Picture this: being charged extra to send emoji texts

http://www.theguardian.com/money/2016/jan/02/charged-extra-emoji-texts-smartphone-bill

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If you received a smartphone, and particularly an iPhone, for Christmas, be careful how you send any future text messages, because you may well find yourself facing an unexpected bill for picture messages – even though you haven’t sent any.

It’s a little known fact that, depending on your handset and network, adding an emoji – a picture icon such as a smiley or a sad face – to a text message, or sending a text to an email address, can result in you being charged as much as 40p a time. On some phones, even typing a simple emoticon such as ;-) can cost you money when the software replaces it with an image file.

It happens because some handsets automatically convert the free text message you write into a chargeable picture message, and seems to particularly affect the latest iPhones, as well as some Samsung handsets; 33p, plus VAT, seems to be the typical amount charged by many operators for sending a picture message.

Many people who have been hit with these extra changes will not be aware of it because they don’t check their bills closely enough. The problem particularly affects those sending out group texts to a gang of friends, as they can be charged for every message in the group.

Jamie Fahey, who lives in Reading, recently upgraded his old iPhone to a new iPhone 6 and could not understand why his first bill from O2 featured £13 of picture messages – or MMSs as they are called by the industry – because, as far he knew, he hadn’t sent a single one.

His bill showed that on several separate days he had sent nine MMSs, each costing 33p. After a bit of digging around it emerged he was being charged almost £3 every time he sent a group text to his football group telling them where to meet.

He says that a call to O2 shed some light on the matter, but still left him confused as to how to stop this from happening.

The MoneySavingExpert.com website has reported receiving numerous complaints from mobile users who have racked up huge bills for sending what they thought were text messages – including one who received a bill for more than £200. It advises those who have been hit to complain and to seek a refund.

The phone companies and tech experts say texts can be automatically converted into picture messages if:

• you have included a non-standard smiley or symbol. The problem particularly affects those who have downloaded a special “emoji keyboard”, but also affects standard users

• the message is too long (with some devices the limit can be 160 characters)

• one or more of the recipients is being emailed.

If your phone’s “group messaging” option is turned on, group messages may be sent at chargeable MMS rates.

Phone users are advised to go into their settings menu and turn off picture messaging, or MMS as it may be listed. Regular senders of group messages should consider signing up to the WhatsApp service instead. It is free to use for the first year and about 67p a year after that. It works with all the big phone operating systems.

An O2 spokesman told Guardian Money: “This is something that is down to the handset manufacturers, and it happens on other mobile networks, too. We’ve worked with the manufacturers, and the majority now advise customers that the message they are sending has or will be converted to MMS.”

Fahey says he did not receive any such warnings and has since changed his settings to turn off picture messaging. O2 has refunded his £13.