Sidebar Sidebar
Become a MacRumors Supporter for $50/year with no ads, ability to filter front page stories, and private forums.

AT&T Customers With Grandfathered Unlimited iPad Data Plans Will See Throttling After 22GB of Usage

MacRumors

MacRumors

macrumors bot
Original poster
Apr 12, 2001
68,198
38,989



AT&T today sent out emails to customers who continue to have a grandfathered unlimited data plan for the iPad, informing them that its unlimited status is essentially being eliminated on May 24, 2017.

Going forward, customers with an unlimited tablet data plan may see their data usage throttled when using more than 22GB of data during a single bill period. According to AT&T, data may be slowed down during times of network congestion.
grandfathereddataplanchanges-800x654.jpg

While that's in line with AT&T's policy for its newly announced unlimited data plans, it's a big change for iPad owners who are not used to having a data cap in place. Prior to the change, iPad owners with the grandfathered unlimited plan have not been subject to restrictions.

AT&T briefly offered unlimited iPad data plans after the original iPad was released in 2010, but phased them out just months later. Since then, customers who managed to purchase one of the plans have been able to hold onto them, making the unlimited plan highly coveted.

The plans required no contract and cost $29.99 per month, with customers able to transfer them to new iPads and even sell them to other iPad owners. With the change coming on May 24, the original unlimited iPad data plans will be much less attractive.

(Thanks, David!)

Article Link: AT&T Customers With Grandfathered Unlimited iPad Data Plans Will See Throttling After 22GB of Usage
 
Article Link
https://www.macrumors.com/2017/04/28/att-throttling-unlimited-ipad-data-plans/
I hate when articles are so misleading and click-baity like this. It's still unlimited. Users will still likely be able to use 30, 40, 50, even 100GB and beyond on their iPad. It IS NOT a throttle. It IS NOT a data cap.

What it IS, is deprioritization. Your data is prioritized lower than other users ONLY DURING TIMES OF CONGESTION. And that doesn't mean you are going to see a hard cap to your speeds, you are just going to see slightly slowed speeds so that other users will have enough bandwidth and higher priority.

This is why everybody is so wrongly antagonistic and hostile toward the new unlimited plans, because they are convinced there is a 22GB **CAP** where you will be throttled down to unusable speeds. That is NOT the case, and people are unable to understand that because of constant misleading articles such as this.

Yes, speeds *might* be slowed. But only in areas that are very congested. Most users are not going to be on a super congested tower all the time where you'd actually see this "deprioritization".
[doublepost=1493429025][/doublepost]
Amacfa said:
Data caps are a scam.
Click to expand...
It is NOT A DATA CAP.
OneMike said:
Another reason to switch from att. I really can't think of a reason to use them anymore.
Click to expand...
You're overreacting. Besides, you will have the exact same "limit" (that really isn't even a limit) on every other carrier.

It is not a cap. It is a threshold at which users will see lower priority. If the tower is extremely congested, then their speeds will be slightly slowed so that other users will have usable speeds. No, it isn't going to strictly limit speeds to 128kbps or anything like that at all. What it might do, is reduce ALREADY SLOW SPEEDS. The network experience would already suck, even when not deprioritized.

For example, if the tower can only put out 5mbps to you because of congestion, then while deprioritized you might see something more like 1-2mbps. And this might only happen for a moment, as well. When there is less traffic again, speeds will go back to normal and be the same for everybody, those who are past the 22GB threshold or not.

To put things into perspective, prepaid customers ALREADY ARE ALWAYS DEPRIORITIZED.

I am sick of articles such as these misleading people.
 
  • Like
Reactions: leftoverbacon, tooloud10, Rina11 and 49 others
I had one of these plans....sold it years ago for like $1k.

Yikes, feel sorry for the guy who bought it on eBay lol.

I'm actually shocked it took this long quite honestly.
 
  • Like
Reactions: KPOM
This is a significant change for me. I have the Unlimited Plus plan for my phones but a grandfathered plan for my iPad. No reason now not to save $10/month and add my iPad to my postpaid account. Just wish I had unloaded the plan. They were selling for like 2k on ebay.

XTheLancerX said:
I hate when articles are so misleading and click-baity like this. It's still unlimited. Users will still likely be able to use 30, 40, 50, even 100GB and beyond on their iPad. It IS NOT a throttle. It IS NOT a data cap.

What it IS, is deprioritization. Your data is prioritized lower than other users ONLY DURING TIMES OF CONGESTION. And that doesn't mean you are going to see a hard cap to your speeds, you are just going to see slightly slowed speeds so that other users will have enough bandwidth and higher priority.

This is why everybody is so wrongly antagonistic and hostile toward the new unlimited plans, because they are convinced there is a 22GB **CAP** where you will be throttled down to unusable speeds. That is NOT the case, and people are unable to understand that because of constant misleading articles such as this.

Yes, speeds *might* be slowed. But only in areas that are very congested. Most users are not going to be on a super congested tower all the time where you'd actually see this "deprioritization".
[doublepost=1493429025][/doublepost]
It is NOT A DATA CAP.

You're overreacting. Besides, you will have the exact same "limit" (that really isn't even a limit) on every other carrier.

It is not a cap. It is a threshold at which users will see lower priority. If the tower is extremely congested, then their speeds will be slightly slowed so that other users will have usable speeds. No, it isn't going to strictly limit speeds to 128kbps or anything like that at all. What it might do, is reduce ALREADY SLOW SPEEDS. The network experience would already suck, even when not deprioritized.

For example, if the tower can only put out 5mbps to you because of congestion, then while deprioritized you might see something more like 1-2mbps. And this might only happen for a moment, as well. When there is less traffic again, speeds will go back to normal and be the same for everybody, those who are past the 22GB threshold or not.

To put things into perspective, prepaid customers ALREADY ARE ALWAYS DEPRIORITIZED.

I am sick of articles such as these misleading people.
Click to expand...
 
  • Like
Reactions: ohio.emt
My wife was fed up with AT&T, and coerced me to give up my grandfathered unlimited data plan to switch to T-Mobile. Our bill went from $170 per month on AT&T to $80 per month on T-mobile with unlimited everything. And lots of percs on T-Mobile. Wish I had dumped AT&T long ago!
 
  • Like
Reactions: spinnyd, Rina11, ichii and 13 others
Here's an idea AT$T, take the last three price increases and build a bigger pipe. Then you can throttle the top terra-torrenters. The cost of the GB is going down not up. Quit soaking the Google Map/YouTubers (ya filthy basterds).
 
I live in a major metropolitan and AT&T data is already slow as dial up. Can't imagine AT&T can make it any worse. No surprise they're losing subscribers to T-Mobile.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Jmausmuc and Morgenland
These threats are getting really old from these carriers....they really need to try another tactic. It's not working. They act like we the customers are shaking in our boots with these announcements. Unlimited is going away, no wait it's next month it's back, it's the new unlimited...I think their running out of marketing tools. How about this one...take care of the customer and give us what we want, stop taking things away when it just makes you look bad in the long run...especially grandfathered customers who have been with you like...forever.
 
  • Like
Reactions: VMMan and pdaholic
XTheLancerX said:
I hate when articles are so misleading and click-baity like this. It's still unlimited. Users will still likely be able to use 30, 40, 50, even 100GB and beyond on their iPad. It IS NOT a throttle. It IS NOT a data cap.

What it IS, is deprioritization. Your data is prioritized lower than other users ONLY DURING TIMES OF CONGESTION. And that doesn't mean you are going to see a hard cap to your speeds, you are just going to see slightly slowed speeds so that other users will have enough bandwidth and higher priority.

This is why everybody is so wrongly antagonistic and hostile toward the new unlimited plans, because they are convinced there is a 22GB **CAP** where you will be throttled down to unusable speeds. That is NOT the case, and people are unable to understand that because of constant misleading articles such as this.

Yes, speeds *might* be slowed. But only in areas that are very congested. Most users are not going to be on a super congested tower all the time where you'd actually see this "deprioritization".
[doublepost=1493429025][/doublepost]
It is NOT A DATA CAP.

You're overreacting. Besides, you will have the exact same "limit" (that really isn't even a limit) on every other carrier.

It is not a cap. It is a threshold at which users will see lower priority. If the tower is extremely congested, then their speeds will be slightly slowed so that other users will have usable speeds. No, it isn't going to strictly limit speeds to 128kbps or anything like that at all. What it might do, is reduce ALREADY SLOW SPEEDS. The network experience would already suck, even when not deprioritized.

For example, if the tower can only put out 5mbps to you because of congestion, then while deprioritized you might see something more like 1-2mbps. And this might only happen for a moment, as well. When there is less traffic again, speeds will go back to normal and be the same for everybody, those who are past the 22GB threshold or not.

To put things into perspective, prepaid customers ALREADY ARE ALWAYS DEPRIORITIZED.

I am sick of articles such as these misleading people.
Click to expand...

Have you had much experience living under this prioritization on mobile? I'm curious to hear some real world experiences.
 
  • Like
Reactions: macTW
I'm grandfathered in from the very first iPad. Currently using an iPad mini 2. Waiting for the iPad Pro updates to upgrade and transfer my data plan.

I used to use up to 60gigs of data a month when I commuted into NYC to work where there was no wifi. But now that I work out of home I don't use that much data. But it's nice to have when I am mobile.

I will keep my unlimited data plan till the end of time.
 
  • Like
Reactions: jayes, ingik, aypues and 3 others
So, I have the unlimited plan and received the AT&T email this evening. I never checked what I use on my iPad. Is there a way to check usage?
 
east85 said:
Have you had much experience living under this prioritization on mobile? I'm curious to hear some real world experiences.
Click to expand...
I am on Verizon, and I will soon. I am at 18.5GB out of 22GB. Maybe I will prove myself wrong and find data speeds to turn to hell after the threshold, but we'll see. Where I am, speeds run from 20-50mbps. Hardly congested. Rural area too. So we'll see.

I have seen plenty of video examples of people over even 80GB who were getting 90mbps+ speeds still (this was on Verizon). Tons of other people saying they saw no difference in speeds. Some saying they felt some brief slowdowns but nothing that didn't last longer than a few moments. And a couple saying their speeds become much less tolerable (but they live in an already congested area).
 
  • Like
Reactions: WatchFromAfar
Oh no. Now other carriers will follow AT&T and start throttling my grandfathered unlimited. Right now I don't experience any caps
 
AT&T have always bitched about customers using all the data, but they're only doing it, so they can give there Directv customers all the free bandwidth they want, to watch tv & movies on there devices.
 
  • Like
Reactions: jrr6415sun
You must log in or register to reply here.
Register on MacRumors! This sidebar will go away, and you'll see fewer ads.
Top Bottom
Back