to not understand why a) my family keep sending me text messages that I need to download and...

[GeorgianMumto5]

...b) why this isn't easy on my phone?

I get messages from them, telling me I need to download a message within 14 days and type in the code in the text. I can't seem to do this from my phone so have to log in to the family laptop. Even then, they usually don't work. Finally accessed one today and it seems they are photos they've taken with their phones.

Do I have a dinosaur phone? Is this a Blackberry user's thing? Am about to ask them not to send them, but do not want to be unreasonable. It seems they are pictures of family, which I'd like to see.

I think IABU to post such a tedious query - sorry.

You might have to set up picture messaging on your phone. Ring your phone provider to ask how.

Ask them to email you them rather than text messaging them.

I know exactly what this is, OP. Mine have been saying the same thing and I'm not sending them downloadable messages. What I have been doing is using the new and fabulous 'emoticons' on my phone. If the phones are not compatible, the receive will get a message saying that the text message needs to be downloaded.

Re-send your message with just the bog standard 'yellow' emoticons on it and no others - or none at all - as a test.

Hope that helps... of course, if you have just been sending straight text, no smileys, then I'm stumped.

This now happens to me as my phone is old and I have lots of photos stored. It tells me I cant download and will have to delete stuff. When I delete stuff it still doesn't download.

I just delete them straight away now

Are you with T Mobile?

No, Virgin Mobile. It's a Samsung Galaxy S3, or something. I can send and receive the fancy green smilies, but it struggles to receive photos and picture texts. I think I'll just ask them all the email me the pics. I know what they'll say: that I never check my emails, which is true, but at least I'll have the option to look and see, eh?

Thanks.

You may not have photo messaging on your account. Ring virgin and they will sort it out for you

Do you by any chance have your mobile data turned off whilst trying to download? If so, make sure it is on and Wifi is off. I have an S3 and tis what i have to do to download an mms.

You need to set up photo messaging. It may be as simple as just sending a photo to someone to kick it off

Usually this means photo messaging hasn't been set up. It always used to be that you had to take a photo on your own phone and send it to yourself to kick start the function. Might be worth a try.