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at&t instructs me not to use iMessage to save data

8CoreWhore

8CoreWhore

macrumors 68030
Original poster
Jan 17, 2008
2,670
1,225
Tejas
I canceled my text message plan with them once I got iMessage.

As part of the "top 5% of users" debacle, I inquired about ways I can save on data.

They told me to turn off iMessages (Today. Before, they told me to turn off iCloud).

I asked him if using at&t's texting also uses data - he said no.

I told him I was looking at my detailed bill, and it shows texting (including pictures and video) as contributing to my total data usage.

He then admitted that it does.

I asked him, then how does not using iMessage make a difference?

He said because iMessage uses data.

LOL. So around and around we went. I asked him - If I use at&t texting and MMS exactly the same way I use iMessage, wouldn't that be the same amount of data? He finally conceded that it would.

So I asked him why he would suggest I stop using iMessage?

Incredulously - he said to help not becoming part of the top 5%.

Look, when they act this dumb, they are simply lying.

As long as people try to avoid being in the top 5%, we stop using things like iMessage (per their instructions), we stop using Netflix (an at&t competitor), etc. (BTW, I don't use Netflix or Pandora, I'm a casual user, my iPhone 4S is not JB'd and I don't tether. But I reached 2GB "threshold" anyway.)

I recommend people call them and engage them and keep them on the phone for an hour to waste their time and money and let them know, as I did, that rather than switch to their $30/3GB plan (what they are trying to accomplish), I will switch to Verizon instead.
 
Regular text messages do not use data.

MMS does, but depending on how AT&T has configured things, you shouldn't pay for the data it uses.
 
iMessages do use data. Not very much, but it does use it. Even more when you send a picture or video via iMessage rather than MMS, because iMessage sends the original or neat original media. Whereas MMS compresses the message before it gets sent.
 
Jordan921 said:
iMessage doesn't even use that much data
Click to expand...

"that much" changes when you send pictures and video.

But the main point is, he wanted me to give up iMessages and start using MMS instead (for pictures and video). He eventually said there'd be no difference /data-wise/ between the two systems.

They tried to lie at first and say there was a difference so they can extract more money. It's important for people to understand what at&t's reaction is to losing Texting revenue due to iMessage.
 
Texting does not use data. MMS does. IMO it shouldn't accrue as data as you can send MMS with a regular texting plan and no data plan without paying additional data fees, but I wouldn't be surpised if ATT is screwing the customer. FWIW iMessage uses very little data. We are talking dozen if not hundreds of (text only) messages to equate to 1kb of data. Unless you are sending hundreds of thousands of messages a month in this manner (or just a lot of pics), it really is a negligible value.

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8CoreWhore said:
They tried to lie at first and say there was a difference so they can extract more money. It's important for people to understand what at&t's reaction is to losing Texting revenue due to iMessage.
Click to expand...

They may have been lieing. Or they may have just been misinformed. The number of workers almost ANYWHERE you go that are misinformed is alarming. My bet is that the rep was just misinformed and was just saying whatever he could to try and get himself out of the hole he dug, but I also tend to try and look at things in the most positive way possible, generally.
 
lordofthereef said:
Texting does not use data. MMS does. IMO it shouldn't accrue as data as you can send MMS with a regular texting plan and no data plan without paying additional data fees, but I wouldn't be surpised if ATT is screwing the customer. FWIW iMessage uses very little data. We are talking dozen if not hundreds of (text only) messages to equate to 1kb of data. Unless you are sending hundreds of thousands of messages a month in this manner (or just a lot of pics), it really is a negligible value.

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They may have been lieing. Or they may have just been misinformed. The number of workers almost ANYWHERE you go that are misinformed is alarming. My bet is that the rep was just misinformed and was just saying whatever he could to try and get himself out of the hole he dug, but I also tend to try and look at things in the most positive way possible, generally.
Click to expand...

Right. Which leads me to wonder how many people like me are they instructing to not use iMessage as part of a (false) solution to avoid the "over usage".
 
I'll call a little BS here.
MMS messages are billed under your messaging plan.
Yes it uses a data connection to send the pictures or video, but this data stream is not billed against your data plan. AT&T's APN settings differentiate the traffic.
That's what the MMSC, MMS proxy and MMS Port settings are for. ;)
MMSC: http://mmsc.cingular.com
MMS Proxy: wireless.cingular.com
MMS Port: 80
Click to expand...
The only way they would get billed as data is if you altered or removed this setting.

I sense you're either making this conversation up or you had a CSR who didn't know his butt from a hole in the ground.
 
wickerman1893 said:
Unless you have a limited number of texts, use sms. It's more efficient than iMessage.
Click to expand...

I kind of like seeing when the other person is typing and whether he/she has received/read my messages. It will automatically send as a text if it cannot connect as an iMessage.

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8CoreWhore said:
Right. Which leads me to wonder how many people like me are they instructing to not use iMessage as part of a (false) solution to avoid the "over usage".
Click to expand...

I am sure a lot. This likely happens with every product or service. If I may say so, what you should have done to fix this is get the rep's name and write a letter of complaint to ATT. Posting here we can, at best, validate what you are saying, and that's it. Don't get me wrong, posting here is great, and I am not telling you not to, but if you really are worried about reps misinforming the masses there certainly is something you can do to help the situation.
 
Two things are going on here. One is that it's in AT&Ts best interest for you to add a text messaging plan considering they make a killing on them monthly. The second is they are currently promoting about how the network is getting slaughtered and this is a good point to add because iMessage 'uses' data.
 
Peace said:
Any data that goes over AT&T's cellular network uses data.

Sending a text message over a cellular network uses data.
Click to expand...

Not data over a packet data protocol connection which is what AT&T (and every other carrier will bill you for using).

Note: "Packet Data" applies to "GPRS", "EDGE", "HSDPA", "HSPA+" etc. in this context.

If you want to get very pedantic, a voice call uses "data" too.
 
Peace said:
Any data that goes over AT&T's cellular network uses data.

Sending a text message over a cellular network uses data.
Click to expand...

The way that SMS was explained to me once, in layman's terms, is that the message "hitches a ride" on the same signal that is going back and forth to provide you simple reception (those little bars in the top left of your screen that show you whether you can actually make/receive calls or not). In short, sending and receiving an SMS doesn't really use ant resources that are not already being used by your phone simply being on and receiving/transmitting signal.
 
rjohnstone said:
I'll call a little BS here.
MMS messages are billed under your messaging plan.
Yes it uses a data connection to send the pictures or video, but this data stream is not billed against your data plan. AT&T's APN settings differentiate the traffic.
That's what the MMSC, MMS proxy and MMS Port settings are for. ;)

The only way they would get billed as data is if you altered or removed this setting.

I sense you're either making this conversation up or you had a CSR who didn't know his butt from a hole in the ground.
Click to expand...

I recorded the conversation. Is it legal for me to post it to youtube? I'd like to, because I finally got them to admit that 2GBs is the magic number. Before, they would not admit that (to me - maybe they did to others, IDK).

I'm not making this up. Regarding how it works, should I believe you or should I believe him? If you look at your detail bill (on the web page, it's under "my paper bill") under Data Detail is where all the text messages are listed.

I'm not saying MMS and SMS uses against the Data Plan, they are. And my complaint is mainly that they want me to stop using iMessage and buy their $20 text plan instead. Either way this is wrong.

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lordofthereef said:
I kind of like seeing when the other person is typing and whether he/she has received/read my messages. It will automatically send as a text if it cannot connect as an iMessage.

----------



I am sure a lot. This likely happens with every product or service. If I may say so, what you should have done to fix this is get the rep's name and write a letter of complaint to ATT. Posting here we can, at best, validate what you are saying, and that's it. Don't get me wrong, posting here is great, and I am not telling you not to, but if you really are worried about reps misinforming the masses there certainly is something you can do to help the situation.
Click to expand...

So, you'd have me appeal to the enemy instead of simply comparing notes with the rest of us. I write them, nothing happens, I tell people here what to look out for.

I'm sharing my experience here because it might help someone, etc.
 
Last edited:
Perfect customer for ATT - pay $30 for data, $20 for unlimited text. Constantly use wifi and when you are not using it don't use pandora, netflix, icloud, imessage. While you are at it don't send any text or mms messages. This way customer pays $50 a month and uses 2 text messages and 1MB of data.

You are now a perfect ATT customer that will be labeled into 95% of its user base and new standard will arise where they can then compare u to others and throttle you.

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PracticalMac said:
How does one send an iMessage? I must be missing it....
Click to expand...

same way u send a regular text message. if person has it enabled on their iphone, your send button will turn blue instead of green and it will go over iNetwork
 
8CoreWhore said:
I recorded the conversation. Is it legal for me to post it to youtube? I'd like to, because I finally got them to admit that 2GBs is the magic number. Before, they would not admit that (to me - maybe they did to others, IDK).

I'm not making this up. Regarding how it works, should I believe you or should I believe him? If you look at your detail bill (on the web page, it's under "my paper bill") under Data Detail is where all the text messages are listed.

I'm not saying MMS and SMS uses against the Data Plan, they are. And my complaint is mainly that they want me to stop using iMessage and buy their $20 text plan instead. Either way this is wrong.
Click to expand...
The legality of posting it will vary by state.
So I suggest talking to an attorney first.

I've looked at my own bill and yes, they are under the data detail, but with a different rate codes.

I have messaging unlimited family plan, so MSGF is my messaging plans code, your's may vary.
My SMS are billed under MSGF/SMH, MMS are billed under MSGF/MMH where as true data is billed under CMB1/GPRR for my wife's iPhone unlimited plan, my Android phone has a slightly different code for unlimited data HSDP/GPRR. Regardless, they are differentiated and billed accordingly.

I still say you got some idiot newb for a CSR.
 
Call them back and tell the you have hourly conversations with Siri. :D

I'm with you OP been on unmimited since 07' and I feel the squeeze as apperantly its no longer unlimited- but it still says unmimited on my bill. :rolleyes:

Someone call websters.
 
rjohnstone said:
I'll call a little BS here.
MMS messages are billed under your messaging plan.
Yes it uses a data connection to send the pictures or video, but this data stream is not billed against your data plan. AT&T's APN settings differentiate the traffic.
That's what the MMSC, MMS proxy and MMS Port settings are for. ;)

The only way they would get billed as data is if you altered or removed this setting.

I sense you're either making this conversation up or you had a CSR who didn't know his butt from a hole in the ground.
Click to expand...

Not completely true. My daughter was sending me so many pictures when she was away visiting her I got charged for data from her phone. He phone at the time was set up so she needed a pass code to get on line with her phone. AT&T said this happens sometimes also.
 
f-tt

att lying ??? nooooo !!! (read: sarcasm) - lol

anytime, you ask scumbag-tt how can you pay them less, you'll receive the same answer - "pay us more"

1) iMessage does use data, so does texting via google voice (which i've doing while keeping my $5 text plan), but if most of your friends are on iOS 5 iMessage makes sense
2) sms probably uses data too, but cell co.s thought they can milk this "tech" & have billed this separately, until apple came up with iMessage & cell co.s changed the tune of their song to "$20 minimum txt plan" (you actually pay more in the end with verizon & sprint)

in their opinion: charging us, the customers $100 / month is not enough
- unlimited is not fair
& who cares about existing customers anyways, when they get 0.78 million more every month ...


ohh, let's not forget. someone has to pay that 4 billion fee for failed merger with t-mobile ... & of course it wouldn't be fair to f-tt to pay it, so we should

this is a "company" that has a record 32 billion revenue, 9.4 million new smartphones subscribers ... yet, it lost 6.7 billion somewhere!
 
Why dont they just tell you to keep paying them but dont use any of their services??

They want to charge whatever they want to charge .. and change the plan if they find out there is a better ripoff plan... Hate AT&T
 
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