AT&T Eliminating $10 Text Messaging Plan for New Customers

[Le Big Mac]

Why couldn't iMessage work with non iOS/Mac devices? Seems like Apple could really open up in the budget market if their devices could negate the need for a texting plan.

The problem is hooking it into the SMS network. iMessage will sent "texts" to other registered iPhone users outside the SMS interchange network--think like skype using internet for "phone" calls. But if you wanted to send iMessage to your buddy on a regular phone, it will have to go at least through his carrier if not both yours and his.

You could set up some sort of registration for iMessage connectivity and run it all through the data network, but then "dumb" phone users would have to find a way to connect into that.

----------

Can you still do this? I tried and was told that either I needed a play or would be charged per text. I can of course control text messages I send out, but not those who send to me because they just send it to my cell number.

Yes. I have all SMS blocked. Of course, people who text me may think it's getting through.

 

[ellsworth]

With iMessage, Facebook Messenger, AIM and the likes, Text messaging will be yesterdays news. Shame on AT&T for doing this. Greedy bastards.

 

[Marcus PM]

When ever I hear the text "Bling" sound, no matter whose phone it's coming from, I say out loud, "20¢".

 

[AtariMac]

What kills me about text messaging is that 97% of it is ASCII. My 300 baud modem on my Atari 800 could easily handle sending and receiving more complex data in 1979.

There is next to no network overhead on a text message. AT&T are plain and simple being greedy here.

 

[kwiqsilver]

Two Words: Google Voice

I can view the same SMS account from my iPhone, iPad, or any web browser. No limit on messages, no cost. And when people call that number, it rings through to my phone.
The downside is it doesn't support MMS.

 

[eye]

I like my 1500 text plan. I hope I can keep it indefinitely. If I can't I'll move over to Verizon...who also sucks. Can't win with these providers. There's no competition so they do what they wish.

----------

apple should just release the next iphone on all major carriers, to start a pricing war and stick it back to them!

ATT is buying all major carriers.

 

[Ugg]

I'd love to have an iPhone, but I can't afford the plans. So instead I've got a Virgin Mobile smartphone, with unlimited data, unlimited text, and 300 voice minutes for $25 a month. (They increased that plan to $35 recently, but it's still a steal.) If AT&T / Verizon ever gets their heads out of their butts, I might move over, but there's no way I'd do it for 3-4x the price now.

Same here. I hope VM gets the iPhone Then it will be the best of both worlds.

 

[Trauma1]

Then when I want to put a text block on my phone, AT&T charges me.

No they don't.

----------

the text message block should be free.

It is free.

 

[wordoflife]

well I guess it's only a matter of time before AT&T kills of all the voice plans and only lets you chose the Family Unlimited plan. quick, chose your plan before its removed from the system!

 

[zorinlynx]

Bah. How *******-ish of AT&T.

As soon as there's an LTE-capable iPhone on Verizon, I'm so jumping ship.

 

[nagromme]

No they don't.

----------



It is free.

You’re right—I got a spam SMS a while back and immediately cancelled all texting (by calling AT&T at 611) before it could be repeated. No charge. I let time pass and re-instated it (I was on pay-per-use at the time). No charge.

I’ll seldom use SMS anymore—just keep it for emergencies and occasional use.

People can always SMS my AIM account, and I can reply, using iChat on Mac, or Meebo on iPhone. Both free, and I can even reply to them, too. A bit of a pain for the message-sender, but instructions for doing it are online (it varies per carrier, I think) and some of my friends do use that method already.

 

[jc1350]

No they don't.

----------



It is free.

Excellent. I was going by the other poster's comment.

 

[derickdub]

This doesn't really surprise me, people text or they don't. Most people I know who text use well over 10k a month, where as the people who don't never use enough to even have a texting plan. So this is probably only affecting a minority of people.

It would be nice of them to bring the $20/month unlimited down to $15/month though. That way there is at least some medium for the change.

 

[b_scott]

AT&T still offers a "pay per message" plan. So for all you complainers, you can still migrate to iMessage without a mandatory text message plan.

sure you can. at 20 cents a text whether you send or receive. for one message between two people, they get 40 cents if they're on AT&T.

at 20 cents a message, it's either 100 texts (both ways) or unlimited, for $20. That's extortion if you're using pay as you go, and otherwise you have to get unlimited. So everyone will, because almost everyone 30 and younger will go through more than 3 a day - and even if they didn't they'd get unlimited just in case so they didn't accidentally go over.

 

[Trauma1]

You’re right—I got a spam SMS a while back and immediately cancelled all texting (by calling AT&T at 611) before it could be repeated. No charge. I let time pass and re-instated it (I was on pay-per-use at the time). No charge.

Just as a general FYI, there is another type of block that just filters out those spam SMS messages, in addition to the one that blocks all messages. So you can still continue to text message other mobile numbers while avoiding the spam. AT&T will not only block those incoming messages in the future, but they will retroactively reimburse you for messages within the billing cycle.

That's pretty decent customer service if you ask me.

 

[b_scott]

This doesn't really surprise me, people text or they don't. Most people I know who text use well over 10k a month, where as the people who don't never use enough to even have a texting plan. So this is probably only affecting a minority of people.

It would be nice of them to bring the $20/month unlimited down to $15/month though. That way there is at least some medium for the change.

what? wow. most people you know use over 10K? that's close to 350 a DAY. say you're awake 16 hours a day, that's 20 an hour. or one every 3 minutes. how is that possible?

 

[Pika]

I use TextPlus ... It's free

 

[ladytonya]

The problem I've always had with AT&T is that it's $5 for 200 and $10 for 1500, nothing in between! I send way more than 200 per month but nowhere near 1500. We have been contemplating switching my husband to the 1500 plan because he often goes over 200 with all the stupid contests he enters and notifications he signs up for. Now we'll have to decide if we're going to do that. Not cool.

Until somebody can help me figure out how to teach my 64 year old mother and 67 year old mother-in-law how to use anything other than a dumb phone, I'm stuck with SMS/MMS. My mom might eventually get a smartphone because she loves playing Angry Birds on my iPhone, but I don't really want her to because that'll be at least 2 or 3 nights a week I'll be spending an hour at her house trying to teach her the damn thing! With my MIL, no way will we ever allow her to buy a smartphone. She can't even figure out most things on the dumbphone! When she sees our iPhones she constantly asks where the keypad is. Ugh!

 

[derickdub]

and even if they didn't they'd get unlimited just in case so they didn't accidentally go over.

I don't understand this whole "I'm going to waste X amount of $ a month so that in the case I go over I'm covered" attitude. I would rather pay the extra $ in "going over" than waste $100s in the course of a year trying to be "safe".

With texting it's not so bad, but hearing everyone cry about Verizon's unlimited data plan ending when they would only want it to be safe (even if they used less than 100MB/month) made me glad I wasn't such an idiot with my money.

 

[JRoDDz]

Haha, you yanks get screwed for your phones..

But I get you're not a AAA rated country anymore.

Yeah we're screwed for our phones. But at least I get free dental.

 

[derickdub]

what? wow. most people you know use over 10K? that's close to 350 a DAY. say you're awake 16 hours a day, that's 20 an hour. or one every 3 minutes. how is that possible?

I really don't know how true this is, as this is what they claim. A friend of mine showed me her bill one month and she had sent/received 14k texts.

I myself use about 4k a month, really depends. I am not a very popular person and don't have people texting me constantly though. Most people just use texting as a replacement for instant messaging I guess. It's just their way of conversing and the age group.

My point is most people who text send more than what the limited plans offer + the cost of going over.

 

[iansilv]

There is a hidden message with this move- if iMessage was only going to be on iPhones as currently available on Verizon and ATT, then they would not do this... as no one would be dumping text plans soon...

Think about it- if there is a pre-paid friendly iPhone coming where people could use any of the cheaper $40 a month unlimited carriers, and the iPhone is coming to T-Mobile and Sprint, then this move makes sense- because the problem of people not having iPhones and regular text messaging being required to text non-iphone users is significantly reduced. That means there is a much greater chance of subscribers eliminating their texting plans.

Personally, if the iPhone comes to Sprint and T-Mobile, and Apple releases a pre-paid phone, I am cutting off regular texting. People can either use imessaging or email me. Then freaking end.

If Apple wants to get control of these monopolistic carriers, all they've to do is hit them in their revenue stream.

A carrier-agnostic iPhone with imesaging will help that along...

 

[McBeats]

even though this doesn't affect me... Once my contract is up, I'm leaving these guys for good. (probably for another carrier thats not much better)

 

[Rodimus Prime]

While I agree that sounds sad, it's more than likely they're one of those ignorant people whose text conversations look like this:

them: hi
them: hwo are you?
them: who
them: how
me: I'm good, how are you, we should get together sometime
them: we should <- note the uselessness of this text
them: busy tonight
them: free tomorrow
them: saturday and sunday
them: but not before 5 on saturday
them: and before 4 on sunday
them: bob called me.
them: he wants to get together too.
them: he said ur dump
them: dumb
me: thanks, you just burned a third of my text plan to establish nothing over the last minute.

Annoys the hell out of me. NOT EVERYONE HAS UNLIMITED TEXTS PEOPLE.

Then when I want to put a text block on my phone, AT&T charges me. Ludicrous. They should all be fined into oblivion and taken over the by the government, there is not reason that the cell phone industry should not be considered required public infrastructure at this point. I hate government control, but I hate that we're getting less and less for more money under the disguise that it's for the better.

Depends how you communicated with people. I know plenty of people who will talk more with txt message than over the phone and have real messages go back and forth. It really intersting when you can get a break down of the time. Some people the messages fly between the hours of 10pm and 2am.

 

[dljeffery]

What an evil move by AT&T. SMSs costs them virtually nothing, just pure gouging. I know the markets are different, but here in India I pay $0.46 per month for 100 texts per day. It used to be 200 per day.

When you take into account the huge gap in average income and cost of living (and, therefore, also cost of doing business) in India vs. the US, it's ludicrous to say that AT&T is overcharging for SMS plans based on what you pay in India.

Do I think AT&T charges too much for their SMS plans? Yes, I do.

Do I think that the plans need to go down to under a dollar per month to be considered reasonable? No, absolutely not.