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Cannot Transfer iPhone Data Plan

S

sbrownla

macrumors regular
Original poster
May 28, 2007
103
0
Arizona
For those who wanted to know, I got confirmation from ATT that if you can ONLY use an iPhone Data Plan with an iPhone. You can't take out your SIM and use data on a different phone.

This mainly affects people, like myself, who already have ATT accounts that suffer from schizophonia, and need to be able to use a different smartphone whenever I feel like it.

See below:

Thank you for taking the time to e-mail AT&T regarding if you will have
to change your plan to use an iPhone. I am happy to help you with your
inquiry and I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

To use an iPhone, you will be required to have one of the valid iPhone
data plans on the wireless number that will be activating the iPhone.
The iPhone data plan may replace your current data plan and your voice
plan will stay the same. Unfortunately, you will not be able to use
your current data plan with the iPhone and your current phone will not
be compatible with the iPhone plan. As a result, you will have to
change your data plan in order to use the iPhone.

Existing AT&T customers can add one of three iPhone Data Plans to their
current voice plan...​
 
diamond.g

diamond.g

macrumors G4
Mar 20, 2007
11,112
2,444
OBX
sbrownla said:
For those who wanted to know, I got confirmation from ATT that if you can ONLY use an iPhone Data Plan with an iPhone. You can't take out your SIM and use data on a different phone.

This mainly affects people, like myself, who already have ATT accounts that suffer from schizophonia, and need to be able to use a different smartphone whenever I feel like it.

See below:

Thank you for taking the time to e-mail AT&T regarding if you will have
to change your plan to use an iPhone. I am happy to help you with your
inquiry and I apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

To use an iPhone, you will be required to have one of the valid iPhone
data plans on the wireless number that will be activating the iPhone.
The iPhone data plan may replace your current data plan and your voice
plan will stay the same. Unfortunately, you will not be able to use
your current data plan with the iPhone and your current phone will not
be compatible with the iPhone plan. As a result, you will have to
change your data plan in order to use the iPhone.

Existing AT&T customers can add one of three iPhone Data Plans to their
current voice plan...​
Click to expand...

But you may be able to use your iPhone data plan with a normal phone (not sure about an other smartphone though).
 
A

appleii2mac

macrumors regular
May 23, 2007
204
0
That's enormously lame if it's true.

Edit: If you can't use data plan with the SIM in another phone.

Edit 2: That is, if you can't use your iphone SIM in another phone and still use the data plan.
 
iSaint

iSaint

macrumors 603
May 26, 2004
5,225
2
South Mississippi y'all, near the water!
I have an existing family plan. The only thing I need to add is a data plan. I'm going with $30/month, unlimited data, 1500 texts. My daughter already has unlimited texts. My mother barely uses the other line we have. My wife has a Blackberry with her company.

I'm still going to ask a lot of questions about my plan before I leave the store with an iPhone.
 
S

sbrownla

macrumors regular
Original poster
May 28, 2007
103
0
Arizona
debilitating...

Yeah... we'll see. Maybe they'll change something so that you can use it. I don't mind not having visual voicemail.

Man... I really like being able to switch and come back. It's a fun phone, so why can't I have a fun phone when I want that, and a hard-core phone for when I don't?
 
A

appleii2mac

macrumors regular
May 23, 2007
204
0
Honestly, if I can't use the SIM from the iPhone in another phone and still use the data plan, I think that's going to be a deal breaker for me. One of my main reason for going to AT&T (and possibly terminating my VZW contract) is the freedom to switch phones.
 
L

ladeer

macrumors 6502
Feb 15, 2007
391
10
I am entirely not surprised here. I have been using a $40/month ATT EDGE BlackBerry plan and I couldn't use my SIM card in a different non-BB smart phone for data, heck, I can't even use it in a DIFFERENT BLACKBERRY since how they handle push email is the unique BlackBerry PIN.

What I am saying is, iPhone here is probably very, very similar to BlackBerry in that they have a proprietary communication interface so iPhone needs a specialized data plan that uses different set of protocols and ports than a non-iPhone smart phone.
 
S

sbrownla

macrumors regular
Original poster
May 28, 2007
103
0
Arizona
what to do

ladeer said:
I am entirely not surprised here. I have been using a $40/month ATT EDGE BlackBerry plan and I couldn't use my SIM card in a different non-BB smart phone for data, heck, I can't even use it in a DIFFERENT BLACKBERRY since how they handle push email is the unique BlackBerry PIN.

What I am saying is, iPhone here is probably very, very similar to BlackBerry in that they have a proprietary communication interface so iPhone needs a specialized data plan that uses different set of protocols and ports than a non-iPhone smart phone.
Click to expand...

It's a total dilemma. I don't know what I should do... I guess I should just wait for the next big thing from someone else. I did want an iPod pretty badly, but I guess I could just get a vid iPod.

Course, I'll have to pay my $288 ATT wireless phone bill first. hahaha.
 
L

ladeer

macrumors 6502
Feb 15, 2007
391
10
sbrownla said:
It's a total dilemma. I don't know what I should do... I guess I should just wait for the next big thing from someone else. I did want an iPod pretty badly, but I guess I could just get a vid iPod.

Course, I'll have to pay my $288 ATT wireless phone bill first. hahaha.
Click to expand...

i tell you exactly what you shall do:

switch between data plan whenever you want to!

you are not bound by contract for the data plan, only the voice plan. you can at any given time, as an existing ATT customer, CHANGE your device all you want, whether it be an old device or an unlocked device, ATT has no right to tell you that you can't change your device and use the needed data plan on that said device.

Every time when you change you will be prorated for the original plan, and pay the new data plan, also prorated. Only thing that costs you is the time it takes to call them and switch (maybe 10 minutes).

If you don't switch back and forth too often (let's say no more than once a month), I don't see this solution being too big of a hassle.

I figure if I don't like my iPhone that much, I can always go back to my blackberry and keep the iPhone as an iPod (since it will work sim-less after activation anyway).

So remember, just call ATT and switch your data plan whenever you change phone.
 
L

ladeer

macrumors 6502
Feb 15, 2007
391
10
appleii2mac said:
I know lots of people who swap their SIM's w/Data plans between pda/smartphones.
Click to expand...

sure, but they use the same type of data plan! what I said was between different types of data plans (that require different technology) such as between regular WM6 and BlackBerry...
 
L

ldhilljr

macrumors newbie
Jun 26, 2007
27
0
ladeer said:
I am entirely not surprised here. I have been using a $40/month ATT EDGE BlackBerry plan and I couldn't use my SIM card in a different non-BB smart phone for data, heck, I can't even use it in a DIFFERENT BLACKBERRY since how they handle push email is the unique BlackBerry PIN.
Click to expand...

Did you manually try to change the phone's data settings to access the data network? I have a VPN-enabled data account with my T-mobile phone, which has separate and distinct data settings than regular T-mobile data accounts. I would expect that a Blackberry data plan would also have distinctive settings, and unless your phone has them set correctly, you wouldn't be able to access the data network.
 
L

ladeer

macrumors 6502
Feb 15, 2007
391
10
ldhilljr said:
Did you manually try to change the phone's data settings to access the data network? I have a VPN-enabled data account with my T-mobile phone, which has separate and distinct data settings than regular T-mobile data accounts. I would expect that a Blackberry data plan would also have distinctive settings, and unless your phone has them set correctly, you wouldn't be able to access the data network.
Click to expand...

No, I didn't manually reset them, so you think I can use my BB Sim card in any smart phone if I can manipulate some setting in the phone?

Btw, my SIM card won't even allow data to work on a different BLACKBERRY phone, because like I said, blackberry technology uses the unique ID of blackberry (pin). But perhaps regular browsing via EDGE could work?
 
A

appleii2mac

macrumors regular
May 23, 2007
204
0
ladeer said:
i tell you exactly what you shall do:

switch between data plan whenever you want to!

you are not bound by contract for the data plan, only the voice plan. you can at any given time, as an existing ATT customer, CHANGE your device all you want, whether it be an old device or an unlocked device, ATT has no right to tell you that you can't change your device and use the needed data plan on that said device.

Every time when you change you will be prorated for the original plan, and pay the new data plan, also prorated. Only thing that costs you is the time it takes to call them and switch (maybe 10 minutes).

If you don't switch back and forth too often (let's say no more than once a month), I don't see this solution being too big of a hassle.

I figure if I don't like my iPhone that much, I can always go back to my blackberry and keep the iPhone as an iPod (since it will work sim-less after activation anyway).

So remember, just call ATT and switch your data plan whenever you change phone.
Click to expand...

That's incredibly inconvenient. I want to be able to switch the SIM and go.
 
S

sbrownla

macrumors regular
Original poster
May 28, 2007
103
0
Arizona
awwww

ladeer said:
i tell you exactly what you shall do:

switch between data plan whenever you want to!

you are not bound by contract for the data plan, only the voice plan. you can at any given time, as an existing ATT customer, CHANGE your device all you want, whether it be an old device or an unlocked device, ATT has no right to tell you that you can't change your device and use the needed data plan on that said device.

Every time when you change you will be prorated for the original plan, and pay the new data plan, also prorated. Only thing that costs you is the time it takes to call them and switch (maybe 10 minutes).

If you don't switch back and forth too often (let's say no more than once a month), I don't see this solution being too big of a hassle.

I figure if I don't like my iPhone that much, I can always go back to my blackberry and keep the iPhone as an iPod (since it will work sim-less after activation anyway).

So remember, just call ATT and switch your data plan whenever you change phone.
Click to expand...

I'm leery cuz I've dealt with proration with ATT and it's a NIGHTMARE. I've seen some horrible charges there... but I guess I can always switch back, I'll just have to make sure that I do it right at the end of my billing cycle.

I don't know about the iPhone working as an iPod after though... but it would kinda make sense.

I can't understand the whole data thing though. The blackberry is different because it uses blackberry servers to handle mail, and maybe other things. The only server-side stuff the iPhone deals with is for visual voicemail... it would seem. So, no iPhone server, no viz voicemail...

Also, I pay MORE for my data plan so you'd think that they'd be fine so long as your data plan is at least one of the smartphone connect or PDA plans, right???
 
L

ldhilljr

macrumors newbie
Jun 26, 2007
27
0
ladeer said:
No, I didn't manually reset them, so you think I can use my BB Sim card in any smart phone if I can manipulate some setting in the phone?

Btw, my SIM card won't even allow data to work on a different BLACKBERRY phone, because like I said, blackberry technology uses the unique ID of blackberry (pin). But perhaps regular browsing via EDGE could work?
Click to expand...

Try this website (and he has alot of links) (http://www.taniwha.org.uk/gprs.html) to get information on various networks' data settings. Some of them have passwords that need to be entered. I'm no Blackberry expert (never owned one), so I'm not familiar with a PIN requirement that is tied to the data settings. But dig and Google around and you may find the answer!
 
A

appleii2mac

macrumors regular
May 23, 2007
204
0
As far as the Blackberries and their ID's is concerned, that's one of the security features from RIM that makes IT like them so much. For example, if you report it lost, you can have it wiped remotely. Probably wouldn't work if you could just swap SIMs.
 
diamond.g

diamond.g

macrumors G4
Mar 20, 2007
11,112
2,444
OBX
appleii2mac said:
As far as the Blackberries and their ID's is concerned, that's one of the security features from RIM that makes IT like them so much. For example, if you report it lost, you can have it wiped remotely. Probably wouldn't work if you could just swap SIMs.
Click to expand...

I have always been under the impression that BB's ID are unique to the BB not the SIM. So if you send the command to remotely brick the BB as soon as it tried communicating with the BIS/BES poof there goes everything.
 
A

appleii2mac

macrumors regular
May 23, 2007
204
0
Could be. I'm no Blackberry expert. I'm just pointing out that the way BB's work might be different from all other run of the mill smart phone/pda's.
 
L

ladeer

macrumors 6502
Feb 15, 2007
391
10
diamond.g said:
I have always been under the impression that BB's ID are unique to the BB not the SIM. So if you send the command to remotely brick the BB as soon as it tried communicating with the BIS/BES poof there goes everything.
Click to expand...

yes PIN tied to DEVICE.
 
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