AT&T is bringing Multimedia Messaging to the iPhone on September 25. But if you can’t wait ten days or so, here’s how to get it now.
- iPhone 3G or iPhone 3GS. MMS doesn’t work on earlier iPhones
- iTunes 8.2 or 9.0
- OS X’s Terminal app
- This AT&T Carrier Settings file
The procedure requires typing a Terminal command, but takes about three minutes total. Be warned, there are some reports the hack doesn’t work.
Start by enabling IPCC updates, which is supported in the latest version of iTunes (iTunes 9) and iTunes 8.2.
- Quit iTunes
- Open Terminal (Applications > Utilities)
- Type the following command: defaults write com.apple.iTunes carrier-testing -bool TRUE
Next you have to update your iPhone with a new carrier settings file, which allows you to change the iPhone’s Network settings and enable MMS.
Right click and save this ATT_US.ipcc carrier settings file to your hard drive. I downloaded it to the default Downloads folder. When it has finished downloading, follow these steps:
- Restart iTunes
- Make sure your iPhone is plugged in
- Select your iPhone under Devices in the left-hand sidebar of iTunes
- Option-Click the “Check for Update” button in the iTunes main window
After Option-Clicking the “Check fro Update” button, you need to find the downloaded ATT_US.ipcc file:
- Browse to your Downloads folder and select the ATT_US.ipcc file
- Click on the file and hit “Choose”
- iTunes will copying the new settings to your iPhone
- Unplug your iPhone
- Reboot your iPhone
When your iPhone has rebooted, you need to input the following in the Network settings window.
Go to Settings>General>Network and choose the new Celullar Data Network option.
Then type in the missing username and password. The other settings should already be there. If not, enter them in as follows:
APN: wap.cingular
Username: [email protected]
Password (case sensitive): CINGULAR1
MMSC: https://mmsc.cingular.com;
MMS Proxy: 66.209.11.32
After entering the settings, just hit the Home button and you’re done — there’s no save button.
MMS in the Messages App should now be enabled. If so, you’ll see a little camera icon next to the text input box, which allows you to shoot video or pictures to go with your message. You can also choose a picture or video already saved on your iPhone.
Leander Kahney is the editor and publisher of Cult of Mac.
Leander is a longtime technology reporter and the author of six acclaimed books about Apple, including two New York Times bestsellers: Jony Ive: The Genius Behind Apple’s Greatest Products and Inside Steve’s Brain, a biography of Steve Jobs.
He’s also written a top-selling biography of Apple CEO Tim Cook and authored Cult of Mac and Cult of iPod, which both won prestigious design awards. Most recently, he was co-author of Cult of Mac, 2nd Edition.
Leander has been reporting about Apple and technology for nearly 30 years.
Before founding Cult of Mac as an independent publication, Leander was news editor at Wired.com, where he was responsible for the day-to-day running of the Wired.com website. He headed up a team of six section editors, a dozen reporters and a large pool of freelancers. Together the team produced a daily digest of stories about the impact of science and technology, and won several awards, including several Webby Awards, 2X Knight-Batten Awards for Innovation in Journalism and the 2010 MIN (Magazine Industry Newsletter) award for best blog, among others.
Before being promoted to news editor, Leander was Wired.com’s senior reporter, primarily covering Apple. During that time, Leander published a ton of scoops, including the first in-depth report about the development of the iPod. Leander attended almost every keynote speech and special product launch presented by Steve Jobs, including the historic launches of the iPhone and iPad. He also reported from almost every Macworld Expo in the late ’90s and early ‘2000s, including, sadly, the last shows in Boston, San Francisco and Tokyo. His reporting for Wired.com formed the basis of the first Cult of Mac book, and subsequently this website.
Before joining Wired, Leander was a senior reporter at the legendary MacWeek, the storied and long-running weekly that documented Apple and its community in the 1980s and ’90s.
Leander has written for Wired magazine (including the Issue 16.04 cover story about Steve Jobs’ leadership at Apple, entitled Evil/Genius), Scientific American, The Guardian, The Observer, The San Francisco Chronicle and many other publications.
Leander has a postgrad diploma in artificial intelligence from the University of Aberdeen, and a BSc (Hons) in experimental psychology from the University of Sussex.
He has a diploma in journalism from the UK’s National Council for the Training of Journalists.
Leander lives in San Francisco, California, and is married with four children. He’s an avid biker and has ridden in many long-distance bike events, including California’s legendary Death Ride.
You can find out more about Leander on LinkedIn and Facebook. You can follow him on X at @lkahney or Instagram.
