AT&T Won't Charge for FaceTime Over Cellular, Will Require New Mobile Share Plan

[kasei]

Nope! I'll keep my grandfathered plan.

 

[linkgx1]

For whatever reason, this reminds me of when Bank of America wanted to charge its customers $5 a month for using the debit card.

I'm switching to Verizon. Verizon offers free hotspot / tethering on both the ipad and iphone. AT&T still cannot get it together to allow my ipad a chance to be a hotspot.

Umm AT&T offers free tethering with the new plan and Verizon was FORCED to offer it. They're not doing you ANT favors.

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So this is what really sucks about this AssTT move to shared. No one really gives a crap about voice and text, cheap and done. I have 3 kids, my wife and me on a plan. They each have 2G and if they go over, they pay the $10. What happens when we share 10G and my daughter uses it in a week. How can I hold her accountable? That would mean every gig would cost us $10? Would it make more sense to just get 5 different accounts tailored to each? As usual, AssTT will find something no one cares about, tell us we can have it, while shuffling the deck to screw as. I so hate them, but really there is no one else.

U can put limits on individual phones.

 

[bobenhaus]

Google talk I'd free and better.

 

[vistadude]

How do you put limits on individual phones? I'd like a text for every GB i used on an individual plan. Thanks!

Edit: Never mind, you have to pay $5 per phone to put a limit on.....

Umm AT&T offers free tethering with the new plan and Verizon was FORCED to offer it. They're not doing you ANT favors.

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U can put limits on individual phones.

 

[Born Again]

Josh of the verge said to set fire to all the AT&T stores if this happens

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Everyone loses their unlimited plans as well

 

[carlgo]

Occupy Wall Street anarchist dogma. Vote with your wallet and switch carriers, or better yet, give up your cell phone all together because all corporations are filled with 'greed and swindling'. Why, all corporations should simply sell things at cost, with enlightened elites like you determining what their cost is. Oh, Gooberton, please lead us! Lead us Forward. to the Land of Hope and Change where everyone has both the same opportunity and a govt guaranteed outcome.

Laws keep monopolies from forming and competition from disappearing.

It is essential for a government to enforce laws designed to prevent non-compeitive behavior in order to preserve a competitive business environment.

You cannot "vote with your wallet" if the choices are basically the same and in many cases two corporations can operate in understood ways that in essence "divide the loot" rather than fight over it in a way that could harm both of them.

 

[kodeman53]

Four major wireless carriers aren't enough? What do you suggest, the govt break up ATT.....again?

 

[winston1236]

"AT&T Won't Charge"

haha with att yes they will, one way or another

 

[det2004]

Back at you. I guess you think it's better to stay uneducated, be a compliant consumer robot, and just roll over and do nothing?

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Thank you for the link! It's great to see constructive effort rather than hearing sheeple tell you to do whatever your told by some corporation.

No problem. I was actually one of the people looking forward to using FaceTime over 3G, and have a grandfathered unlimited plan, so this move by at&t really irks me. Only thing is I doubt it'll be enough to make me switch, and I'm definitely not caving and getting a shared plan, so I figure I'd actually do something constructive and complain to the FCC since they already forced at&t to allow Skype to video chat over 3G. I'm hoping if enough people complain to them that they will get involved and force at&t to allow FaceTime over 3g for everyone.

 

[Penn Jennings]

No problem. I was actually one of the people looking forward to using FaceTime over 3G, and have a grandfathered unlimited plan, so this move by at&t really irks me. Only thing is I doubt it'll be enough to make me switch, and I'm definitely not caving and getting a shared plan, so I figure I'd actually do something constructive and complain to the FCC since they already forced at&t to allow Skype to video chat over 3G. I'm hoping if enough people complain to them that they will get involved and force at&t to allow FaceTime over 3g for everyone.

Help me understand something: The announcement by AT&T has ZERO effect on you. Things are exactly the same has they have been for years. So what about it irks you? The people getting free FaceTime are paying more money. You wanted more for the same price and since thats not the case you are irked?

 

[hipnetic]

How do you put limits on individual phones? I'd like a text for every GB i used on an individual plan. Thanks!

Edit: Never mind, you have to pay $5 per phone to put a limit on.....

This demonstrates just how idiotic AT&T is. They want people off the unlimited data plans, but then they're going to nickel-and-dime them and charge them extra with one of the "features" that would be necessary for those of us even *considering* giving up our unlimited data plan. If I could chose a 6GB plan and allocate 1.25GB each to my wife and daughter, and 3.5GB to me, I would definitely entertain the idea of switching to one of the newer plans.

 

[tigress666]

Help me understand something: The announcement by AT&T has ZERO effect on you. Things are exactly the same has they have been for years. So what about it irks you? The people getting free FaceTime are paying more money. You wanted more for the same price and since thats not the case you are irked?

For the people who are on the unlimited plan and complaining, that is pretty much their argument (note, I have unlimited, I'm not complaining). The unlimited plan always has been limited on how you can use it (That's usually the nature of stuff that is "unlimited"/"all you can eat". They do put some rules so they can make sure they don't get ripped too badly off by those that would eat/use a lot more than the worth they are paying). All the sudden they are ticked off that AT&T didn't change that? When AT&T wants to get rid of the unlimited plans? Were they expecting AT&T to make the unlimited plans a better deal? really?

Now, I could at least understand the argument for those on the 3 GB and 5 GB plans (and the really small one that I forget what size it is). Those guys are paying for a set amount of data and will pay more for any over. So I could easily see their argument that they are paying for what they use so why should AT&T be able to say how they use it (in fact, shouldn't AT&T want them to use it faster so they might go over and pay AT&T more?).

 

[Penn Jennings]

For the people who are on the unlimited plan and complaining, that is pretty much their argument (note, I have unlimited, I'm not complaining).

Now, I could at least understand the argument for those on the 3 GB and 5 GB plans (and the really small one that I forget what size it is). Those guys are paying for a set amount of data and will pay more for any over. So I could easily see their argument that they are paying for what they use so why should AT&T be able to say how they use it (in fact, shouldn't AT&T want them to use it faster so they might go over and pay AT&T more?).

THAT I 100% agree with! To be honest, it pisses me off that I can't use my bandthwidth anyway that I want, except for tethering.

By the way, the new plan is now available, I switched to the 6 GB plan for 5 phones and an iPad a few hours ago.

 

[Geckotek]

Its funny reading the ignorance on this board whenever AT&T is in the headlines. Anyone notice that the AT&T Plans are CHEAPER than Verizon? And by the way, my $290 plans (phone and tablets) with 3 iphones and 3 tablets will now be under $200, so YES, it will save money and give unlimited voice, free tethering, and unlimited texting.

You people need to read, investigate for yourself before you run at the mouth about stuff you do not understand.

Before spouting rude ignorance, you should do the math for people with fewer than 3 devices. For the average joe with an iPhone and an iPad, these plans are ridiculously expensive for the amount of data they are offering. And yes, I realize Verizon is even pricier. The whole thing pisses me off. The future of mobile data consumption in the US is not looking good.

 

[Markiie]

THAT I 100% agree with! To be honest, it pisses me off that I can't use my bandthwidth anyway that I want, except for tethering.

By the way, the new plan is now available, I switched to the 6 GB plan for 5 phones and an iPad a few hours ago.

How? I cant

I think it's bs. Suppose to lanuch on Thursday?

 

[RebelScum]

Occupy Wall Street anarchist dogma. Vote with your wallet and switch carriers, or better yet, give up your cell phone all together because all corporations are filled with 'greed and swindling'. Why, all corporations should simply sell things at cost, with enlightened elites like you determining what their cost is. Oh, Gooberton, please lead us! Lead us Forward. to the Land of Hope and Change where everyone has both the same opportunity and a govt guaranteed outcome.

I have no trouble paying extra for a product or service.

I have trouble paying twice for it.

Imagine if your ISP decided to charge you $40/mo for DSL...plus $10 per computer in your house.

 

[bobenhaus]

Google talk Ian free from data charges and free. No comparison.

 

[NY Guitarist]

Educated? Yes, doing a Google search is educational, for people who think making forum posts is actually doing something about what they think is some kind of cosmic injustice. Keep on typing NY Guitarist, that'll fix things.

You're a real problem solver I see. Grow up.

After reading your posts and sig I see that your mindset leans toward being a hostile roadblock to constructive discourse.

 

[Penn Jennings]

How? I cant

I think it's bs. Suppose to lanuch on Thursday?

I'm on the new plan now, I went into a store to change in Michigan. Try calling 611.

 

[kodeman53]

You're a real problem solver I see. Grow up.

After reading your posts and sig I see that your mindset leans toward being a hostile roadblock to constructive discourse.

Ah, yes, discourse on a discussion forum will get AT&T to change their pricing. Thinking that talking solves problems is delusional, right up there with having good intentions is the same as good results.

 

[JohnIrvine]

Thanks, AT&T for your continued support of your long-term, loyal customer base, who has been with you since the days of unlimited data service (and long before, in my case).

(Excuse me while I wipe the drips of sarcasm from my chin.)

For those of you pining to switch to Sprint, remember that neither Sprint nor Verizon can handle data and voice connections at the same time. That's a huge loss for me, as I can't count the number of times I use the two together. AT&T may even end-up making me move to one of these new tiered data plans because of the loss of services as time goes on (speed throttling, no tethering, and now no FaceTime), but as soon as I have another choice of vendor with sufficient network speed AND data/voice concurrence, I'm making the move and taking my $250+/month AT&T charges with me.

 

[Wicked1]

Soooo if you don't have a new data plan you can't do FaceTime over cellular? AT&T is ridiculous.

Ok by me as I was switching anyways, however I do understand everyone else's concern, but really do you think Verizon will be any different.

It is all a matter of time before Sprint goes against what it is stating now, not only do they have spotty service, where I live in NJ anyway, their network speeds lag AT&T and VZ anyway so why switch?

Fully Sprint is going to sucker so many VZ and AT&T customers over, then once they have you, they will have no choice but to do what the others are doing, they will not be able to handle the data usage, it will be an AT&T when they got the iPhone, everyone jumped on, and their network's took a beating...

 

[donrsd]

No offense, but if you have unlimited data and are using it a lot, you are slowing us all down.

I have unlimited data and could care less what you think.
Im not slowing you down, Im just using what I am entitled to use, being that I pay for it.

Even better is I just signed up for ATT Feb 2011 as a new customer and got unlimited data

Gotta love the ld iPhone 2g unlimited data trick

I have no trouble paying extra for a product or service.
I have trouble paying twice for it.
Imagine if your ISP decided to charge you $40/mo for DSL...plus $10 per computer in your house.

Fantastic point!!!
I wont switch to the new plan for the 2 iPhones I have on my plan, but if I had 3 or more iPhones on my plan then I would consider changing to a new data plan.

 

[bboyredcel]

On straighttalk i pay $45/mo for unlimited voice/data including facetime over 3g. #justsayin

only thing i dont get is tethering which i have no use for anyways.

so glad i rid myself of my at&t contract.

 

[computermilk]

Shared data plan? But what if the only thing I have on my AT&T plan is the iPhone, nothing else?
Edit: Nevermind - "And unlike Verizon, AT&T will continue to offer its existing plans alongside the new Mobile Share plans, giving users several options to help fit their device and service needs."



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Don't expect your unlimited 3G plan to carry over to 4G LTE. At least Verizon has already said that its customers will not be able to do so, unless you buy the phone out of contract for full price (not subsidized). I don't see a reason why AT&T wouldn't do the same.
I'm in the same boat as you, still have my unlimited data plan on my 4S. I just don't think we'll be able to keep it once the new iPhone is announced.
Source of Verizon not allowing it: https://www.macrumors.com/2012/05/1...athered-unlimited-data-plans-with-lte-switch/

I have to DISAGREE with you, there is NO provisioning done to your account to allow for LTE.

I'm using a Samsung galaxy S3 right now with LTE and im using my Unlimited data plan.

So for me when the new iPhone comes out, nothing will need to happen to my data for it to work with LTE

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How would I go about getting an unlimited LTE data plan? With AT&T. I currently have an unlimited data plan with AT&T.

Yeah i'm using the Samsung galaxy S 3 right now on ATT with LTE, and my unlimited plan.

They don't take you off it, or change you or anything.