Mobile

• How can I contact BBC mobile?

  If you have a comment or suggestion about BBC mobile, or a question that isn't covered by these FAQ, please use the feedback form to get in touch.

• How can I get the BBC website on my phone?

  Type www.bbc.co.uk/mobile into your phone's internet browser, or use our step-by-step How To guide.

• Why can't I see pictures?

  When you visit BBC Mobile, we check what kind of handset you've got and will automatically include pictures if it's able to show them.

• How can I get BBC news on my mobile?

  We offer a range of news services, which should work on most mobile phones.

  To get the BBC News website on your mobile device, you can type www.bbc.co.uk/news into your phone's internet browser, or text NEWS to 81010 (within the UK) and we'll send you a link to the site.

  We also offer:
  

  • Breaking news SMS/email alerts
  • Email news
  • RSS news feeds
  • Podcasts

• What BBC news services can I get outside the UK?

  To get the BBC News website on your mobile device, you can type www.bbc.com/news into your phone's internet browser, or text NEWS to +44 76 2488 2488 and we'll send you a link to the site.

  You can get BBC mobile news in the following languages:
  

  • Arabic - www.bbc.co.uk/arabic/mobile
  • Hindi - www.bbc.co.uk/hindi/mobile
  • Indonesian - www.bbc.co.uk/indonesia/mobile
  • Persian - www.bbc.co.uk/persian/mobile
  • Portuguese - www.bbc.co.uk/portuguese/celular/
  • Russian - www.bbc.co.uk/russian/mobile
  • Spanish - www.bbc.co.uk/spanish/movil
  • Turkish - www.bbc.co.uk/turkce/cep
  • Chinese - www.bbc.co.uk/ukchina/simp/mobile
  • Ukranian - www.bbc.co.uk/ukrainian/mobile
  • Urdu - www.bbc.co.uk/urdu/mobile
  • Vietnamese - www.bbc.co.uk/vietnamese/mobile
  • Zhongwen - www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/simp/mobile/
  • Zhongwen traditional - www.bbc.co.uk/zhongwen/trad/mobile

• How can I get BBC news or sports news sent to my mobile?

  If you're in the UK, you can get BBC News on your mobile. You can sign up to get breaking news sent by SMS or by email to your mobile.

  You can also get top sports stories, scores and results through your mobile, though currently not by SMS. Find out more about BBC Sport on your mobile.

• Can I change how BBC mobile looks on my phone?

  For most people, there are two ways to view the BBC internet on your mobile:

  • Standard version - designed specially for mobile phones, with mobile-friendly video formats
  • Desktop version - the 'full' version of BBC online, as you'd see on a desktop computer

  Choose your preferred version by following the 'Preferences' link at the bottom of the BBC mobile homepage.

  If you have an older phone which isn't able to display either of these two versions, you'll see a low-graphics (WML) version of the site.

• Is it expensive to browse BBC on my mobile?

  It needn't be. The BBC doesn't charge you to look at content, so it depends on your network and tariff and what you want to look at. Generally, it costs only a few pence to look at a simple webpage, though audio and video will cost considerably more. If you're unsure you can check with your operator. However, there are ways to limit your costs to get BBC content as cheaply as possible.

• How much does it cost to watch video content on my phone?

  Video content costs more to view than text because there's much more data to download. The cost depends on your network and tariff. If you watch a lot of video on your phone, there are ways to limit your costs to get BBC content as cheaply as possible.

• How can I get BBC content as cheaply as possible?

  1. Use wi-fi - an increasing number of mobile phones now come with wi-fi built in. If you access BBC mobile via wi-fi, through a wireless connection at home or a wireless hotspot, you won't pay for data downloaded. If you're not sure whether your phone has wi-fi built in, contact the manufacturer or your network operator.
      
  2. Get a data bundle - you can sign up to a flat-rate or capped data package, so you pay a fixed amount each month for using the mobile internet. This will limit your monthly spend on browsing the mobile internet and downloading video clips, especially if you do this a lot. Contact your network operator to find out what they offer.
      
  3. Use a desktop computer - video clips on BBC mobile are also available online at the desktop version of the website. For example, a video on the Doctor Who mobile site can also be viewed on the Doctor Who website. Sometimes, you can download the file to your mobile to watch on the move.
      
  4. Use Bluetooth - this is a way to send messages between nearby phones. Many of the BBC's audio and video clips are not 'locked'. This means they can be sent via Bluetooth to other phones, so you can share them with your friends! You can also share these files by 'sideloading' to another phone.

• How much does it cost to send a text message to the BBC?

  SMS (text messages) sent to the BBC cost between 10p and 15p, depending on your network and what the message is for. Whenever you're invited to send an SMS to the BBC, we'll tell you how much it costs and, where relevant, what you'll get back.

  Please note that texts to shortcode numbers such as 81010 won't come out of your text bundle (inclusive monthly text messages).

  Some messages that we send you, such as confirmation or reminder messages, will be paid for by the BBC so you won't be charged for these. These will be clearly labelled as free messages so you will know that you haven't been charged.

  Please note that you can't current send text messages to/from BBC shortcodes if you're with Jersey Telecom.

• I don't want to get any more text messages from the BBC

  If you've subscribed to a BBC SMS (text message) service, such as BBC News Alerts, you can find information about how to unsubscribe on the FAQ page for the service.

  Generally, you can unsubscribe by replying to the message with the word STOP.

• Can I get BBC iPlayer on my mobile?

  Please see the BBC iPlayer help pages for the latest information about which mobile phones can access BBC iPlayer.

• Why can't I watch video outside the UK?

  We're funded by the UK licence fee, so most of our rights agreements only cover the UK. Where we have the rights to do so, we'll make video content available to everyone, regardless of their location.

  We know this can be frustrating for UK residents travelling abroad, and that many people overseas would like to watch our programmes and videos, so we're looking at ways to make this happen.

• Why do you tell me I'm outside the UK when I'm not?

  Sometimes even though you're in the UK it's possible you may see a message saying you're not - and you won't be able to watch video clips or programmes.

  This could be because your phone is on a foreign-based network, or your network operator may temporarily be diverting you to one of its overseas connections.

  Sometimes it's just a simple network error, so try closing your browser or router and re-opening it.

  Make sure you're using your phone's default browser - some add-on browsers such as Opera Mini may route internet connections overseas.

  If you're on a public wi-fi network, eg on a train, these may also route your connection overseas. Try again later on another network.

  If you're using a BlackBerry device, try using the BlackBerry shortcuts to access BBC mobile site. To download these, follow the 'Shortcuts for BlackBerry' link on the BBC Mobile homepage.

  Otherwise, the best thing to do is contact your network operator or ISP and ask them to check that your IP address is registered as in the UK.

• Can I customise the BBC mobile homepage to suit me?

  We've recently introduced a new version of the BBC mobile homepage which - on most handsets - can be customised to suit you.

  More information about customising your homepage

• I'm with Jersey Telecom. Why can't I text you?

  Unfortunately, Jersey Telecom no longer supports Premium SMS. This means that phones connected via Jersey Telecom won't be able to send or receive any messages to/from shortcodes such as 81010.

  If you try to send us a message via one of these shortcodes, the message won't be sent and you won't be charged.

External Links

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