AFTER the receiving device is switched on and registered to network?
This might well be some Apple-related problem; it is a well-known fact that iDevices do not follow all the 3GPP standards to the letter.
juiceme ( 2016-09-21 10:59:03 +0200 )edit