OK I have made a few posts previously about fMMS (by frals) for the Nokia N900 over at “mynokiablog.com” (by Jay Montano) but since the updates, a lot has changed so I thought I would start fresh on my own blog so that you have a single point of reference which I will update as and when required.

fMMS version at last post update: 1.3

One of the main things to note is that for a lot (if not all) people, choosing Image Width “Original” does not work as the network does not support very larg files, so I recommend selecting “Large”, “Medium” or “Small”, but more details are below.

Useful Links
Before I start, here are some useful links to resources which may help should this post not answer your questions:
Developer’s Site: http://mms.frals.se
Developer’s Blog: http://blog.frals.se/
Maemo Forum fMMS Thread: http://talk.maemo.org/showthread.php?t=51890
Maemo MMS Wiki (with more network settings, etc): http://wiki.maemo.org/MMS

F.A.Q.

Questions

How do I Download / Install fMMS?
How does sending / receiving MMS messages work on the Nokia N900?
How do I send a MMS?
How do I receive a MMS?
Do I need to install fAPN for fMMS to work?
I can’t see fMMS in Application Manager, where is it?
What types of media does fMMS support?
Does it matter what format I enter the phone number?
It says sent on my phone but the other person never receives the MMS?
What do the different connection modes mean?
What do the different “Resize image width” options mean?
I can send MMS but I can’t receive, why is it doing this?
I get error: “Operation failed. MMSC: 200_OK. BODY: □□j”, what is wrong?
I get error “Name or service not known”, what is wrong?
How do I use the Share service on the N900 to send MMS?
My settings do not work or are not filled automatically, what settings should I use?

Answers

How do I Download / Install fMMS?

How does sending / receiving MMS messages work on the Nokia N900?

Sending and Receiving MMS messages is now as easy as any other device out there when Havoc mode is selected, the only difference is that all MMS messages you send and receive are stored in the fMMS application and currently only images are supported for sending, but you can receive almost any type of MMS (video, image, audio, etc)

How do I send a MMS?

Currently fMMS on the N900 can only support images, please be aware you may need to change the image size to “large” or “medium” as some netowrks restrict the size of image you can send.

How do I receive a MMS?

You should be able to receive most formats of images, videos and audio clips which have been sent via MMS to you.

Do I need to install fAPN for fMMS to work?

No! Since version 1.0.0, there is no more need to different APN’s, etc as all the MMS settings that you need to enter and done through the fMMS application. See further down for how to get to the configuration screen.

I can’t see fMMS in Application Manager, where is it?

The application should be in the Network Category of the maemo.org (a.k.a. Extras) catalogue as shown above but if you cannot see it, you may have somehow disabled or deleted some of the default application catalogues,

Solution: Just check out my Nokia N900 Application Manager Catalogues post and make sure you have all the Default Application Catalogues correctly entered and also enabled (i.e. disable box not ticked).

What types of media does fMMS support?

Sending: Currently only images are supported. Please do not ask when other files will be supported as I don’t know. It is possible that only images will ever be supported.
Receiving: You should be able to receive almost any type of MMS, so far I’ve tested images, videos and audio files.

Does it matter what format I enter the phone number?

The number format should not matter, it should send if you enter it in the same way you do for sending normal texts.

If you have issues, use international format, i.e. +447123456789 instead of 07123456789 for UK

It says sent on my phone but the other person never receives the MMS?

This could be caused by several thing, make sure the receiver’s phone is correctly configured and if it still does not work, ask them to call their network to ensure that Internet and MMS are enabled (if internet is disabled on an account, MMS will not work either).

One thing I noticed on one of my phones is that it changed the MMS settings on the receiving phone (not the N900) to contact settings instead of pay as you go, so check this.

What do the different connection modes mean?

Connection modes:

  • Polite: This mode only connects to the MMS APN if no other connection is active. If you have another APN active, such as WiFi, you will have to manually change connection to send or receive MMS
  • Rude: Automatically takes down your current connection (i.e. Wifi), connects to the MMS APN and when it’s done reconnects to the previous connection if possible.
  • Havoc: This is what other phones do (albeit much more reliably), it opens a second connection to the MMS APN in parallel with the one currently open. As an added bonus, the MMS APN is hidden from the “Connections” UI in this mode as it does not need to be visible.
    Note: Due to the nature of the kernel in Maemo 5 there are some ugly hacks involved in this, so if your current connection and the MMS APN configuration share the same network namespace, things might get ugly. Also, if the application fails in some way when opening/closing a connection in this mode it MIGHT lead to the modem not being able to open a new GPRS connection until the device is rebooted. You have been warned. Note: Frals has been using this mode for more than 3-4 months and not yet had it happen also I have used it for about 2 months and no issues 😉

What do the different “Resize image width” options mean?

The latest update not includes several different options of image size, this will just re-size the image you are sending to a fixed width which can be useful if you are sending to a device which only supports MMS images up to a certain size, etc. Also some networks might have a file size limit. The different sizes correspond to the following different widths:

  • Small: 240 pixels
  • Medium: 320 pixels
  • Large: 640 pixels
  • Original: no resizing (this mode does not work properly unfortunately)

I can send MMS but I can’t receive, why is it doing this?

Some networks flag customers who have previously been unable to receive MMS on their phones to receive a text with a link to view the MMS online, and sometimes this is not automatically updated if at a later date you are able to receive MMS on the same device.

Solution: Call the network and inform them that you can receive MMS and they should update this, it might take some time for it to start working, i.e. 48 hours (maybe more or less though depending on the network)

I get error “Operation failed. MMSC: 200_OK. BODY: □□j”, what is wrong?
You will see this error if the file your are trying to send is to large as some operators have restrictions.


Solution:In settings, change the “Resize to” option to the next size down. As this application resizes based on width, if you have a portrait image, you might have to select a lower width then with landscape images. I usually use Medium for portrait images and Large for Landscape images.

I get error “Name or service not known”, what is wrong?

It could be either:

  • Incorrectly entered APN settings
  • Network level block for internet on your account – If internet is disabled, this will also disable MMS!
    This maybe something which you have requested or applied by the network for some reason.

Solution:

  • Double check settings for typos, etc. it is easy to enter the number zero instead of the letter “o” or vice versa sometimes!!
    Note: Scroll down on APN Configuration screen to enter port number
  • Check with your network that internet and MMS are enabled.

How do I use the Share service on the N900 to send MMS?

The share service will load the fMMS application up in “New Message” mode and auto load the selected image into fMMS.

Solution: To use the Share service, follow these instructions:

  1. Find the image you want and either:
    • Long press on the thumbnail and click on share
      or
    • When the image is opened full screen, click the image to show the options, and click the share button (second from last icon with the 3 connected dots)
  2. Click on “Share via Service”
  3. Click on “Account”
  4. Scroll through the list and click on “MMS”
    If it is notthere then:

    1. Click “New”
    2. Scroll down and click “MMS”
    3. Click “Validate”
  5. Optional: Click “Options” to change the image size.
  6. Click “Share” and it will load up fMMS with the image loaded into it

My settings do not work or are not filled automatically, what settings should I use?

To get to the configuration screen, see below:


NOTE: Scroll down on APN Configuration screen to enter port number

The following settings are for most of the UK providers, for providers in other countries see the Maemo MMS wiki here: http://wiki.maemo.org/MMS

NOTE: for o2, make sure to enter the letter “o” & number two, not the number zero two!

O2 UK (Contract)

  • Access Point Name: wap.o2.co.uk
  • MMSC: http://mmsc.mms.o2.co.uk:8002
  • Username: o2wap
  • Password: password
  • Proxy: 193.113.200.195
  • Port: 8080

O2 UK (Pay As You Go)

  • Access Point Name: payandgo.o2.co.uk
  • MMSC: http://mmsc.mms.o2.co.uk:8002
  • Username: payandgo
  • Password: password
  • Proxy: 193.113.200.195
  • Port: 8080

Orange UK

  • Access Point Name: orangemms
  • MMSC: http://mms.orange.co.uk
  • Username: (leave blank)
  • Password: (leave blank)
  • Proxy: 192.168.224.10
  • Port Number: 8080

T-Mobile UK

  • Access Point Name: general.t-mobile.uk
  • MMSC: http://mmsc.t-mobile.co.uk:8002
  • Username: user
  • Password: tm
  • HTTP Proxy: 149.254.201.135
  • Port Number: 8080

Vodafone UK (Contract)

  • Access Point Name: wap.vodafone.co.uk
  • MMSC: http://mms.vodafone.co.uk/servlets/mms
  • Username: wap
  • Password: user
  • HTTP Proxy: 212.183.137.012
  • Port Number: 8799

Vodafone UK (Pay As You Go)

  • Access Point Name: pp.vodafone.co.uk
  • MMSC: http://mms.vodafone.co.uk/servlets/mms
  • Username:wap
  • Password:wap
  • Proxy:212.183.137.012
  • Port number:8799

Three UK

  • Access Point Name: mms.three.co.uk
  • MMSC: http://mms.um.three.co.uk:10021/mmsc
  • Username: (leave blank)
  • Password: (leave blank)
  • HTTP Proxy: 217.171.129.2
  • Port Number: 8799

Virgin UK

Note: Virgin must enable MMS for your account. Contact Virgin Customer Services

  • Access Point Name: goto.virginmobile.uk
  • MMSC: http://mms.virginmobile.co.uk:8002
  • Username: user
  • Password: (leave blank)
  • HTTP Proxy: 193.030.166.001
  • Port Number: 8080

Tesco Mobile UK (Pay As You Go)

Note: Tesco use o2 cell towers, so the use of the o2 MMSC below is not a typo!

  • Access Point Name: prepay.tesco-mobile.com
  • MMSC: http://mmsc.mms.o2.co.uk:8002
  • Username: tescowap
  • Password: password
  • HTTP Proxy: 193.113.200.195
  • Port Number: 8080

BT Mobile UK

  • Access Point Name: mobile.bt.uk
  • MMSC: http://mms.bt.com/servlets/mms or http://mmsc.btmms.co.uk:8002
  • Username: user
  • Password: btmms
  • HTTP Proxy: 212.183.137.012 or 62.239.21.123
  • Port Number: 8799

ASDA Mobile UK

  • Access Point Name: asdamobiles.co.uk
  • MMSC: http://mms.asdamobiles.co.uk/servlets/mms
  • Username: wap
  • Password: wap
  • HTTP Proxy: 212.183.137.12
  • Port Number: 8799