Send photos and PDFs in a text (MMS)

You send a photo or PDF by attaching it in the conversation's composer and sending. How it arrives depends on one workspace switch, Enable hosted files (on by default): with it on, every attachment arrives as a branded page at link.ody.co; with it off, Ody sends a picture message (MMS) when the file fits the carrier's limit and a plain secure link when it doesn't. There is no per-message choice. This article covers picture messages and secure links, the way Ody sends files when Hosted files is off; pages are covered in Send photos, videos and files as a page.

Before you start

• Texting (including MMS) requires your workspace's Text messaging setup to be complete — see Messaging limits and compliance.
• You can attach photos, PDFs, short videos, audio clips, contact cards (.vcf) and calendar invites (.ics). Other file types (Word, Excel, ZIP…) can't be sent — export them as a PDF first.

Step-by-step

On the web (app.ody.co)

1. Open a conversation in the Inbox.

2. Click the Attach (paperclip) button in the composer. On your phone's browser it's the paperclip at the left of the message box.

3. Pick one or more files. Each one appears as a thumbnail above the message box — click the × on a thumbnail to remove it.

4. Optionally type a message, then click Send.

On iPhone

1. Open a conversation in Inbox.
2. Tap + at the left of the message box, then choose Photo Library, Take Photo or Choose File.
3. Remove anything you didn't mean to add by tapping the × on its thumbnail.
4. Optionally type a message, then tap the send arrow.

On Android

1. Open a conversation in Inbox.
2. Tap + at the left of the composer, then choose Photo Library, Take Photo or Choose File.
3. Remove anything you didn't mean to add by tapping the × on its thumbnail.
4. Optionally type a message, then tap the send arrow.

How Ody delivers each file

Hosted files on (the default): everything, one photo or ten files, arrives as one branded page (3 photos: link.ody.co/m/…, quote.pdf: link.ody.co/m/…). Nothing below applies.

Hosted files off:

What you send	How it arrives
One photo, to a US or Canadian number	As a picture message. If it's larger than the carrier allows, Ody resizes it to the sharpest version that fits.
Two or more photos	As picture messages, each resized to share the carrier limit.
A PDF or other file that fits the limit	As a picture message attachment.
A file too large for MMS	As a plain secure link (quote.pdf: https://api.ody.co/m/…).
Anything, to a number outside the US and Canada	As a secure link (MMS only works in the US and Canada).

The MMS limit depends on the number you text from: about 1 MB for the whole message from a local number, and 600 KB from a toll-free number. Photos on iPhone (HEIC) are converted to JPEG automatically.

Secure links (when Hosted files is off)

• Each link is unique, hard to guess, and expires after 30 days. It opens the file directly, with no page around it and nothing tracked.
• Under your sent message you'll see Secure link · expires with the date. Click or tap Revoke to stop the link opening immediately — the chip changes to Link revoked.
• Links aren't indexed by search engines and aren't cached.
• To get the branded page, the gallery and the opens in the conversation instead, a workspace admin switches Enable hosted files back on in Settings → Analytics → Hosted files (web) or Settings → Hosted files (apps).

What Ody does to keep files safe

• Photos: location (GPS) and camera details are removed, and the photo is turned upright before it's stored.
• PDFs: files containing scripts, embedded files or auto-launch actions are rejected, so you never forward something that runs code on your customer's phone.
• Every file is checked by its actual content, not its name — a renamed file can't slip through.

Limits

• Up to 10 attachments per message.
• Photos: up to 20 MB each (they're resized before sending anyway).
• PDFs, videos, audio and other files: up to 15 MB each.

Troubleshooting

• "That file type can't be sent" — only photos, PDFs, videos, audio, contact cards and calendar invites are supported. Save the document as a PDF and try again.
• "That PDF contains scripts or embedded files, which can't be sent" — re-save it with Print → Save as PDF to get a clean copy, then attach that.
• "That PDF looks damaged or incomplete" — the file didn't finish downloading or saving. Download or export it again.
• "HEIC photos must be converted to JPEG first" — update the Ody app; current versions convert iPhone photos automatically.
• Your customer can't open the link — check it hasn't expired or been revoked. Links don't open in a few countries where Ody isn't available.
• The photo sent but never delivered — some carriers are strict about MMS. Try sending fewer photos in one message, or leave Enable hosted files on so photos travel as a page instead of MMS.

Related articles

• Send photos, videos and files as a page
• Send your first text
• How the shared inbox works
• Messaging limits and compliance