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"AT&T" displayed on a Wi-Fi Only iPad 3?

A

awc71

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Mar 18, 2012
2
0
Today at brunch I gave my mother a new iPad for her birthday, Wi-Fi only, which I was able to pick up from the local Best Buy Mobile store.

Upon registering and starting it up at her house, my mother called and asked me why it was displaying the AT&T name in the top left corner.

Does anyone know why this may be occurring? I thought the Wi-Fi only models had no ability to detect the AT&T (or Verizon) network.

Did Best Buy give me the wrong model?
 
The WiFi models can't pick up cell networks, so if it is showing AT&T, then it is not a WiFi only model.
 
awc71 said:
Today at brunch I gave my mother a new iPad for her birthday, Wi-Fi only, which I was able to pick up from the local Best Buy Mobile store.

Upon registering and starting it up at her house, my mother called and asked me why it was displaying the AT&T name in the top left corner.

Does anyone know why this may be occurring? I thought the Wi-Fi only models had no ability to detect the AT&T (or Verizon) network.

Did Best Buy give me the wrong model?
Click to expand...

Have her look at the back corner opposite the camera. If there is a little hole there you have an AT&T device. That's the sim tray. Or I guess she could go to Settings and see if there is Cellular listed.
 
Why check for holes when you can just check to see if it has the black plaster bar running along the top? The wifi only models are just aluminium.

It's possible someone has a wireless network with an SSID of "AT&T".
 
donnaw said:
Have her look at the back corner opposite the camera. If there is a little hole there you have an AT&T device. That's the sim tray. Or I guess she could go to Settings and see if there is Cellular listed.
Click to expand...

I think the big black stripe at the top of the rear casing might be a bit easier to see. If ther, it's a 4G unit, if not its wifi.
 
I was wondering the same thing. My iPad 2 was an AT&T model and didn't show anything about being connected to AT&T when I hadn't purchased a data plan.
Now on my new iPad 3 which is also an AT&T model, its showing 1bar and AT&T!!! I don't have a data plan so why is it showing this?:eek:
 
DotCom2 said:
I was wondering the same thing. My iPad 2 was an AT&T model and didn't show anything about being connected to AT&T when I hadn't purchased a data plan.
Now on my new iPad 3 which is also an AT&T model, its showing 1bar and AT&T!!! I don't have a data plan so why is it showing this?:eek:
Click to expand...

Because it shows signal when there is a signal, even if you can't do anything with it.
If you go into settings and turn off cellular network, it won't show up there.
 
JBaker122586 said:
Because it shows signal when there is a signal, even if you can't do anything with it.
If you go into settings and turn off cellular network, it won't show up there.
Click to expand...

Ahhhh thank you.
I didn't notice that setting was set to on.
 
Thanks!

Thanks all for the quick replies. Looks like I'll need to check in with her and see what she has tomorrow. (She's asleep by now.)

Judging by your input and what she says she sees, I'm guessing they slipped up and gave me the wrong model. Then again, Mom's eyes aren't what they used to be, so I may need to venture out and see it myself at some point.

FWIW, despite nearing 70, my Mom was as happy as a kid on Christmas morning with her new toy. Now I just need to upgrade my first gen. :D

Thanks again for the consult!
 
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