Sometimes you might be charged for a text even if most texts are free in your plan, or you still have allowance left. This often happens when your phone converts a text (SMS) into a picture message (MMS). Picture messages aren’t part of your plan.
Phones typically convert text messages into picture messages when:
- you send a group text message
- your text includes an emoticon, emoji or special symbol
- your text exceeds the character limit (often 160 characters, but this varies by phone)
- you add a subject line
On some phones, you can see when this happens: for example, the character count may change to a file size.
Some phones let you turn this off or set an alert when it happens. Check your phone’s manual or support website for instructions.
Check your device in our interactive device guides.