What are SMS and MMS and How do They Differ?

There are so many different ways to send text messages today that regardless of whether you use an iPhone or an Android, you’ve probably used multiple texting applications. You’ve also probably heard of different acronyms like SMS and MMS and come across popular mobile text messaging apps like iMessage, WhatsApp, and WeChat. We discuss what each of these terms mean and the differences in the technologies powering them. In particular, we’ll cover:

• How SMS and MMS differ
• Examples of OTT applications like iMessage and WhatsApp
• The differences between SMS and OTT apps
• What drives app popularity in different parts of the world
• Commercial applications of texting

SMS and MMS: What are the differences and similarities?

SMS stands for Short Message Service. Invented in the 1980s and defined in the 1985 GSM standards, it is one of the oldest texting technologies. It is also the most widespread and frequently used.

MMS stands for Multimedia Messaging Service. It was built using the same technology as SMS to allow SMS users to send multimedia content. It’s most popularly used to send pictures, but can also be used to send audio, phone contacts, and video files.

Because SMS and MMS are sent over a cellular network, they only require a wireless plan from cellular carriers to get started. Standard SMS messages are limited to 160 characters per message. If a message exceeds this limit, it is broken up into multiple segments of 160 characters each, depending on its length. Most carriers today automatically chain these messages together to ensure they arrive in the order they are sent. Unlike SMS, MMS messages do not have a standard limit. While their maximum size depends on the carrier and the device receiving the message, 300 KB is often mentioned as the largest size most c