Online Text Fault\Concern

red_fox

Is there any technical reason why the like of Vodafone Webtext (and similar for O2 and Meteor) can't be changed to allow messages longer than 160 characters?

Any phone can send/recieve these and it's the major problem I have with online texting, I sent Vodafone an email and all they said was 'webtext only allows a maximum of 160 characters', I know that but I'd like it to be changed!

Is there anything we can do to encourage them and the others to change, even a petition, I'm sure I'm not the only person who like it different.

Mad Dog

Yeah it can be a pain but I'm sure if enough people keep asking them all the networks may eventually look into it but I wouldn't hold my breath waiting....:(

buddy

When it goes over 160 characters it becomes an MMS which allows 1000 characters. SMS is cheaper than MMS so of course they'll give that free but MMS isn't as popular. They want you to pay for some stuff!

red_fox

No, SMS can go over 160, I think the way it works is that some control script is placed at the end/start of each part and they get sent seperately, the recieving phone combines them again! There's no reason why something like webtext can't do this. Most phones allow up to 760 characters in a multi part sms, not sure how many parts that is, only ever went into the forth!

neacy69

buddy wrote:

When it goes over 160 characters it becomes an MMS which allows 1000 characters. SMS is cheaper than MMS so of course they'll give that free but MMS isn't as popular. They want you to pay for some stuff!

incorrect when phones with the ability to allow more than 160 characters in a message send a message it is broken up into differant parts of 160 characters and sent seperately then rejoined at the receiving end , if the receiving phone is not capable of rejoining the original SMS then it is displayed as seperate messages.

chrislad

I used to have bit of software on my college account that let me send messages through a SSH connection, logging onto my O2 webtexts that let me send long messages. If a message was over 160, it took 2 off my 300 allowance. That was a great time. Then O2 changed the system.

Toy

I remember a few years ago internet explorer would crash whenever you went over 160 characters on Vodafone webtext!! They fixed it but whenever I use it I always make sure to send a copy of the meddage to myself to make sure it sent! It's not great, 160 characters is just too short, if they were to fix that now then I'd be happier with it, but I don't know of any online text that allows more than one SMS at a time!

Sam Vimes

its entirely possible but if i want to send a long text, i have to use my phone, thereby making meteor 18c that they wouldn't have made if i could've done it on the webpage

red_fox

Whenever I use it to send a long message I usually just put a -> at the end of each part so the person knows there's more in the message, I use webtext whenever I happen to be online and texting it's just really annoying to have to send each part seperately when it would be possible to have it so I could just put it all in one.

Karoma

It is a bit of a nuisance. I find it annoying that the countrer (160--) is often wrong/inaccurate.
They probably don't want idiots complaining that the number of texts is decreasing by 2 'for no reason'.

In addition, I'd like an option to buy more on-line texts (@ discounted bundle price;)) when they run out... (Unless they want to be generous and up their limit:D)

chrislad

Commander Vimes wrote:

its entirely possible but if i want to send a long text, i have to use my phone, thereby making meteor 18c that they wouldn't have made if i could've done it on the webpage

Vodafone and O2 do it as well, making their 26c/22c that they wouldn't have made otherwise. Or you could, you know, send two messages like we used to do before this whole joining of messages malarky.

Sam Vimes

chrislad wrote:

Vodafone and O2 do it as well, making their 26c/22c that they wouldn't have made otherwise. Or you could, you know, send two messages like we used to do before this whole joining of messages malarky.

sure why don't we just send them a telegram? you're livin in the past man

Toy

But surely the point is that webtext is living in the past? Back when you could only send single messages it was every bit as good, and should be updated so it still is!

pj_samba

I expect its because 160 characters is the standard set by the mobile industry for text messaging - when you send long SMS through your handset thats a feature of the phone (known as - the network operator takes up to 8 characters from the end/start of each block of 160 characters (this depends on the handset) to link them together.

Send a message of 320 characters and you will be charged for 3 SMS irrespective of the network.

red_fox

Any phone can do it so it would be possible for webtext to be designed to do it, a message of 320 characters taking 3 from your webtext allowance.

Sure the company will make more money if someone uses their phone to send a long message in favor of splitting it up by using webtext to send each part seperately but they'd also make more money if they didn't offer webtext at all.

The fact is webtext is there to entice cutomers but it's not really something that you'll use instead of your phone simply because you don't have access to it, it's hardly mobile if you need a computer, and that's the benifit of the phone.

It won't hurt the company if people could send longer messages from webtext, it's a matter of convience that users don't need to send seperate messages but the companies are unlikely to change unless people put pressure on them, it would be better.

red_fox

Anyone agree?