Sprint Users: Want a working Picture Mail site? Here you go! WM6 ONLY
 

OK guys I can take credit for this one--I spent a long time trying to figure out why Picture Mail broke on the Apache beginning with AKU3. I'm happy to report that the problem is solved for WM6 users. Read on for the details or if you just want the hack scroll down to the end.

Background

The reason this whole problem happened on the Apache is that the User Agent String changed. That is a small text blurb that gets sent to every site you visit that basically tries to tell the web site what kind of web browser and device is being used. Web servers use that information for many reasons, but one use is to send different "views" of the same information to different users depending on what kind of device they're using to view it.

That is exactly what Sprint does for their Picture Mail web site. The problem is that they use very specific rules about which UA Strings get sent to the WAP Picture Mail site (which is the one that works on our devices). If your UA String doesn't match exactly one of the ones they've programmed in then you get sent to the desktop version of the site--which doesn't work in PIE at all, as you no doubt know. Sprint programmed in the UA Strings that match with all of their devices in the their default configuration, but when you updated your ROM to WM5 AKU3 or to WM6 (which are not configurations Sprint offered nor supports) then your UA String no longer matched and you got sent to the default desktop site.

In versions of WM5 prior to AKU3 you'd always been able to modify the user agent string in the registry. However, Microsoft in AKU3 decided to hard-code a specific UA String and did not allow it to be changed--only appended to. So that's why, despite peoples' best efforts, you had to resort to using a 3rd party browser in order to get the WAP site. And I'm sorry to say that that is still the case--if you stick with WM5 you can't use this solution--it will have no effect.

However, in doing some research I found that Microsoft, in response to many complaints about the UA String restrictions in WM5, added the ability to prepend information to the UA String beginning with WM6. You still can't totally get rid of what is hard-coded into browser.dll, but you can put anything you want in front of it--which is what is going to help us solve this picture mail problem once and for all.

The Mogul (6800) by Sprint also had its default UA String hard-coded into Sprint's servers to get sent the WAP version of the Picture Mail site. So what I did was obtain the entire UA String from the Mogul and add it into this new prepend reg entry on the Apache. As a result, the Apache sends two UA Strings--the entire mogul UA String first (which is enough for Sprint's Picture Mail site to recognize it as a mogul and therefore send the WAP site) and then it sends the version hard-coded into the Apache.

Caveats? Well it's possible there are web sites you visit that don't like getting two UA Strings--but in the testing I have done I haven't seen any problems. So at this point I think it's reasonable to put this out there. Remember that your device's actual UA string is never removed or overwritten, so if this causes problems for some of your "must-visit" sites, then you can simply remove the reg entry (or uninstall the cab, depending on what method you use to install it) and you're back to normal.

Note that this hack will also be necessary for moguls that get flashed with custom ROMs (using newer AKUs of WM6). You can go to www.useragentstring.com using PIE on your device to see what its current UA String is--then compare it to this one. If it doesn't match exactly then you'll need this hack in order to view Sprint's picture mail site successfully using PIE.

The Hack

For those of you who are comfortable editing your own registry, then here is what you need to add. I suggest copying and pasting it into a .reg file and importing it directly onto your device so you can be absolutely sure it's entered exactly as written.

If you'd rather not go through all that hassle then just download and install the cab file I've created and attached to this post (unzip it first). If PIE is open at the time you should close it and reopen it (or soft reset to be sure). Then try and open a picture mail link. It should work!

If it does not, please go to www.useragentstring.com using PIE on your device, copy and paste the string it shows you into a message in this thread and we'll figure it out. I really don't expect many problems at all--this is pretty straightforward.

Enjoy! One more long-running bug squashed.

You da man.
This was a frustrating thing.
It never worked well for me, even when I had the OEM WM5 ROM installed.
I'll be installing this tonight to give it a try.

luv2cill how do I LOG TO MIRC? WHAT SERVER?

Oooh Crap!!! you are the man!!!
Thanks Luv2chil....

I don't see the cab file how do I edit the registry

first of all you have to be logged in to see the files. Just download the zip and extract. good luck!

Sweet, can't wait, this has been chapping my hide for a while now.

I Bow before you my friend...........It Finally Works

Wow, it works! Great stuff!

Thanks Luv2Chill - This was one of those damn annoying things. That description of what caused this problem makes a lot of sense.

Just pulled ina picture mail- ahhhh, just like the good ole days!

Tomn8tr

NICE! good job

**** Got it figured out it was due to a previously installed picturemail fix that did not work ******
**** Thanks again to Luv2Chill and Helmi_c of course for creating the rom hope my troubleshooting helps others ****

Not sure why mine does not work. tried importing and tried the cab just to make sure

Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 4.01; Windows CE; PPC; 240x320; PPC)

Seems to be pulling this from HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Internet Settings\5.0\User Agent

I can get close by changing those reg entries but not quite there

Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows CE; IEMobile 6.12; Sprint:PPC6800)

sorry for a newbie question, but where is the Picture Mail site? how to get it? thanks

can someone with a little extra time make an OEM for this?


Nick

I wish there was a way to get this working with(or seperately) with the palm threader app on the 3,5 roms with Verizon phones. I hear there is a cab somewhere but i cant find it. most of the threads seem to be for Sprint.

that worked!! so easy! thank YOU!

Ahhhhhhhh Yes Dude U R Da Man! U R a RxStr! LoL! Great thanx, my phone is at its best, cant complain.

Hello, I am new to this site and to this forum, but have been following the Picture mail dilemma for a couple of days now and have gotten it to work on my phone because of the wisdom of you great people. My phone is a PPC 6700, that I thought was a great phone until I updated it with the HTC Apache build CE OS 5.2.1620 (18125.0.4.2) and now I have an outstanding phone. After I updated my phone with the rom, I then applied the picture mail site hack posted by Luv2chill, which was another outstanding post, but unfortunately it would not work on my phone, as best to my knowledge. After more reading, I then applied these registry changes as I had seen in numerous places within the forum, and it worked.

server name :sprint
Gateway:
port number:80
server address:http://63.215.195.152/servlets/mms
connect via:sprint
sending size limit:350k
Wap: 2.0

Hope this helps someone, and thanks to all of you who helped me out by posting on this forum

Attached file wont show on my mogul for me 2 download it.... What am I doing wrong??? Please Help

I dont kno what im doing wrong.. The attachment link is not showing so i cant download it...

Download it on your PC and transfer over to your device.

Ok I downloaded and extracted it to my computer... Now how do i send it 2 my phone??? Sorry Im kinda new @ this....

Connect your PPC to your PC and wait for activesync to detect it. Then open up My Computer on your PC and look for the PPC. Open it up and drag the cab file over to it. Then from the PPC using File Explorer, navigate to where you put the cab file and tap on it.

ok i did all of that now should i do a soft reset??? And then it should work???

Yes do a soft reset. The picture mail site should work after that.

is anyone developing a mod to this for the most recent updates to the Mogul, because I installed the .cab file and it notified me that it was made for an earlier version of my phone software...so i'm guessing that having the HTC updates stops this from working...thanks

Hey bro hows it going. kinda new to this site. i have downloaded a picture mail cab from sprintmogul.net that gives me accses to sending picture mail. now what i am wondering is will this cab file let me few the animation and sound when i recieve picture mail from other people like i use to get on my muziq and razor.

thanks

in theory yes... best way to tell is have someone send you something.. :idea1:

--ajgalbraith98

i need help with this picture mail
 

hey guys, i am trying to get this picture mail working on my mogul and i d/ling the zip file and i dont kno where i install it or n e thing. can somebody please help

God you rock. SOOOOOO irked me for the longest while. Now we can resume sending our ubiquitous obnoxious pics of our kids to each other! My sister and I owe you BIG.

Installed and Works great on my 6700.... using Rom/Kitchen from Robmayer

what exactly is this for im alitttle slow

Would this work on a TOUCH? Or is this thread irrelevant because of Sprint blocking pic mail?

Just Awesome...
 

You made the install easy and flawless.
I am using my beloved 6700 with Helmi's WM6 rom and I had no problems with the install. Didn't even need a restart or soft reset, and your explaination helps us all appreciate the work involved in figuring out why these devices just don't work the way that they should.

Thanks Again....

Don't Know What I'm Doin Wrong But I Still Get "error Sycronizing" On My Mogul....????

realized this was old ...thought it was after the Sprint crap got pulled...

im not to familar with doing this how do i get to the registry i tried your download and it still didnt work

of course everything flys smooth for everyone else......so i get to ask the stupid questions as usual.
Im using the new (leaked) rom 3.16 had mms installed and quit working like evveryone elses did, i installed teh cab file and should work as smooth as silk right? right?...wrong.
I just send it to a phone number right not to some name@messagingblabla.bla right?

IF you are on Sprint...you have to send it via "Email", I say again "Email"....and put the pic as an attachment..and that is it...untill Sprint lift the block.

Example...10digitnumber@pm.sprint.com <-----for sprint.

Does this work for the Touch. I just got the Touch by accident. Sprint sent me the Touch instead of the Mogul.

It sure does....just use email and the "email format" to send picmail from phone to phone

you can google for "mms" extensions to different carriers

silly me, and here i was thinking this was an mms hack to use mms as mms for mms. go figure.