The iPhone 3GS has already been a hit with Australian consumers, but an issue regarding the SMS function of the device has been flagged that forces users to send group messages as group MMS messages instead.
MMS messages, which differ from text-based messages, are usually designed to send media files such as pictures and are usually more expensive than normal SMS messages.
As some users do not have MMS capabilities included in their phone contracts, the bug could force users to spend a large amount of money for messages that, if sent via SMS, would be very cheap or even free, depending on the user’s plan.
Users on the Whirlpool forums have come up with a work-around, but Telstra is now aware of the issue and has reportedly sent service messages to its users: “If your iPhone is running 3.0 OS any SMS sent to 2 or more recipients gets converted and charged as an MMS. A fix is being developed & we will notify when this has been completed. You can turn off MMS functionality through the “settings” menu to avoid MMS charges in the interim.”
Patrick Stafford is a freelance journalist and a former deputy editor of SmartCompany.
Comments