i-mode mail

Sending/receiving i-mode mail overseas

Also Deco-mail and i-shot available!

You can use your usual e-mail address to send and receive an i-mode mail in countries and regions while using international roaming service.
You can use convenient functions overseas as you do in Japan, such as i-shot and i-motion mail to send pictures on your trip and Deco-mail to express the fun you are having.

(Another window will open.)i-mode service areas

How to use

Sending i-mode mail

i-mode mail | Compose the mail message and press the Send key as you do in Japan.

Receiving i-mode mail

How to receive mail Charges Required setting
1. Receive automatically
  • Every when you send and receive a mail, i-mode communication will be disconnected and a minimum charge will be incurred. Packet communication charges over the minimum charge will be incurred according to the volume of data you have used.
  • When you send and receive a lot of mails, communication charges may be high.
 Unnecessary
  • Immediately read mail messages that arrive.
  • Repeatedly read mail messages received.
  • Receive Deco-mails and mails with photos attached overseas.
2. Check mail preview site
  • At a time when you access the overseas iMenu top page, packet communication charges will be incurred. (While overseas, you have to pay for sites which you can use gratis in Japan.)
  • Packet communication charges will be incurred according to the volume of data when you use "Check mail preview site" as well as the overseas iMenu top page.
  • Even when you are on-line to the "Check mail preview site," the i-mode communications will be disconnected if no operation is performed for a certain time. When you access the site again, a minimum charge will be incurred.
  • Mails are not received to your mobile phone and, after returning to Japan, you can receive them, when packet communication charges will be incurred.
 Necessary for the first use only
  • Check only the subject of a mail and, as necessary, read the mail message on the site. (You can send a mail back after reading the mail message.)
  • Control minimum charges incurred every when you access the i-mode service overseas.
3. Receive selected mail
  • Packet communication charges will be incurred according to the volume of data when you browse the "Receive selected mail" site and according to the data volume of mails when you receive.
  • Every when you receive a selected mail and send a mail back, i-mode communication will be disconnected and a minimum charge will be incurred. Packet communication charges over the minimum charge will be incurred according to the volume of data you have used.
 Necessary for the first use only
  • Check only the subject of a mail and, as necessary, receive the mail to your mobile phone.
  • Repeatedly read mail messages received.
  • Receive Deco-mails and mails with photos attached overseas.

attentionTo reduce the network load and use the i-mode service more comfortably, i-mode communications will be disconnected every time when you send and receive a mail. A time taken to disconnect i-mode communications depends upon your mobile phone's model. Check (Another window will open.)here [PDF file] (in Japanese only) for how to operate on a model-by-model basis.

[1. Receive automatically] Receive every time.

[2. Check mail preview site] Connect to the mail check site and browse mails that arrive. Mails are not received and are stored in the center; you can receive them after returning to Japan etc.

[3. Receive selected mail] Connect to the site, select necessary mails from those that arrive, and receive them in a lump.

How to make the setting in advance

attentionYou must make the required setting for the first use only.

Here is a procedure to make the required setting for "2 Receive selected mail" and "3 Check mail preview site."

Example shows FOMA N705i 1:[Select MAIL on your standby screen.] 2:[Press right once.] 3:[Choose "2" Mail settings.] 4:[Choose "9" Receive option setting.] 5:[Choose to "1" switch on.] Turn the setting for receibing mail setting to OFF after returning to Japan.

1. Receive automatically

i-mode mail | Receive automaticallyIt is recommended when you want to immediately read mail messages that arrive. Mails tht arrive at the i-mode center are automatically received. When you make the setting, you have to turn "Receive selected mail" off. [Charges] i-mode communications will begin each time you receive a mail, and a minimum charge will apply. Packet communication chatges over the minimum charge will apply based on the data volume you use.

2. Check mail preview site

It is recommended when "you want to check only the main text of mails without receiving them overseas."

You can check the subject and main text of mails on the "site for checking mail preview" without receiving them overseas. The mail will be stored at the i-mode center, so you can receive them after returning to Japan.

attentionYou must make the required setting for "Check mail preview site" for the first use only.

How to view

1:[An icon appears when you have new messages at the i-mode center. -> Select "i" from standby screen. * Example shows FOMA N705i] 2:[Choose 1 Menu. (Packet communications charges apply from this point.)] 3:[Choose "Mail preview site". -> You are connected to the Mail preview site.] 4:[Your messages are listed in the order of arrival. Press "Delete" to erase all messages at the i-mode center.] 5:[You can read mail titles and contents. If you wish to reply to this mail, select "Reply" If you wish to delete this mail, select "Delete". To return to the mail list, press left once.] - You cannot view attached files or Message R and Message F. - You can view attached files if you download those files with 1 "Automatic download" or 2 "Download selected mail only". - "Check mail site" is displayed on the iMenu top page only while overseas. - If you have applied for 2in1, the display of mails will not be divided into those to Address A and those to Address B in "Check mail preview site." If a mail is received to Address B and you reply to the mail directly from "Check mail preview site, " it will be regarded as a reply from Address A. If you desire a reply from Address B, receive a mail with "Receive automatically" or "Receive selected mail" in advance. / In your overseas rental mobile phone, "Receive selected mail" is set to ON. We recommend you should read the text of mails from "Check mail preview site." To automatically receive mails, you have to set the "Receive selected mail" to OFF. Charges: Packet communication charges will apply based on the data volume of the mail preview site you view.

3. Receive selected mail

It is recommended when "you want to receive only necessary mails" and when "a lot of mails arrive."

You can select and receive only necessary mails after checking the subjects of mail stored at the i-mode center. You can also delete unnecessary mails before receiving them.

How to receive

i-mode mail | How to receive selected mails. *Example shows FOMA N705i 1:[An icon appears when you have new messages at the i-mode center. ->] 22:[Choose 9 Receive option -> Connect to "Download selected mail only" site.(Packet communications charges apply from this point.)] 3:[Select from the pull-down menu for each mail. ("download", "delete" or "store".) Select "download/delete".] 4:[Confirm the number of messages to download, delete, and store, and press "confirm" to continue. -> If you wish to change your selections, press "cancel".] 5:[Selected messages will be downloaded immediately.] Key to the symbols at the end of the mail listing. Image file attached / Melody file attached / i-motion file attached / ToruCa file attached / Other file attached

When using "Download selected mail only" and "View mail on the preview site": - Up to 1,000 mails in FOMA or 50 mails in mova can be stores at the i-mode center for maximum of 720 hours. - Mail receipt time will be displayed based on Japan time. - In the case of "i-mode inquiry," any mails will be received regardless of setting. If you do not desire to receive mails, uncheck the "Mail" box before using it.

When sending and receiving i-mode mail while overseas, different mail size limits and conditions apply depending on your mobile phone model. Please check the user's manual for details.

[Message R and Message F.] Message R(request):[While you are overseas, Message R including News delivery service (Tokudane News Bin) is downloaded automatically regardless of the "Download selected mail only" and "View mail on the preview site" settings. Please note that packet communications charges will apply. - You can opt to temporarily suspend Message R.] / (Receive automatically:[All Message R will be received immediately. Please note that packet communications charges will apply for this setting.] Receive only upon:["i-mode inquiry" Packet communications charges will apply. However, you can save on the communications charges by receiving Message R together with your other messages.] Do not receive:[Message R will neither be received automatically nor when you access the i-mode center. Packet communications charges will not apply. Message R stored at the i-mode center can be downloaded later when you return to Japan (storage period: 720 hours).] - You cannot receive notices from docomo News [Message R] while overseas regardless of mail settings. - Note that if you set the News delivery service (Tokudane News Bin) and Keitai-Osagashi Service overseas, packet communications charges will apply. <Settings> iMenu -> English > Options > International Settings > Message R delivery Settings/ Message F(free):[Message F is not available overseas. "Mail cannot be received." will be displayed when trying to access messages. You will still be able to download i-mode mail normally.].

I-mode packet communication charges

System of i-mode packet communication charges

Packet communication charges for i-mode, i-channel, mopera U, etc. are divided into two groups below depending upon the overseas roaming operator.

Group A Group B
Up to 50 packets: ¥50 Up to 100 packets: ¥100
Over 50 packets: ¥0.2/packet Over 100 packets: ¥0.2/packet

attentionPacket communication charges are non-taxable.

  • When you use packet communication service such as i-mode and i-channel while overseas, packet communication charges will be incurred based on the data volume you use.
  • When you use packet communication service such as i-mode and i-channel, a minimum packet communication charge (50 yen or 100 yen) will be incurred per communication. (Note that the packet communication charges are different from those when you use in Japan.)
  • Packet communication charges will apply to all packet communications including those free in Japan.

Communication allowances contained in "pake-hodai" or FOMA data plan will not apply to packet communication charges when you use i-mode overseas.

Estimated packet communications charges for i-mode connection

Here are some estimated charges for i-mode access while overseas.
These are examples only; actual charges will vary depending on site configuration and network conditions.

  Group A
(¥50/50 packets)		 Group B
(¥100/100 packets)
Viewing i-mode sites Useful overseas site attention1 ¥54 ¥100
Sending mail 1,000 half-size characters ¥50 ¥100
6,000 half-size characters ¥74 ¥114
200 half-size characters + Deco-mail pictograms (10 characters) ¥61 ¥101
Only for attached file of 100KB attention2 ¥321 ¥361
Receiving mail
(when set to automatic download)		 1,000 half-size characters ¥50 ¥100
6,000 half-size characters ¥54
200 half-size characters + Deco-mail pictograms (10 characters) ¥57
Only for attached file of 100KB attention2 ¥280 ¥320
Downloading Still image of 100KB attention3 ¥217 ¥257

1 When displaying iMenu -> Useful overseas site 2 attention2 Byte sizes of attached files are approximations. 3 attention3 Downloaded portion only.

  • Different data is converted differently when it is being sent and received. Even if the original data size is the same, the eventual size may differ depending on the text and data files that are converted. Packet communications charges will vary as a result.
  • More data is actually transmitted than that which appears on the screen when sending or receiving mail. The packet communications charges shown above are calculated to include the volume of data actually exchanged. Furthermore, screen layouts may be changed, affecting the actual invoiced amount.
  • Packet communications charges apply for all packet communications, including access that is normally free in Japan.

SMS (Short Message Service)

With SMS, you can use mobile phone numbers as an address to send and receive messages while using international roaming service. SMS is also available even outside the i-mode service areas as long as you are in countries and regions where voice communication is available.

noticeSMS is not available in some roaming service areas.

Searching communication charges / service areas

Sending SMS

Just input the other party's mobile phone numbers as the address. The main text can be up to 70 full-size hiragana/katakana characters or up to 160 half-size alphanumeric characters.

How to send

SMS (Short Message Service) | How to send

With SMS, the contents that can be sent and received depends upon the other party.

Other party Contents that can be sent and received
1. DOCOMO's mobile phone compatible with WORLD WING users while using international roaming services
FOMA users in Japan 		Hiragana/katakana characters, alphanumeric characters attention
2. Users of overseas roaming operator Half-size alphanumeric characters

attentionUsers of overseas mobile phone other than DOCOMO's mobile phone compatible with WORLD WING can send and receive half-size alphanumeric characters only.

1. From DOCOMO to DOCOMO

SMS (Short Message Service) | From DOCOMO to DOCOMO. Country of stay. DOCOMO's overseas mobile phone. Country of stay/other coountries. DOCOMO's overseas mobile phone. Japan. FOMA and mova users. ex.FOMA N900iG. (When sending to Japan mova users, the receiver it as i-mode mail. The receiver must ve an i-mode subsucriber.) Address:[Mobile phone number.] Text:[Hiragana/katakana characters, alphanumeric characters.] Only half-size alphanumeric characters can be used when sending from a local overseas mobile phone other than a WORLD WING-compatible mobile phone.

2. From DOCOMO to users of overseas roaming operator other than DOCOMO

SMS (Short Message Service) | From DOCOMO to users of overseas roaming operator other than DOCOMO. When sending a message to UK. Country of stay. DOCOMO's overseas mobile phone. Country of stay/other countries. Users of overseas roaming operator. ex.FOMA N900iG. Address:[Enter [+] then [Country code] then [Recipient's mobile phone number]. *Exclude the first "0" if the recipient's phone number begins with a "0".] Text:[Text Half-size alphanumeric characters.]

Check this for how to use SMS

Receiving SMS

SMS (Short Message Service) | The mark (ex. FOMA 705i) will appear on your standby screen when SMS is sent from the SMS center. Please check the Inbox.

  • attentionScreen display and controls differ depending on your mobile phone model. See the user's manual for details.
  • attention If in Japan you have set Reject SMS, you will also not be able to receive SMS messages while abroad.
  • attention Reject International SMS is a function that rejects all SMS sent from subscribers of overseas operators. It does not apply to DOCOMO users sending SMS from overseas.
  • attention Even when the SMS Rejection Settings (Reject All SMS, Reject Unidentified Caller ID SMS) are configured, you will continue to receive SMS notices from DOCOMO and missed call notification for roaming.

SMS are received and resent at the following time:

  • When a new message arrives at the SMS center.
  • When your mobile phone's power is turned to ON.
  • When you make or receive a call.
  • When you enter an area where services are available.

Roaming receiving notification SMS

If you have missed a call when you are in an out-of-service area or for other reasons while overseas, you will be notified when and who has made the call through an SMS message.

  • No fee to receive the message is incurred.
  • Voice roaming, videophone, and Push Talk are covered.
  • While PushTalk service is covered by Missed Call Notification Function, it is not available overseas.
  • Even when you use the voice mail service and have made the setting for Missed Call Notification Function, priority is placed on roaming receiving notification SMS messages.
  • You can also stop the roaming receiving notification SMS.

  • attentionThe roaming receiving notification SMS function is defaulted to "Start."
  • attentionIf you use the Voice Mail Service and have made the setting for the receiving notification function, the roaming receiving notification SMS has priority.
  • attentionIf returning to Japan with roaming receiving notification SMS messages stored at the Center because you are in an out-of-service area or have turned your mobile phone off, you will be notified in the form of roaming receiving notification SMS after returning to Japan.
  • attentionIn some models (SIMPURE L1, etc.), "Voice Mail Missed Call Notification" will be displayed in the subject. If "Overseas Missed Call Notification (Japanese time)" is displayed on the first line of the text, it will be regarded as roaming Missed Call Notification SMS.

SMS communication charge

Sending Receiving
¥100/message ¥0

Details of service area and communication charge Searching service area and communication charge (International roaming service)

  • attentionThe above charges will apply regardless of your charge plan.
  • attentionThe above charges will apply even when you use the arrival notification function.
  • attentionAll discount services will not apply.
  • attentionSMS communication charges are non-taxable.
  • attentionEven if you are in a service area, you cannot use Japanese in the message in some mobile phones you use. SMS messages you send or receive may not be properly displayed or you may not be able to send or receive messages, due to conditions at the overseas operator.
  • attentionIf you have made the setting for "Reject All SMS," "Reject Anonymous SMS," and "Reject International SMS" in Japan, you cannot receive any SMS also overseas.
    To change the setting in Japan, you have to select either of the following methods:
    • 1) Dial "*20184" and select "9: Release rejection setting,"
      or
    • 2) iMenu -> Charge & Application/Setting -> Option Setting -> Mail Setting -> Spam Mail Block -> Reject SMS Setting -> Select SMS you want to reject and select "Decision" -> Reply message is displayed.
    While overseas, you can select only 2) iMenu. Note that packet communication charges are incurred.
  • attentionWith "Reject International SMS," you can reject international SMS from users of overseas roaming operator. It will not apply to SMS from DOCOMO users who are using international roaming services.
  • attentionWhen a welcome message is received from overseas roaming operators, communication charges will not apply.
  • attentionWhile you use the services overseas, DOCOMO may use SMS to inform you of news etc. Such news will be received even if you have made the setting for rejecting SMS receiving etc. and will not be properly received or displayed depending upon your mobile phone. Receiving charges are free. You can return a mail to such news depending upon the mobile phone model you use. Note that communication charges may be incurred when you have sent the mail, regardless of whether the sending is completed or not.
  • attentionSMS is not available with FOMA M2501 HIGH-SPEED.
  • attentionWith an FOMA A2502 HIGH-SPEED, SMS is not available while overseas. However, note that you can send and receive SMS messages in some overseas roaming operators and that communication charges will be incurred when you send SMS messages.

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