Did AT&T have a contract with Apple not to put any branding on it

[Myiphone7]

The iPhone 5 has no AT&T signs. Was wondering if AT&T has a contact that says you can't since others do.

[Goodeye]

Apple had that agreement when ATT was the only carrier.

Mind you Apple has that agreement with all the Carriers as none of them have carrier branding on the device.
(At least in the US)

[CEmajr]

Apple doesn't allow any carrier to brand the iPhone

[jrodsep]

It's not AT&T, Verizon or Sprint. It's Apple that doesn't permit any carrier branding. A good move IMHO. Just look at the abomination that is the Galaxy Note 2 on Verizon.

[justinxtreme]

Yes, back in 2006 Apple had an exclusive contract with Cingular that included letting Apple have full control with the software and hardware development which is developed in-house.

Those terms still exist today when Apple makes a deal with cellular carriers to carry their mobile devices, it's one of the terms they have to agree with. They only get to modify a few things (like their own Phone menu at the very bottom of Settings > Phone)

[Radiating]

This is a good move by Apple, carrier branding is disgusting and horrible and nobody wants it.

[ET iPhone Home]

Originally Posted by Radiating

This is a good move by Apple, carrier branding is disgusting and horrible and nobody wants it.

I agree completely. I was worried about this when I got my 4S (first iPhone). All my other dumbphones had the Sprint decals on them. It looked tacky.

[SandboxGeneral]

That was one of Apple's terms of agreement; not allowing branding on the iPhone except for the carrier name next to the signal strength meter. I seem to recall it being revealed that it was a sticking point with Verizon for a while before they relented to Apple's deal requirement.

Here's the news article I was thinking of: Verizon President Offers a Look Inside the Apple-Verizon iPhone Negotiations

[Daveoc64]

People often overlook that iOS contains a lot of features designed to give carriers remote control over features (like Voicemail, MMS, Tethering, Facetime etc.) that no other OS or device has.

[vastoholic]

Originally Posted by Daveoc64

People often overlook that iOS contains a lot of features designed to give carriers remote control over features (like Voicemail, MMS, Tethering, Facetime etc.) that no other OS or device has.

Those features are controlled by the carrier on all devices. What do you mean allow remote control?

[Daveoc64]

Originally Posted by vastoholic

Those features are controlled by the carrier on all devices. What do you mean allow remote control?

iOS allows carriers to control whether certain features and settings are enabled or visible on a per-account basis.

No other device has that sort of control.

[aristobrat]

Originally Posted by Daveoc64

iOS allows carriers to control whether certain features and settings are enabled or visible on a per-account basis.

No other device has that sort of control.

Don't know if this is the same, but when I used to travel overseas (Hong Kong) with my Verizon Blackberry, the Maps application would disappear when I was roaming on a HK network, and reappear the minute I arrived back in the US.

[vastoholic]

Originally Posted by Daveoc64

iOS allows carriers to control whether certain features and settings are enabled or visible on a per-account basis.

No other device has that sort of control.

So on an Android or Windows phone you can tether all you want even though you don't have a tethering plan? I'm trying to follow you here. Those are all services (minus FaceTime) that are provided by the carrier and not apple. Of course they will have control over it.
The tethering option is visible on my phone even though I don't have a tethering plan.
The messaging application is always going to be there on every iPhone and unless you expressly tell your provider to disable texts, you can still use it without a plan, you'll just be charged more.
Visual Voicemail again is carrier specific. Either they support it, or they don't. The voicemail tab doesn't disappear or become greyed out if your carrier doesn't support Visual Voicemail. It just behaves like old cell phones where you have dial in and listen to messages in a row.

[ucfgrad93]

While the carrier branding doesn't really bother me, I'm glad the iPhone doesn't have it.

[scaredpoet]

Originally Posted by Daveoc64

iOS allows carriers to control whether certain features and settings are enabled or visible on a per-account basis.

No other device has that sort of control.

No other device HAD most of these features before. And when they ultimately did gain those features, yes, the carriers were/are able to exert the same level of control... while still being able to plaster their logo all over the place on those other devices, and add their bloatware.

[Newman88]

To me it's like free advertising for them. No different when buying a car, the dealer slaps a sticker on the back of the car and now you are advertising for them.

[Gav2k]

Originally Posted by aristobrat

Don't know if this is the same, but when I used to travel overseas (Hong Kong) with my Verizon Blackberry, the Maps application would disappear when I was roaming on a HK network, and reappear the minute I arrived back in the US.

That's because most the region isn't mapped do to government limitations.

The carrier file is what the post above is referring too. Carriers select and deselect what they require.

[aristobrat]

Originally Posted by Gav2k

That's because most the region isn't mapped do to government limitations.

The carrier file is what the post above is referring too. Carriers select and deselect what they require.

The employees that lived in Hong Kong and had local phones had working Blackberry maps, so it doesn't seem like a government limitation.

FWIW, it looks like carriers can select/deselect at least the Blackberry maps program. AT&T used to deselect it, by default.

http://supportforums.blackberry.com/...TT/td-p/263747

[Gav2k]

Originally Posted by aristobrat

The employees that lived in Hong Kong and had local phones had working Blackberry maps, so it doesn't seem like a government limitation.

FWIW, it looks like carriers can select/deselect at least the Blackberry maps program. AT&T used to deselect it, by default.

http://supportforums.blackberry.com/...TT/td-p/263747

Sorry I think you miss understood what I was saying. Korea, china and Russia wouldn't allow google to do a satalite or mapping sweep. Mapping has changed for the most part satalite sweeps are limited.

[Nermal]

Originally Posted by Radiating

This is a good move by Apple, carrier branding is disgusting and horrible and nobody wants it.

Actually, some people do want it; there's a thread on these very forums where people are customising their "carrier logo" and putting an AT&T globe etc there.

[Daveoc64]

Originally Posted by vastoholic

So on an Android or Windows phone you can tether all you want even though you don't have a tethering plan?

Yes, because the carrier has no method in the phone's software to prevent you doing it.

Windows Phone does have the same sort of tethering restriction, but Android doesn't.

If the carrier wants to stop you tethering with Android, they need to enforce the contract terms - charge you more, slow your connection speed, block anything they think is tethering etc.

iOS will check whether or not the feature is allowed on your account when you try and use it. Not all carriers actually do that (because it requires additional work at their end). This is very different to what carriers do on other devices - they don't have that sort of ongoing control over the device. You might find a carrier branded handset simply has the Tethering feature disabled, but AT&T has the power to disable it on any iPhone in the world with their SIM inserted (even if it's unlocked).

Originally Posted by vastoholic

I'm trying to follow you here. Those are all services (minus FaceTime) that are provided by the carrier and not apple. Of course they will have control over it.

There's a distinction between you being contractually unable to do something and not being able to do it technically.


The important distinction here is that the iPhone was designed around AT&T's business needs - it was designed so that AT&T could control certain features on the device, while keeping Apple happy by not having any branding or carrier bloatware.

The by-product of this is that the system Apple created is a little "too good" from a consumer perspective.

[DMH3006]

That feature control is mostly in the US,here(Portugal,Europe) if the network supports it you get it,tethering for example doesn't cost you a penny more if you keep it under your data limit.

[dictoresno]

Originally Posted by aristobrat

Don't know if this is the same, but when I used to travel overseas (Hong Kong) with my Verizon Blackberry, the Maps application would disappear when I was roaming on a HK network, and reappear the minute I arrived back in the US.

The maps application was carrier controlled by service books. They were carrier pushed and controlled what apps you could use and see. When you traveled and your phone couldn't connect with the Verizon network, it couldn't get the service book it needed to run the maps app. This was evident in the US with AT&T blackberry devices. They blocked out blackberry maps app via missing service book, forcing people to use paid AT&T maps. It sucked.