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iPad Pro Ditching the iphone in favor of ipad

GumaRodak

GumaRodak

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Mar 14, 2015
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Hello, i am thinking of ditching/sell iphone and use ipad pro only with cellular.
i mean, for the price of new iphone i can have a decent ipad pro. I am having a men bag all the time with me anyway, airpods for calling and i can work on the ipad too if needed.

anybody running this setup?

thx
 
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Would recommend the Apple Watch too just find a different phone to pair it to. If you can manage that I see no reason for a phone tbh
 
I have AW currently paired to my IP SE 2020. Wanted a new iphone to replace the SE but the ipad pro for the price of new IP is tempting
 
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GumaRodak said:
Hello, i am thinking of ditching/sell iphone and use ipad pro only with cellular.
i mean, for the price of new iphone i can have a decent ipad pro. I am having a men bag all the time with me anyway, airpods for calling and i can work on the ipad too if needed.

anybody running this setup?

thx
Click to expand...
I am interested to see how this goes. I recently just got rid of my Mac and I have been using only my iPad Pro now. So far, I like it. Especially with iPad OS 16, I can litterfeally do EVERYTHING I used to do on my Mac, on the iPad. However, iPad instead of an iPhone…I don’t know how that will work only because you won’t be able to call anyone that does not have an iPhone. Or…when you need to make a call to a customer service line, or something of that sort. I understand most things can be done on the internet, but I am also thinking of calling places to get an appointment or even worse…911 calls.
 
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How would you make and receive phone calls? The iPad Pro uses a SIM card for data but can’t make calls.

Unless you were planning on using What’s App / Skype / Zoom for all of your calls.
 
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iPad cell functions are not like the iPhone, and neither is the Watch's. I've wanted an iPad mini-sized iPhone for years now, but no dice because they're just not built that way. The Watch also has limited functions through cellular. For example, Siri doesn't act the same way as it does on iPhone.

Short story: there is no other device that functions exactly like the iPhone. You won't get the same features on a cellular iPad.
 
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Not running it, but I have looked into it before and I do have some thoughts. You will not have a "cell" number since the iPad has no SIM card. There are various VOIP apps that you can use over wifi to text/call people and you can certainly port your current phone number to the app.....but it will be a VOIP number.

That means no Messages app. Texts will show up as green bubbles when you text friends. Call quality tends to be lower. Also, there are a lot of companies out there that won't send confirmation codes to a VOIP number. For example, my bank requires 2-factor identification to access online banking. They will work with a cell number or a landline but not a VOIP number.

All and all ditching the cellphone ended up not working for me, since I don't have a landline. But depending on if you have other phone lines available or what your exact needs are, it could certainly work for you. Just be aware of the limitations.
 
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Thaks for the coreecrion of my thinking. I was not aware that even if there is cellular you cant make phone calls…now thinking about this, it will be shooting into leg for apple to allow this 😂😂
 
I use a cellular iPad mini 6 as my main device most of the time and love it. I cannot, however, completely replace my iPhone and so have a 13 mini as well. I use it for Whatsapp (the iPad Whatsapp integration using the web is currently horrible), phone calls, camera and watch pairing. It's close but in my experience not yet doable for these missing functions.
 
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GumaRodak said:
Thaks for the coreecrion of my thinking. I was not aware that even if there is cellular you cant make phone calls…now thinking about this, it will be shooting into leg for apple to allow this 😂😂
Click to expand...
Yup, that's the problem with iPads, the cellular connectivity doesn't allow phone functions. If Apple allowed this, less people would buy iPhones (which give Apple more margins than iPads). Intentionally done so people would still need to buy iPhones.

If I were looking into an iPad, I would consider it as a tertiary device, after a phone and a traditional computer. As it cannot replace a phone, its only potential is to replace the computer.
 
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Technically, it's possible.

But as others noted... iPads only allow data to be shared not voice. I've done this years ago and the only app that's feasible to get this done is Google Voice. With Google Voice you can call and texts those who do not have iPhones (use FaceTime audio or iMessage people with iPhones). However, you do need a valid cellular number to use with Google Voice. You might be able to buy some prepaid phone that has a cellular number attached to it or through your own carrier service (thats what I did).

But as long as you have a cellular phone... you can then keep the cellular phone squared away and keep the iPad as your means of communication. When I did it... I bought a dumb phone, not a smartphone. I wanted a phone that sole focus was to be a bridge to my iPad.
 
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Ludatyk said:
Technically, it's possible.

But as others noted... iPads only allow data to be shared not voice. I've done this years ago and the only app that's feasible to get this done is Google Voice. With Google Voice you can call and texts those who do not have iPhones (use FaceTime audio or iMessage people with iPhones). However, you do need a valid cellular number to use with Google Voice. You might be able to buy some prepaid phone that has a cellular number attached to it or through your own carrier service (thats what I did).

But as long as you have a cellular phone... you can then keep the cellular phone squared away and keep the iPad as your means of communication. When I did it... I bought a dumb phone, not a smartphone. I wanted a phone that sole focus was to be a bridge to my iPad.
Click to expand...

You don’t need a cellular number to use with Google Voice. It’s fine using just internet. You’ll need to change the settings in the app though so it uses purely VoIP and doesn’t try call forwarding using a regular cellphone number.

I think there’s less friction if you use an iPhone, though. I have SMS forwarding and Wi-Fi calling enabled so I can get calls and texts on my iPad even when I forget my iPhone at home. Everything works fine including 911 and SMS short codes (e.g. 2-factor verification codes from banks, etc).
 
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GumaRodak said:
Hello, i am thinking of ditching/sell iphone and use ipad pro only with cellular.
i mean, for the price of new iphone i can have a decent ipad pro. I am having a men bag all the time with me anyway, airpods for calling and i can work on the ipad too if needed.

anybody running this setup?

thx
Click to expand...
I think it's doable. Maybe consider a cheap pre-paid phone to cover all scenarios.
 
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GumaRodak said:
Hello, i am thinking of ditching/sell iphone and use ipad pro only with cellular.
i mean, for the price of new iphone i can have a decent ipad pro. I am having a men bag all the time with me anyway, airpods for calling and i can work on the ipad too if needed.

anybody running this setup?

thx
Click to expand...
I have similar thought, but found it’s not practical. My setup is iPhone 11 with iPP M1. To be honest, I rarely use iPhone since I have iPP. But for some tasks, like replying WhatsApp, quick check in instagram/twitter, controlling speakers at home, and using map in car, iPhone is much better option.
Edit: add iPhone as my camera on the go, also notes app for quick note (ie during commutes).
 
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Isamilis said:
I have similar thought, but found it’s not practical. My setup is iPhone 11 with iPP M1. To be honest, I rarely use iPhone since I have iPP. But for some tasks, like replying WhatsApp, quick check in instagram/twitter, controlling speakers at home, and using map in car, iPhone is much better option.
Click to expand...

Lol, we actually use cellular iPads as GPS. :p

I’m also a bigger iPad than iPhone user (probably 90% iPad, 10% iPhone). I mainly just need the iPhone as a number to forward calls and texts to iPad and as point and shoot camera.
 
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rui no onna said:
You don’t need a cellular number to use with Google Voice. It’s fine using just internet. You’ll need to change the settings in the app though so it uses purely VoIP and doesn’t try call forwarding using a regular cellphone number.

I think there’s less friction if you use an iPhone, though. I have SMS forwarding and Wi-Fi calling enabled so I can get calls and texts on my iPad even when I forget my iPhone at home. Everything works fine including 911 and SMS short codes (e.g. 2-factor verification codes from banks, etc).
Click to expand...
I wasn’t aware you didn’t need a cellular number, at the time I used it… it seemed to imply that was the requirement to receive text and calls. Google Voice provided me with a new number and I’ve been using it ever since.
 
For me I use my iPad at home being it is only a Wi-Fi version my main driver is my iPhone I pretty much do everything on it so there is no way I can give up my phone
 
Well, maybe i will keep the current SE model just for phone calls till it last and instead of new one i will buy the ipad pro.
 
I just want the option to have an iPad Pro & an Apple Watch only; with cellular service on both devices, data for the iPad Pro, data & voice on the Apple Watch...!

If Apple could come out with a new Time Capsule that was a WiFi router, NAS, & Time Machine backup device; AND it all worked with iPadOS, meaning no Mac needed, that would be great...!
 
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