MMS API Texting Service

Connect with customers visually through images, GIFs, videos, audio, and more by integrating our powerful MMS texting service into your business.

What is an MMS API?

An MMS API (multimedia messaging service – application programming interface) is a set of programming instructions that allow software, websites, CRMs, and applications to interact with MMS-compliant messaging servers. This can include sending and receiving picture messages, GIFs, audio, video, and more.

Developers can build visual messaging features into their applications using an MMS API. This can be useful for businesses that want to send marketing messages to their customers or for anyone who wants to communicate with others via text message in a more creative way.

What Is MMS?

MMS stands for Multimedia Messaging Service and is an extension of the core Short Message Service (SMS), or SMS protocol. This essentially means that it’s a way to send text messages that include multimedia content, such as pictures and videos. Put more simply: When you text your friend about the restaurant you just tried, that’s SMS. But when you send a picture of the meal? That’s MMS.

Powerful SMS Gateway Features

When you combine our SMS API gateway with these awesome features, anything is possible! Our SMS API delivers the tools you need to boost company sales, revenue, customer engagement, and stay connected with your customers.

Short Code Texting Service

Send mass text messages to customers fast from a memorable 5-6 digit phone number.

MMS API

Send cool pictures, emojis, GIFs, links to your website, and even audio messages.

Long Code Texting Service

Send text messages from a local phone number that your recipients will know and trust.

10DLC Capable

Get a new SMS long code solution for all of your U.S. A2P text messaging use cases.

SMS 2 Way

Engage customers by sending & receiving bulk SMS & create powerful conversations.

SMS Appointment Reminders

Reduce missed appointments by sending automated SMS reminders to your customers.

Schedule SMS

Schedule texting campaigns to be sent out at optimal times for higher conversions.

Two-Factor Authentication

Send text messages to users of your application, website, or software to ensure secure logins.

Autoresponder

Automate your entire SMS campaign and the response customers receive after replying.

Opt Out Handling

Recipients can easily remove themselves from your SMS campaign with a click of a button.

Number Pooling

Use multiple phone numbers to deliver even more text messages to your entire contact list.

Detailed Reports

Get detailed reports on how many text messages are sent, plus more valuable data.

Benefits of Using an MMS API

There are numerous benefits to MMS text services.

Super Rich MMS Media

One of the biggest advantages of MMS marketing services is that they include media content. You can do a lot with 160 characters in an SMS message, but a multimedia text message is worth a thousand words. That’s probably why MMS marketing does so well compared to other platforms. Overall, MMS text services enhance the benefits that regular text marketing already enjoys.

Impressive MMS Statistics

Texts are highly visible, with a read rate of nearly 100%. In fact, most users check new messages within five minutes of receiving them, & over three-quarters of users respond to texts in ten minutes or less. When compared to emails & voice broadcasting, research has found that text messages are 134% more likely to be read. It’s no wonder that nearly 90% of business owners that used multimedia messaging services found that it offered a higher rate of customer engagement than email or voice broadcast.

Subject Lines

Another great benefit is that you can also send a subject line in an MMS message. With Esendex’s MMS service, your subject line can be up to a whopping 200 characters! This means that you have plenty of space to hook the customer’s attention and entice them to keep reading. And on some mobile phones, subject lines are also in bold, which draws even more attention to your messages.

Did You Know? You can send an MMS message from a smartphone to an email address.

Why Integrate an MMS API into Your Business?

A multimedia message service naturally complements other marketing strategies you may already have in place. When you send a picture or other media, you not only increase the chances of customer engagement, but you also create a unique experience that builds your business’s brand. Here are some more reasons.


There are over 5 billion unique mobile users globally, & over 273 million people are actively using their smartphone at any given time. 84% of these consumers have already received a text message from a business or organization, & that number is steadily growing.

In 2018 alone, there were over 2 trillion SMS and MMS messages exchanged— that’s 5.5 billion text messages per day and over 63,000 texts per second! It’s no wonder that so many businesses are taking advantage of MMS marketing to grow their business.

SMS & MMS text messaging dominates peer-to-peer communication, and is also becoming increasingly important in business-to-consumer communication. So, if you’re looking to boost your marketing power, an MMS messaging service is it!

MMS is Perfect For:

MMS messaging naturally complements other marketing strategies you may already have in place. When you send a picture or other media, you not only increase the chances of customer engagement, you also create a unique experience that builds your business’s brand.

Common MMS API Use Cases

The most common types of messages smartphone users receive from businesses are appointment reminders (86%), coupons or discounts (67%), service notifications (55%), customer service follow-ups (55%) and sweepstakes and/or contests (34%).

Customers also reported that SMS and MMS messages were their preferred method of communication for appointment reminders, service notifications, and promotions compared to other information mediums like voice broadcast or emails. The possibilities are endless.

  • Business and contact cards
  • Deals and promotions
  • News and updates
  • Image-based polls and surveys
  • Ticket and booking confirmations
  • Important documents and files
  • Mobile coupons and QR codes
  • Customer support

SMS Vs. MMS, What’s the Difference?

Watch the video or continue reading to get the answer.

There’s Visual, then there’s Content

SMS text messages are text-only. Though you can include links to rich media, you can’t directly include a picture or video within the message itself. As the name suggests, MMS text messaging lets you embed rich media like images, audio files, short videos, and cute cat .gifs (don’t deny it— we know you love them, too).

Different Character Limits

SMS messages have a 160-character limit. Including more characters will cause the messages to split up and send separately, called message fragmentation. Though this may sound alarming, rest assured: Esendex’s programmable SMS API offers automatic concatenation, which guarantees correct-order delivery.

Technically speaking? MMS messages allow for an unlimited number of characters per text since there’s no standardized limit. However, practically speaking, wireless carriers often limit MMS messages. At Esendex, our MMS service allows up to 4,000 characters and 2 MB.

Pricing for MMS Varies

Though prices vary by provider, SMS texting generally costs less than MMS. Not only are SMS texts limited by character, but they also transmit less data. MMS texting costs more than SMS, but that doesn’t mean it’s not budget friendly. MMS text services often include more characters and data (in the form of media) than SMS.

How to Enable MMS for My Short Code & Long Code Phone Number?

Before enabling our MMS services, you need either an SMS short code or long code phone number. Already have a long code or short code number?

Great! Don’t already have a long code or short code? No worries! The process is simple, and here at Esendex, we walk you through the entire process hand in hand. Here’s what it looks like.

  1. Book a meeting with sales to discuss your company’s use case, budget, and overall game plan.
  2. Complete your one on one video meeting with your dedicated account manager and choose between a short code or long code phone number.
  3. Create your account and add your payment information.
  4. We’ll activate the MMS feature for your short or long code phone number of choice.
  5. Start sending rich multimedia content to your customers and experience growth within your SMS campaigns.

Competitive MMS API Pricing

We’re 100% transparent about our MMS pricing and will never charge you with hidden fees. We’re a company you can trust and have been leaders in the messaging industry since the early 2000’s.

Random Short Codes
  • $3,200 setup fee
  • $1,500/month
  • $0.0075/SMS message
  • $0.0175/MMS outbound message
  • $0.01/MMS inbound message
Vanity Short Codes
  • $3,200 setup fee
  • $1,500/month
  • $1/month per phone number
  • $0.0075/SMS message
  • $0.0175/MMS outbound message
  • $0.01/MMS inbound message
SMS Long Codes
  • $0 setup fee
  • $1-2/month
  • 1-2 cents/SMS message
  • $0.0175/MMS outbound message
  • $0.009/MMS inbound message

MMS Messaging Rules & Compliance

Several agencies regulate the messaging world. The 1991 Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) was the first legislation passed that regulated the use of phones, but since then other organizations have been formed to better protect customers. These include the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA), Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and Mobile Marketing Association (MMA).

Each serves a different purpose and has different rules. Specific rules and regulations also depend on whether you’re using a short code or a long code to send MMS messages. It’s a lot to take in, so below we’ve just included the general guidelines you’ll need to follow to stay in compliance. If you ever have any questions about MMS marketing rules and compliance, our helpful team of specialists are always here to answer them for you.

Consent

Before sending any messages to users, they must first give consent to receive marketing-based messages. Conversely, subscribers must also be able to rescind permission at any time. Your first message should include this important opt-in and opt-out information.

Content

All content must promote a positive user experience, meaning that no businesses can send messages that contain unapproved or illicit content, such as hate speech, lewd images, profanity, and illegal drug endorsements. Messages to minors are subject to further restrictions.

Keywords

Businesses must respond to universally recognized keywords such as STOP and HELP. If a subscriber opts-out of your service by texting STOP, you can’t send further messages. If a user texts HELP, you must send a compliant response, even if they’re not a subscriber.

SMS & MMS API with Voice

Would you like to send mass SMS & MMS messages as well as voice broadcast to your clients? Use our programmable multimedia messaging service and get an MMS-enabled phone number to allow customers to call or text back.

MMS API Documentation

Our MMS API documentation is easy to understand and implement in your business. You can connect to our mms marketing service using any programming language capable of REST or SOAP calls. Contact one of our experts for help with integration.

  • Uncomplicated MMS API References
  • Code in Multiple Programming Languages
  • Detailed FAQ Section to Answer Questions
  • Get Technical Support for Any Issues

Why Use Esendex’s MMS API?

Fast Speeds & Deliverability

Our MMS API has fast throughput, dependable security, & smooth connections always deliver your messages the first time around. With a tier 1 network our MMS service has an incredibly strong framework with a 99.9% guaranteed uptime MMS gateway.

Free 24/7 Emergency Support

Almost all MMS API providers make you pay for after-hours support, but Esendex isn’t your average provider. You can expect fast response times, fast troubleshooting, and easy-to-read documentation 24/7 all year round. And guess what? You won’t pay a penny.

Message Confirmation

Our MMS API Gateway supports SMS confirmation, so you’ll always know when your messages are successfully delivered and viewed. And since each MMS message can have up to 2 MB of content, you can rest assured that you’re delivering engaging content.

Programmable MMS API FAQ

Get all of your MMS API questions answered here.

What is an MMS message?

MMS stands for Multimedia Messaging Service. MMS is used to send text messages that include multimedia content, such as pictures and videos.

How long does it take to get MMS-enabled messages?

Almost no time at all! Simply tell your Esendex account manager that you want to enable the MMS features and they’ll notify you when it’s ready.

How many MMS messages can I send on a daily basis?

You can send as many messages as you want with a short code and up to 86,400 messages per day with a long code.

Are MMS messages expensive to enable?

Not at all! When you enable the MMS feature, a small fee is added onto your regular pricing for SMS messages.

What is MMS messaging?

MMS messaging is a multimedia messaging service that allows you to send messages with multimedia content, such as pictures and videos. The messages are delivered over a cellular network instead of the traditional SMS text messaging service.

What does MMS mean?

MMS stands for multimedia messaging service. It’s a way to send messages that include multimedia content, such as photos and videos.

How to enable MMS messaging?

You can enable MMS by contacting a helpful Esendex sales representative and letting them know you’d like this feature enabled for your long code or short code phone number.

What is the difference between SMS and MMS?

SMS and MMS are text messaging services, but they have some key differences. SMS is limited to 160 characters per message, while MMS can include photos, videos, and other attachments. MMS also has a higher cost per message than SMS.

What is an MMS API?

An MMS API (multimedia messaging service – application programming interface) is a set of programming instructions that allow software, websites, CRMs, and applications to interact with MMS-compliant messaging servers. This can include sending and receiving picture messages, GIFs, audio, video, and more.

What types of rich content can I send with your MMS API?

JPEG, JPG, GIF, PNG, TXT, PDF, XML, HTML, WAV, WMA, WMV, BMP & TIFF, MPEG AUDIO & MIDI, MPEG VIDEO, 3GPP & MPEG-4

Can I send and receive messages with your MMS API?

Yes. Our MMS API has the capability to send and receive SMS & MMS messages.

Can I send MMS via SMS short codes?

Yes. You can send MMS messages from a short code with Esendex’s MMS service.

Can I send MMS via SMS long codes?

Yes. You can send MMS messages from a long code with Esendex’s MMS service.

Does MMS concatenate (segment) messages like SMS?

Yes. Our MMS text service can concatenate both your MMS and SMS messages, so they show up to your contacts in an organized fashion.

Does MMS cost the same or different than SMS?

Prices vary by provider, but SMS texting generally costs less than MMS.

Can you report on delivered MMS messages?

Yes. Our MMS service has the capability to provide detailed reports for delivered MMS messages.

Can I send emojis using your MMS API?

Yes. Our MMS API is capable of sending mass MMS messages that also contain emojis in the text content.

Let’s start sending, together.