MMS - Plivo

Frequently asked questions about MMS messaging, supported media types, size limits, and delivery.

What is MMS?

MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) allows sending images, videos, and audio in addition to text. Availability: US and Canada only

Is MMS supported by all carriers in the US and Canada?

Major Carriers

AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile (US)
Rogers, Bell, Fido, Telus, Wind Canada

Minor Carriers

365 Wireless, Alaska Communication System (ACS), Alltel Wireless, Bluegrass Cellular, Boost Mobile, and others.

How much does it cost to send and receive MMS messages?

Direction	Cost per Message
Outbound	$0.0160
Inbound	$0.0080

Volume discounts available—contact Plivo Sales.

What types of multimedia content does Plivo accept?

Category	Formats
Image	JPEG, PNG, GIF
Video	MP4, 3GP, MOV
Audio	MP3, WAV, AMR

See full list of accepted content types.

What are the size limitations for sending messages with text and images?

Limit	Value
Total message size	5 MB
Maximum attachments	10 files
Text content	1,600 characters (~4.8 KB)
Recommended image size	< 600 KB

Note: Plivo does not resize images. Messages exceeding 5 MB fail with error code 120.

Will Plivo automatically resize my images for MMS messaging?

No. Plivo does not resize images. You must ensure total message size is under 5 MB before sending.

What MMS content types does Plivo support?

Media URLs must return valid Content-Type and Content-Length headers. URLs without these headers are rejected.

How do I send MMS via API?

curl -X POST "https://api.plivo.com/v1/Account/{auth_id}/Message/" \
  -u "{auth_id}:{auth_token}" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "src": "14151234567",
    "dst": "14157654321",
    "type": "mms",
    "text": "Check out this image!",
    "media_urls": ["https://example.com/image.jpg"]
  }'

How do I send MMS via Powerpack?

Replace src with powerpack_uuid:

{
  "powerpack_uuid": "your-powerpack-uuid",
  "dst": "14157654321",
  "type": "mms",
  "media_urls": ["https://example.com/image.jpg"]
}

How does Plivo manage delivery order of multiple media files via one MMS message?

Send up to 10 files in one message:

{
  "media_urls": [
    "https://example.com/image1.jpg",
    "https://example.com/image2.jpg",
    "https://example.com/image3.jpg"
  ]
}

Note: Media file order is not guaranteed at delivery.

How can I upload media to an MMS message?

Via Console

Navigate to Messaging > MMS Media Upload
Upload files
Use returned media_id in API requests

Via API

Use the Media API to upload and manage files.

Hosted Media

Host media on any cloud storage (S3, GCS, etc.) and provide the URL in media_urls.

How long does Plivo store MMS media files?

Feature	Details
Storage duration	Up to 1 year
URL type	Publicly accessible
Extension	Case-by-case basis

Media files sent or received are stored in your account with unique URLs.

How can I retrieve Plivo MMS media files?

Via SDK: Use the list media method Via API: Use the Media API

How do I receive MMS messages?

Set message_url on your Plivo application
Assign MMS-enabled number to application
Plivo POSTs inbound MMS to your URL

Inbound Parameters

In addition to standard SMS parameters:

Parameter	Description
`Type`	”mms” for multimedia messages
`Media0`, `Media1`, …	URLs of attached media files

What do the different MMS delivery statuses mean?

Status	Meaning
queued	Message accepted, waiting to send
sent	Sent to carrier
delivered	Confirmed delivery to recipient
undelivered	Failed to deliver
failed	Error occurred

View status in Message Detail Records or via delivery callbacks.

Can I send and receive MMS on my toll-free phone number?

Yes. Toll-free numbers support MMS in the US and Canada. Features:

Videos up to 40 seconds
Audio files
Animated GIFs
Images and slideshows
Automatic message queuing

What are the MMS rate limits?

Account Level

Limit	Value
Default MMS MPS	0.25
API concurrency	100 simultaneous requests

Per Number

Long code numbers have individual throughput limits.

What happens to MMS messages sent to unsupported destinations?

MMS to countries or devices without MMS support returns HTTP 400 error.

What happens to MMS messages sent from unsupported phone numbers?

HTTP 400 error is returned. Use an MMS-enabled number.

Does Plivo do anything with the metadata associated with digital pictures?

Metadata (date, time, location) is usually stripped by sending carrier
If carrier preserves metadata, Plivo passes it through
No modification of received metadata

​What is MMS?

​Is MMS supported by all carriers in the US and Canada?

​Major Carriers

​Minor Carriers

​How much does it cost to send and receive MMS messages?

​What types of multimedia content does Plivo accept?

​What are the size limitations for sending messages with text and images?

​Will Plivo automatically resize my images for MMS messaging?

​What MMS content types does Plivo support?

​How do I send MMS via API?

​How do I send MMS via Powerpack?

​How does Plivo manage delivery order of multiple media files via one MMS message?

​How can I upload media to an MMS message?

​Via Console

​Via API

​Hosted Media

​How long does Plivo store MMS media files?

​How can I retrieve Plivo MMS media files?

​How do I receive MMS messages?

​Inbound Parameters

​What do the different MMS delivery statuses mean?

​Can I send and receive MMS on my toll-free phone number?

​What are the MMS rate limits?

​Account Level

​Per Number

​What happens to MMS messages sent to unsupported destinations?

​What happens to MMS messages sent from unsupported phone numbers?

​Does Plivo do anything with the metadata associated with digital pictures?

​Related Resources