Send picture and video messages

Learn how to send picture, video, and audio messages from your mobile phone to any 10-digit wireless number.

Learn to use picture and video messaging

View Messaging tutorials to learn how to send and receive picture and video messages.Learn more

Messaging billing, plans, and rates

Your plan may include messaging. If not, you can add it as an additional feature, or you may choose to use messaging at a pay-per-use rate:
 If your plan or features don’t include unlimited messaging:
  • Charges apply for each text, picture, or video message sent or received that exceeds your plan or feature's limit.
  • AT&T bills for all messages sent and received, including unread and unsolicited messages.
  • When using group messaging (sending a single message to multiple recipients), you're charged one message for each recipient. Each recipient is charged for the message received.
If you don't have a plan or feature that includes messaging, pay-per-use rates apply. View Other Charges Applicable for Wireless Services and your Customer Service Summary for details.

Picture and video messaging details

Device and network requirements
Picture and video messaging uses Multimedia Messaging Service (MMS) to send and receive audio, video, and picture messages. To use picture and video messaging:
  • You must have a picture and video messaging-capable wireless phone.
  • You must be on an LTE or GSM network supporting GPRS transport.
  • Your phone must be on and in a data coverage area to receive the picture or video message.
  • If the phone is off or out of the coverage area, the message will be stored for up to 72 hours and delivered when the phone becomes available.
Picture and video message size limits
The AT&T mobile broadband network delivers picture, video, or audio messages of up to 1MB:
  • Larger media file attachments are compressed before sending to keep the message size below 1MB.
  • The maximum size for sending and receiving picture, video, or audio messages is also dependent upon the recipient's device and the limitations of other carriers' networks (e.g., other carriers may have a lower message size limit than AT&T).

Troubleshoot picture and video messaging

About phones without picture and video messaging
Some wireless phones aren’t capable of receiving picture and video messages:
  • If your phone isn’t capable of receiving a picture or video message, you'll receive a text message explaining how to view it.
  • If you send a message to a phone incapable of viewing picture and video messages, the recipient receives a text message with a link to view your message online.
  • Some wireless providers may not deliver these messages to their customers.
Last updated: December 7, 2022

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