  theman23 Premium join:2004-06-17 San Francisco, CA clubs: 
| [AT&T] Possible to use iPhone without the $30 data plan?
I'm currently debating between getting an unlocked Nokia E71 and an iPhone, and the biggest thing pushing me toward the unlocked Nokia is the fact that I can keep my $30/month unlimited internet/texting plan, whereas with the iPhone it'd cost me $50/month. Does anyone know if there's a way to use an iPhone with the $30/month plan?
Thanks. |
|
  gdm Premium,MVM join:2001-06-15 Mchenry, IL clubs: | Nope you can't with at&t they require the $30 data plan with the iPhone. |
|
  theman23 Premium join:2004-06-17 San Francisco, CA clubs:  | Yeah that's what I thought, just wanted to be sure. Went ahead and ordered the E71 last night. Can't wait till it comes! |
|
  Rob In Deo speramus, God Bless the USA Premium join:2001-08-25 Kendall, FL
·Comcast
| I was going to get the E71, but opted for the iPhone. I know the price is more per month with the iphone, but I am very happy with it.
Let us know what you think of the E71 after you get it. -- CheckSite.us | YourIP.us | Reverseip.us |
|
 yurkinator
join:2007-07-30 Newark, DE
2 edits | reply to theman23 It is possible to use an iPhone without a data plan. I do it now. I bought a used iPhone from a friend and took the sim out of my old phone and put it in the iPhone. Jailbroke it and used BossPref to turn off EDGE and 3G to stop all data. Works great on Wifi.
But if you are buying a new iPhone with a contract then they make you get the data plan, yeah.
EDIT
I think i misread OP, disregard post. |
|
  dumwaldo Premium join:2001-03-12 | reply to theman23 »www.howardforums.com/showthread.···=1435644 |
|
  BrushedTooth Remember To Shop Smart Shop S Mart
join:2001-02-12 Brecksville, OH | reply to theman23 But it outright and jailbreak and unlock it. -- AKA Its_Smee, I got bored with that name. |
|
  RiseAbove IreCruitU Premium join:2004-01-30
| said by BrushedTooth :But it outright and jailbreak and unlock it. Exactly. Jailbreaking has become so easy a monkey can do it. Go to ebay or craigslist and buy a used or new 3G and then just take it home, plug it in the usb, download PwnageTool, then let it activate it for you. Pop in your current sim card and you are off. Same $30/month plan and nothing on your account changes.
Plus Apple has the policy that if they can't prove that a jailbreak or unlock hurt your equipment they will service it so don't be afraid to do that. -- Need some IT work? Hit me up, I'm now in IT recruiting and looking for ways to give back to the DSLreports community for all the years of support. |
|
  fuziwuzi Not born yesterday Premium join:2005-07-01 Atlanta, GA
| reply to theman23 A friend has an original iPhone. Because he removed the SIM and put it into his old phone (a Moto RAZR) for a while (and thus cancelled the data plan and other iPhone specific things), when he then took the SIM and placed it back into his iPhone, he no longer had the data plan. However, because of this he also no longer could send or receive text messages and no longer received notifications of voicemail. He could use Wi-Fi. Also, after about 3 months of running this way, he received the new bill from AT&T and noticed they had added the data plan back. When he called them to ask why, they told him they detected he was using the iPhone and because the iPhone requires the data plan, it is in the TOS that they can and will add that plan back.
So, if you're running an iPhone without the data plan, at some point when they're doing audits, they will add it back for you whether you want it or not. -- *************** I think computer viruses should count as life. I think it says something about human nature that the only form of life we have created so far is purely destructive. We've created life in our own image. - Stephen Hawking |
|
 IanR
join:2001-03-22 Madison, NJ | That's ONLY if you are on AT&T network plans. How about if one switched to say a prepaid T-Mobile account and put the SIM Card into an iphone? |
|
  Pirate515 Premium join:2001-01-22 Brooklyn, NY
| reply to fuziwuzi said by fuziwuzi :A friend has an original iPhone. Because he removed the SIM and put it into his old phone (a Moto RAZR) for a while (and thus cancelled the data plan and other iPhone specific things), when he then took the SIM and placed it back into his iPhone, he no longer had the data plan. However, because of this he also no longer could send or receive text messages and no longer received notifications of voicemail. He could use Wi-Fi. Also, after about 3 months of running this way, he received the new bill from AT&T and noticed they had added the data plan back. When he called them to ask why, they told him they detected he was using the iPhone and because the iPhone requires the data plan, it is in the TOS that they can and will add that plan back. So, if you're running an iPhone without the data plan, at some point when they're doing audits, they will add it back for you whether you want it or not. Was your friend still under the contract when he dropped the data plan? From what I've heard, when you are signing an iPhone contract, you are agreeing to both voice and data, whereas with the other phones it's just voice and you can drop/add data as you please with no penalties.
I have read posts from some people from various web sites who were able to call AT&T and got a rep friendly enough to drop the data plan for them, only to receive a text message several minutes later stating that it was added back. -- Ask me no questions, and I'll tell you no lies... A MESSAGE to the RIAA and the MPAA: You shouldn't wound what you can't kill... |
|
  fuziwuzi Not born yesterday Premium join:2005-07-01 Atlanta, GA
| Friend was no longer under contract. He wanted to save a little money so that is why he took the sim and put in his old RAZR. But after about a week he missed the iPhone too much, so put it back, but did not inform AT&T or get the data plan restored.
The AT&T TOS says that the data plan is required for the life of the phone, not just for the contract length. To use iPhone on AT&T's system, you are required to maintain the data plan. And as he discovered, they will add it back if they detect it isn't active. -- *************** I think computer viruses should count as life. I think it says something about human nature that the only form of life we have created so far is purely destructive. We've created life in our own image. - Stephen Hawking |
|
  RiseAbove IreCruitU Premium join:2004-01-30
1 edit | said by fuziwuzi :Friend was no longer under contract. He wanted to save a little money so that is why he took the sim and put in his old RAZR. But after about a week he missed the iPhone too much, so put it back, but did not inform AT&T or get the data plan restored. The AT&T TOS says that the data plan is required for the life of the phone, not just for the contract length. To use iPhone on AT&T's system, you are required to maintain the data plan. And as he discovered, they will add it back if they detect it isn't active. I wonder if his iphone IMEI was still on file. If it was then of course ATT is going to come by and say they need it. The trick is to have an IMEI of a non iphone on file and many times they won't audit the account and make people move to the iphone package.
I had an original iphone on ATT for a long time and had it with the $15 a month media net but my IMEI was of an old Samsung and they never said a thing to me in the whole time I was there. -- Need some IT work? Hit me up, I'm now in IT recruiting and looking for ways to give back to the DSLreports community for all the years of support. |
|
  fuziwuzi Not born yesterday Premium join:2005-07-01 Atlanta, GA | I would guess that since he purchased the iPhone from AT&T, and they are the only licensed seller in the US, they maintain a list of all the IMEI of the phones they've sold. |
|
  indiana
@comcast.net
| reply to theman23 I have an ATT 9gb data plan and connection for my PC (a USB device type = Compass 885). It runs 3G Watcher software. I bought it to remain connected during an ice storm related power and cable outage. I'd like to get more use from it. Can I buy an iPhone and use the sim card from the Compass 885?
Thanks, l |
|
  RiseAbove IreCruitU Premium join:2004-01-30
| said by indiana :
I have an ATT 9gb data plan and connection for my PC (a USB device type = Compass 885). It runs 3G Watcher software. I bought it to remain connected during an ice storm related power and cable outage. I'd like to get more use from it. Can I buy an iPhone and use the sim card from the Compass 885?
Thanks, l yep just pop out the sim in the iphone and put it in the usb modem and you should be golden. If it comes down to it you can always jailbreak the iphone and use PDAnet or a slew of other apps to use it's internet as shared connection. Thats what I do at least. -- Need some IT work? Hit me up, I'm now in IT recruiting and looking for ways to give back to the DSLreports community for all the years of support. |
|
  Patmcgroin999
@sbcglobal.net | reply to theman23 So do I need to unlock the phone as well and what's the best site or software to jailbrake it and when I do jailbrake it how do I get it on the iPhone because it's not registered yet or do I just go through my computer to put it on the phone |
|
  lilhurricane Mallomars Premium,Mod join:2003-01-11 Purple Zone clubs: 
·Comcast
Host: TV over IP Software RCN Inside Insight Team Discovery
1 edit | reply to RiseAbove (topic move) [AT&T] Possible to use iPhone without the $30 data
Moderator Action The post that was here (and all 2 followups to it), has been moved to a new topic .. »[AT&T] Possible to use iPhone without the $30 data plan? »iPhone - Questions/Comments? |
|
  RiseAbove IreCruitU Premium join:2004-01-30
| reply to Patmcgroin999 Re: [AT&T] Possible to use iPhone without the $30 data plan?
said by Patmcgroin999 :
So do I need to unlock the phone as well and what's the best site or software to jailbrake it and when I do jailbrake it how do I get it on the iPhone because it's not registered yet or do I just go through my computer to put it on the phone If you are using it on ATT no you do not need to worry about unlocking it and I would suggest not doing it.
To jailbreak it go to »blog.iphone-dev.org/ and follow their advice. Use PwnageTool to do it the program is really easy.
Simply what you do is pop in your sim card in the top, plug it into your computer, open PwnageTool and then let it do all the work. It will activate it and then you will be able to use the iphone as you wish.
Be warned if you don't have any data package and have setup an email account on their and it's on "auto", meaning that it will go out and look for email every 15 or 30 mins you will be charged for that data. Make sure you setup "manual" on all programs you might download on the phone. I know I tried to run an iphone with out data for a month and it was hard, I usually had overage in data charges so be warned.
I recommend if you want to block data download a services manager on the iphone through Cydia and shut off "edge" which will make sure you aren't using data. -- Looking to get into Avaya telco if you might be in that field hit me up I have a lot of questions. |
|