AT&T Expands FaceTime Over Cellular Support to All Tiered Data Plans

[EvilEvil]

Why can't AT&T offer free Facetime for all users like Verizon does? Makes no sense.

[jclardy]

*will automatically activate over the next few months.*

Great, just in time for my contract to expire!

[lordofthereef]

Originally Posted by digizure

I would. I'm deaf and use facetime over cellular. It sucks though because I have the unlimited plan.

Ok, so we have one...

Sucks that you are deaf, but if it is really an important feature to you, why keep unlimited? Sure you pay a bit more, but it seems like it is way more worth it for you than the average Joe...

[Trius]

Stop trying to talk me out of my unlimited data. You'll have to pry it from my cold dead contract...

[MN1974]

Originally Posted by j.dstasio

Those of us with unlimited plans are still left out... Bummer.

There is VOICE and there is DATA.

FaceTime is certainly not under VOICE plan, because it's not VOICE. FaceTime runs on DATA.

So, my question is: WTF! If I have UNLIMITED DATA, why are those bastards limiting my DATA???

[BarryL]

Originally Posted by Trius

Stop trying to talk me out of my unlimited data. You'll have to pry it from my cold dead contract...

Agreed, this is crap. Wonder if it ends up in court.

[31 Flavas]

Originally Posted by currocj

Not a gift. Free is a gift. I pay $30 per month for this service.

I left AT&T and my "unlimited" plan because for the same price as you pay for data-only, alone, T-Mobile gives me: Unlimited data (Throttled after 5GB), Unlimited text and 100 minutes call time. $30/mo total, nothing else.

For $70/mo -- Unlimited data (no throttle), Unlimited Text, Unlimited calls.

I get 5-6 meg down and 2-4 meg up on my iPhone 4. Only thing I otherwise give up, at the present time, is visual voice mail.

Unfortunately, they don't offer iPhone compatible 3G everywhere -- they're adding more often enough and rumor / macrumor has it they'll launch LTE and / or sell iPhone themselves early this year.

[ArtOfWarfare]

Originally Posted by j.dstasio

Those of us with unlimited plans are still left out... Bummer.

You think you're getting screwed, but really, I think they're doing this so they can collect more overage from tiered users.

[MN1974]

Originally Posted by darkslide29

It's so stupid that I can use Skype, or anything else over cellular data, but not FaceTime! Annoying, but I still won't give up my grandfathered data plan for that. It isn't the best of incentives to pry it out of my hands.

Precisely. Me neither.

A la VERGA con AT&T y LA PUTA MADRE QUE LOS PARIO!

[samcraig]

Originally Posted by BarryL

Agreed, this is crap. Wonder if it ends up in court.

What do you think the charges or case would be?

[ericrwalker]

Originally Posted by iPusch

haha your QR code is brilliant ) pretty daughter, congrats

Thanks, it's hard to believe my genes could have produced such a pretty girl. Got another one on the way, but don't know if it's a girl or boy yet. Only 10 weeks along.

[mrgreen4242]

Will this require iOS6?

[Moorepheus]

Originally Posted by Macboy Pro

That's EASY.... They do not have a cap on their data. Just because they are throttled doesn't mean they do not have unlimited data. Said it before and will say it again. Anyone who has unlimited data should get what they paid for when they bought that plan. Unlimited data at 2G speeds, not 3G, or 4G, or LTE.

People expect unlimited data on an AT&T network that in some areas can have speeds in excess of 40Gb/s when you signed up for a plan that was around 700kbs at the time?

And they are the people who call companies like AT&T greedy. LOL, you have to be kidding me.

I don't believe, when Unlimited Data came out, that it specified in the contract HOW FAST the data was allowed to come to you.

As for the greed part, I can see why people say that. I have 5 phones on my plan, 4 smart phones and one non-smart phone. 2 of the smart phones have unlimited and 2 have the 2GB limited, the other phone has the unlimited $9 plan. My Bill is about 250, with all the taxes and bs they add on. If I was going to switch, just to the 10GB family shared plan, my bill would jump over $50 per month. Also, on the "Family Shared" plan, all phones are created equal. That's right, the DUMB phone that would be added to the plan cost just as much as a smart phone. So, at this time, I will take, as some of you have said, the gift of "Grandfathered Unlimited" data plan and save $50 a month by doing so, I don't need Facetime that much.


One other thing, yes, the two unlimited iPhone use over 2GB of data a month. Streaming Pandor and SirisXM will do that. And the kids on the 2GB limited plan, every month, they get the email that they are close to their limit.

[NewAnger]

I've never used FT so this is something that won't make me give up my unlimited plan.

[bigjnyc]

Originally Posted by NewAnger

I've never used FT so this is something that won't make me give up my unlimited plan.

Same here, I used facetime like 2 or 3 times when I first got the iPhone 4.... But the novelty wore off really fast for me and my friends. So nice try AT&T but I will be keeping my unlimited data... I patiently await your next move.

[kugino]

i wonder if ATT actually has info on how often people use facetime. i use it maybe once or twice a month to vid chat with my son's godparents...and that's usually from home, when i'm on wireless. how often are people out and about and spontaneously decide they want to vid chat someone? seriously?

[maveness]

Super. I have the old unlimited data plan. And Facetime is exactly what it would be good for. Except: no.

ATT you suck.

[noteple]

Originally Posted by nepalisherpa

I will just wait for the jailbreak to give me this feature (even though I may have to wait longer).

Anyway, so on my way home last night, I saw a billboard sign that said "AT&T = Corporate Greed". HAHA! I will see if I can take a picture of it today.

Would make great wallpaper for my iPhone.

[Amazing Iceman]

Originally Posted by MJedi

Once again, unlimited data plan users get the shaft. Getting tired of being discriminated against.

They may not let us use FaceTime over Cellular, but at least we can Netflix over Cellular all day long if we want to.

[solo118]

I saw this article and came directly to Macrumors to confirm.

What a bunch of BS.... got me all excited! It claimed EVERYBODY will have Facetime over cellular

http://news.yahoo.com/t-finally-give...194911732.html

[garylapointe]

Originally Posted by unplugme71

Remind me again why we can't sue AT&T for limiting our feature capability?

THe deal you were originally offered was for a phone that didn't have those features. The unlimited data plan was eventually discontinued. You could choose to keep it, but it doesn't apply to all new features on the phone. It makes sense from that standpoint.

Where is DOES NOT MAKE SENSE is when I bought my iPhone it was advertised with unlimited data it was also advertised that tethering would be available (soon, if it wasn't already). It was never stated that I'd have to turn off my unlimited plan to get the tethering option. That's where I'd think some people have a case for the tethering. BUT, that was on their 3g network...

Gary

[nepalisherpa]

Originally Posted by noteple

Would make great wallpaper for my iPhone.

LOL...I will post it here if I remember to take a picture. It was on a digital billboard so the timing has to be right.

[BarryL]

Originally Posted by samcraig

What do you think the charges or case would be?

Oh I am sure there's no way to win this.

You can't even do a class action suit anymore apparently.

Those on AT&T are just screwed.

[bommai]

Originally Posted by Xenomorph

After 3 and a half years, I gave up my AT&T Unlimited data plan.

I just switched to the Shared Data plan. For a little bit more than the cost of my one iPhone plus all the extras (tethering, etc), everyone in my family can have an iPhone.

So, I've had FaceTime enabled for a few days now. But guess what? I still don't have anyone to talk to. I know half a dozen people with iOS devices. None of them use FaceTime.

They don't have to use facetime. It is already there on their phones. Just call them.

[garylapointe]

It's a product they don't sell any more and they have not raised the price on it. It's not like they're raising the price and not letting you use new features on it.

Personally, I think ATT should just stop grandfathering in the unlimited plans so that people stop complaining of the restrictions of the unlimited plan. Yes, they'll lose customers but they're complaining customers.

Or the next time you renew if you want to keep your grandfathered plan they make an agreement of what it includes and does not include (and state it does not include new features) and make you sign it IF and ONLY IF you want to keep the plan. It would also state that if you complain about not have things the contract states, they can void your contract.

So your choices would be to keep it and be quiet about it OR get rid of it OR leave AT&T.

It's clearly not a product that they want to support. Other companies just discontinue products. Other companies state that they'll be turned off in the next year, they don't let you keep a product they don't want to support. Like MobileMe.

Gary