Comments on: Another Warning From AT&T to iPhone Users with Non-iPhone Data Plans

By: tasha

tasha — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 06:03:35 +0000

I was wondering…If I order my iphone right now, will they automatically add the $30/month data plan on my phone before I even use it? Or does it start charging once I use the phone with my sim in it?

By: Kyis

Kyis — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 21:34:01 +0000

I just want wifi on a phone without data plan. I only use my phone at home and at work, which both have wifi. I don’t understand why a person can’t get a smartphone without data plan. Dell doesn’t make you buy a data plan with a computer? We should be able to buy a phone and use it only on wifi if we want and not even use it as phone if we want, like a mini netbook?

By: Snorkey

Snorkey — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 03:37:50 +0000

I have an ATT account paid directly by the company I work for. It has a $45 per month enterprise data plan and my company wants me to use a windows phone. I put the Sim card into my iPhone and it has worked great for six months. Now it says I have no data plan. My company won’t allow me to switch to the iPhone data plan due to suposed security risks. Is there a way to trick ATT to not know I am using an iPhone so I can keep using it with my enterprise data plan? I could really use some help here. I am dying without e-mail on my iPhone.

By: Tony

Tony — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 13:38:39 +0000

@revog: You sir are 100 percent right. Anyone else who disagrees has no idea what they are talking about.

By: revog

revog — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 15:25:24 +0000

So everyone has a point….If you buy the phone from ATT, then yes they are subsidizing it and should have their data plan. If you buy the phone outright, you should NOT have to have the data plan. If you choose not to have the data plan, then YOU are responsible for the bill. If it is $5k, then pay up, you chose to save the $30 a month extra. Now that being said. ATT says, you have an iphone, it must have a data plan or it will not work correctly. That is untrue…My ATT plan has Internet and text BLOCKED for the plan. Thus it can’t connect. Phone works fine. Why would I want an iphone and not a phone and itouch. I have wireless EVERYWHERE i am thus would never use the internet on the phone. Secondly, instead of carrying 2 devices i only carry one AND add the capacity of the camera. Thus as 1) I paid for the phone outright 2) I pay my plan for PHONE useage I should not be required to have a plan for data. I am not adding load to their network, I have prevented load and I do not have a subsidized phone as I paid full price for it, I should not be FORCED into this. It is only with IPHONE that this is forced. I can buy any other phone outright and be fine. Thus this is nothing more than greed and collusion between companies. If they force me to a plan, i’ll just go back to the old phone and carry 2 devices again. I’ll still have paid the same price as the touch with more features.

By: Craig

Craig — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 06:15:19 +0000

@James. now that is a piece of real good advice! it’s legal and it works! Love it. the only thing is ya gotta trust the people you go in on this with. and..correct me if I am wrong, but there is the one guy (the one whose plan your on) that is ultimately responsible for all the phone’s bills? I wouldn’t even do that for my own mother. well, I would, but you get my point.

By: James Ratchford

James Ratchford — Sun, 31 May 2009 04:45:28 +0000

@Rico: I found a loophole to make the plan work with my budget. I got together with some friends and family members who all talk a lot. We all got a family plan together, a few of us have iPhones. The bill is $210 a month, but none of us pays more than $60- 60 each for the 2 iphones, 30 each for the other 3.. Vs, the $100 or so it would be for a standalone iPhone.

By: James Ratchford

James Ratchford — Sun, 31 May 2009 04:42:30 +0000

This is an interesting issue.

On the one hand, why should it matter. AT&T is well within their rights to dictate the required service for a specific device. If you disagree, try buying a standalone DVR sometime, or an unlocked premium cell phone- you'll see that the service lock-ins are not only, in most cases, good economics for both the consumer and the company, they're also WAY less hassle for both parties. (Specifically, getting a third party DVR to play nice with your cable or satellite provider, or getting internet and MMS working on an unlocked phone.)

On the other hand, the only consumers who have a legit ground to complain are those who are already paying for the plan, but are needlessly locked in to a device. The Blackberry and iPhone (as well as Windows PDA) plans are identical, so it seems to make little sense for them to require different billing plans. Except that both Blackberry and Apple draw kickbacks from those monthly plans. So, using an iPhone on a Blackberry plan, your kickbacks are going to the wrong company, and vice versa. More relevant for the BB plan, which includes the value-add of the push servers; on Apple's side, those are paid for by MobileMe subscriptions.

That all being said, an iPhone is a device that demands a data/text plan, being as much an internet device as a phone. I don't comprehend those who want the phone without data as without data it's just a pretty phone. Buy a Razr V3xx in chrome if that's what you want.

Mr./Ms. Truth: You can't block your IMEI. If you get an obscure imported phone maybe they won't be able to identify it. Its probably possible to hack an iPhone to spoof its IMEI or mimic another model, but I assure you that instability would result, and if you got caught it might be an issue since you'd be in violation of FCC regs and DMCA as well as ATT policies; probably even hacking laws. I would steer clear.

By: Truth

Truth — Sun, 31 May 2009 00:33:30 +0000

How can you block them from seeing what type of device you have?

By: Chobbs

Chobbs — Fri, 29 May 2009 23:36:43 +0000

@jeff it's not your phone until you finish paying out your two year contract. That is why AT&T can off the phone at a discount because they get their money over two years. It's almost like financing a car.

I agree with most. Stop complaining about the data plan that you agreed to when you purchased the iPhone. If you do not like it then go get a nokia.