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AT&T found wife's JB/unlocked 3G and added a data plan?

J

jacobsen1

macrumors member
Original poster
Jan 6, 2009
59
0
Mt View, RI
anyway around this?

I got an iP4.
I jailbroke and unlocked my 3G
I installed SBsettings and turned off Data, 3g and edge.
I called AT&T and made sure all data was turned off on her accound.

She's been using and loving the 3G for the last month. Today she gets a text that they know it's an iPhone and that it "needs" a data plan and that they've added it for her. We're on a family plan with my parents, my dad and mom did the same thing with his 3G and my mom's has the same message.

Is there any way around this? Technically the phones are "out of contract" so WTF? I guess we could sell them and get the girls BBs or something else nice with the money that you can get w/o the mandatory data?
 
On AT&T (and probably everyone else) all smartphones - not just the iPhone - REQUIRE a data plan to be used on their network.
 
If you have an iPhone, and it's active on the AT&T network, it's required you have a data plan. You can just use it as an iPod touch, but you won't be able to make phone calls. Otherwise you will at least need the 15$ per month data plan for 200mb of data.
 
Brien said:
On AT&T (and probably everyone else) all smartphones - not just the iPhone - REQUIRE a data plan to be used on their network.
Click to expand...

not true. When we first got AT&T I had a BB bold specifically because it DID NOT NEED a data plan and it had WiFi.
 
Wirelessly posted (Mozilla/5.0 (iPhone; U; CPU iPhone OS 4_0_1 like Mac OS X; en-us) AppleWebKit/532.9 (KHTML, like Gecko) Version/4.0.5 Mobile/8A306 Safari/6531.22.7)

Smart phones from any company require a data plan not just an iPhone.
 
I am not convinced of this. My wife has been using a hand me down 2G for the past year with out a data plan. AT&T definitely knows that it is an iPhone as it shows on out account details, just no data. Maybe this is different for the 3G/3GS?
 
jacobsen1 said:
not true. When we first got AT&T I had a BB bold specifically because it DID NOT NEED a data plan and it had WiFi.
Click to expand...

Those days are gone. You can still have it this way if you're grandfathered in from like 2 years ago but otherwise you have to have a data plan now.
 
jacobsen1 said:
not true. When we first got AT&T I had a BB bold specifically because it DID NOT NEED a data plan and it had WiFi.
Click to expand...

Yeah, not sure how long ago was that, but for AT&T every single smartphone required a Data plan, it doesn't matter if you turn off "data", as soon as AT&T detect you are using a 'Smartphone" it will add a data Plan to your billing.

Here, from the AT&T FAQ:

Question:
Is there still a minimum data plan requirement for smartphones?
Answer:
Yes, all smartphones must have at least the DataPlus 200 MB plan in order to remain active. The great news is that the plan is just $15 per month.
 
theft of service

HOiYA said:
I am not convinced of this. My wife has been using a hand me down 2G for the past year with out a data plan. AT&T definitely knows that it is an iPhone as it shows on out account details, just no data. Maybe this is different for the 3G/3GS?
Click to expand...

I know am a wet noodle - but trying to scam out of the datat plan is a theft of service
 
caltrinity said:
there is one potential solution, but it might not be ideal: switch to an AT&T prepaid plan.
Click to expand...

interesting point. We got our AT&T account in feb of 2009. So we're a bit over 18 months in. I wonder if they'll let us switch those 2 lines over to prepaid? The other idea I had was switching the lines to another company with SIMs (ie not verizon) and using them there... But I'm not sure if they'll have an early termination fee for those lines before feb 2011?
 
jacobsen1 said:
anyway around this?

I got an iP4.
I jailbroke and unlocked my 3G
I installed SBsettings and turned off Data, 3g and edge.
I called AT&T and made sure all data was turned off on her accound.

She's been using and loving the 3G for the last month. Today she gets a text that they know it's an iPhone and that it "needs" a data plan and that they've added it for her. We're on a family plan with my parents, my dad and mom did the same thing with his 3G and my mom's has the same message.

Is there any way around this? Technically the phones are "out of contract" so WTF? I guess we could sell them and get the girls BBs or something else nice with the money that you can get w/o the mandatory data?
Click to expand...

You could probably switch to tmobile and not use a data plan, but that seems like a lot of hassle to save 30 bucks a month. Especially when I am sure your wife will appreciate the ability to use a little data on the go.
 
They do scams for IMEI's... once that matches up with the iPhone then you are the owner of an iPhone data plan (if you didn't have one).
 
timmy2 said:
That is a good point -
Click to expand...

No it's really not a good point. If one of AT&T's requirements for using a smartphone on their network is a having data plan.....then trying to circumvent it is theft.

I love how people is on this board will grab their torches and pitchforks about their rights as customers, yet try to help people circumvent their responsibilities as consumers. You're using a device on AT&T's network...like them or not, you have to play by their rules.

Pay the $15 and call it a day....chances are she'd probably enjoy using it more with the data service anyway....
 
mantan said:
No it's really not a good point. If one of AT&T's requirements for using a smartphone on their network is a having data plan.....then trying to circumvent it is theft.
Click to expand...
Ya except if you are not using data and thus don't have a data plan, you are not stealing anything = no theft.
 
Ryeno said:
Ya except if you are not using data and thus don't have a data plan, you are not stealing anything = no theft.
Click to expand...

You are required to have a data plan which equals paying money to AT&T, circumventing data plan equals loss of money to AT&T which is theft
 
timmy2 said:
That is a good point -
Click to expand...

Ryeno said:
Ya except if you are not using data and thus don't have a data plan, you are not stealing anything = no theft.
Click to expand...

OK, how about not complying with terms and conditions......either way it's all semantics. The rules are there, AT&T made the OP aware and rectified the situation. Either he does the right thing and pays for it...or he tries to find a loophole to continue using the device in an unauthorized manner....
 
mantan said:
OK, how about not complying with terms and conditions......either way it's all semantics. The rules are there, AT&T made the OP aware and rectified the situation. Either he does the right thing and pays for it...or he tries to find a loophole to continue using the device in an unauthorized manner....
Click to expand...

I don't believe ATT or any other carrier for that matter should have the right to add the data plan the phone is clearly able to NOT use data its not like it needs data to make a call....

but yeah... unless you illegally change the IMEI I don't believe there is a way around it.
 
mantan said:
OK, how about not complying with terms and conditions......either way it's all semantics. The rules are there, AT&T made the OP aware and rectified the situation. Either he does the right thing and pays for it...or he tries to find a loophole to continue using the device in an unauthorized manner....
Click to expand...

Yes, because paying for data that you are not using is the right thing :rolleyes:
 
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