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Hand-me-down 3G 8Gig

abev

abev

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Jun 20, 2010
20
0
Arizona
First of all thank you for reading my naïve\noob post. I have a 3G 8gig that I would like to hand down to my Daughter. My issue is I do not want her to have Internet, MMS and I don’t want to pay AT&T for a data plan I do not want her to use. She has a Phone that is hard to text on and that’s what she wants to do most.
I have read that you can put a “WIX” block on the number but won’t AT&T hit me up for the data plan anyway? I have read about Jail breaking can this solve my problem? I have looked around and there is so much data on this subject I am a bit lost. If someone has done this or knows how to do this I would appreciate a good link or kick in the right direction. I have updated it to the IOS4.01 (mistake?) Basebands and all that I am clueless.

Thank you for you time..:)
 
No, jb or WIX block cant solve this problem.
Once AT&T detects an iphone with no data plan on their system the will add a data to the account automaticly.
It might take a few months but they eventually get it.
You can get the $15 data plan.
 
Applejuiced said:
No, jb or WIX block cant solve this problem.
Once AT&T detects an iphone with no data plan on their system the will add a data to the account automaticly.
It might take a few months but they eventually get it.
You can get the $15 data plan.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the answer to my question. I am a bit bummed but so be it.
 
narimonk said:
I seconds this, the entire purpose of the iPhone is built upon the premise of internet access. iPhone without internet is about as useful as a car with no engine.
Click to expand...

Please understand it is not the $ it is protecting my daughter. She is 9 and I want to monitor her when she is on the net. She has been on a Mac all her life. She has used this phone and her Touch for years. The 3G was a very good phone. I just would like to reuse it instead of making it into a paperweight. I also don’t want to pay for something she will not use. I am not the only parent thinking this way. I have many friends asking the same question.

"Woops" She will have internet access when she is on the home network.

Thank you for your Input..
 
Always love it that others tell you what you need. Like a data plan, or what is the use of the iphone without a data plan? The Iphone is a GREAT phone, without the data plan. There absolutely should be a way for a person who has an out of contract phone to just use it as a phone without forcing a data plan.
 
Why couldn't he wait for the upcoming jailbreak/unlock (since you updated the firmware and baseband) and then throw in a pay-as-you go GSM sim card?

Where are you located OP?
 
I had a 3G with no data plan for about a year. I called 611, had them block all data on the number, then inserted the sim from the "old dumbphone" to the iPhone. It was like having an iPod touch with a phone and a camera, although Visual voicemail didn't work. AT&T never bothered me about it. I voluntarily added the unlimited data plan this last June so I could be grandfathered in. This was a secondary line on a family plan.
 
abel73 said:
I had a 3G with no data plan for about a year. I called 611, had them block all data on the number, then inserted the sim from the "old dumbphone" to the iPhone. It was like having an iPod touch with a phone and a camera, although Visual voicemail didn't work. AT&T never bothered me about it. I voluntarily added the unlimited data plan this last June so I could be grandfathered in. This was a secondary line on a family plan.
Click to expand...

Exactly what I thought you could do.

There you go OP :)
 
ngrimes-2010 said:
Why couldn't he wait for the upcoming jailbreak/unlock (since you updated the firmware and baseband) and then throw in a pay-as-you go GSM sim card?

Where are you located OP?
Click to expand...

I had not thought of this Thanks'

Location = East of Phoenix.
 
Why are some people so negative in this forum? Please do some research before you post information thats crucial to the OP. Of course you can use the iphone 3g w/o a data plan. I bought an iphone 3g last june on ebay and used it w/o a data plan for a year on AT&T. Before you give your phone to your daughter, go to this site on your iphone 3g using wifi: http://unlockit.co.nz/

This basically disables data (Fake APN) and after that you should be able to make phone calls and be able to use wifi to access the internet. When you aren’t connected, you should get an error. To remove the 3G/Edge block, simply go to your Network settings and removed the Fake APN profile.

If you need more information, just ask away!
Disclaimer: Now there is a CHANCE at&t finds out and possibly adds a data plan to your account. BUT, if this is true, they would send you a text message stating that "you are using a phone that requires a data plan". So a warning is given IF at&t were to find out, and if you do get the warning, you could just tell your daughter to switch phones. But I HIGHLY doubt at&t will care. I know MANY people who have an iphone 3g w/o a data plan
 
As for an iphone w/o a data plan is USELESS and is considered a car without an engine? Thats a ridiculous analogy. Some people may have access to wifi for the good part of there day. For an example, I go to college and live off campus, so I'm, for the most part, either in my apartment(wifi access) or on campus (wifi access). Whats the point in paying $30 a MONTH, when I'm always within access of using wifi. Just my 2 cents
 
Finz151 said:
Why are some people so negative in this forum? Please do some research before you post information thats crucial to the OP. Of course you can use the iphone 3g w/o a data plan. I bought an iphone 3g last june on ebay and used it w/o a data plan for a year on AT&T. Before you give your phone to your daughter, go to this site on your iphone 3g using wifi: http://unlockit.co.nz/

This basically disables data (Fake APN) and after that you should be able to make phone calls and be able to use wifi to access the internet. When you aren’t connected, you should get an error. To remove the 3G/Edge block, simply go to your Network settings and removed the Fake APN profile.

If you need more information, just ask away!
Disclaimer: Now there's a CHANCE at&t finds out and could possibly add a data plan to your account. BUT, if they do find out, they would send you a text message first stating that "you are using a phone that requires a data plan". So they do give you a warning, and if you do get that text message, you could just tell your daughter to switch phones. But I HIGHLY doubt at&t will care. I know MANY people who have an iphone 3g w/o a data plan
Click to expand...

This is August of this year, not June of last year. You could go without a data plan last year, but this year things are different.
 
They don't give u a warning like falsely posted above. They just send u a text saying an iPhone data plan has been added to your account.
I know first hand, trust me.
It might take a while but they will eventually get you. I knew a few people with no data plans and they all got hit and data plans where added to their bill automatically. Try it yourself and see how it goes.
 
OP why don't you just sell it and buy her a nice keyboard phone? You'll probably have money left over too.
 
Lol your right! This is august of this year, its also the 2nd day of the month too! Since last june, I've been using the iphone 3g and on the 22nd of june, I transitioned to the iphone 4, and have been using it w/o a data plan to this day(no data plan has been added to my account).
 
My girlfriend uses a 3G without a data plan. She bought an AT&T GoPhone sim card, jailbroke and unlocked the phone and popped it in. It works without data and I don't think they can make changes on a GoPhone sim. GoPhone's plans kind of suck, but whatever it works for her. I would rather get a data plan and get the full fledged iPhone experience.
 
Finz151 said:
Lol your right! This is august of this year, its also the 2nd day of the month too! Since last june, I've been using the iphone 3g and on the 22nd of june, I transitioned to the iphone 4, and have been using it w/o a data plan to this day(no data plan has been added to my account).
Click to expand...

So just because it hasn't happened YET to you that means it won't for everyone else right? We are all making this up, you're right....
 
dieburnbot said:
My girlfriend uses a 3G without a data plan. She bought an AT&T GoPhone sim card, jailbroke and unlocked the phone and popped it in. It works without data and I don't think they can make changes on a GoPhone sim. GoPhone's plans kind of suck, but whatever it works for her. I would rather get a data plan and get the full fledged iPhone experience.
Click to expand...

This sounds like the closest solution to the OP's problem. But now let's get an answer for the both of us, lol

Is it worth having a 3g on 4.x AND JB'd???

My buddy's 3g on 4.0 is a turtle. He wants to downgrade to 3.1.3 and JB. (That's further research on my part).
 
If the OP can get an unlimited text plan on a pay as you go SIM, that might be the route to pursue.
Downgrading a 3G to 3.1.3 JB is easy. I did this with my old 3G that I sold off to a co-worker. Oddly enough, I had to d/l both 3.1.2 and 3.1.3. The 3.1.2 was so redsnow would recognize the ipsw. Yet when you finish you end up with 3.1.3.

jsquared said:
This sounds like the closest solution to the OP's problem. But now let's get an answer for the both of us, lol

Is it worth having a 3g on 4.x AND JB'd???

My buddy's 3g on 4.0 is a turtle. He wants to downgrade to 3.1.3 and JB. (That's further research on my part).
Click to expand...
 
abev said:
Please understand it is not the $ it is protecting my daughter. She is 9 and I want to monitor her when she is on the net. She has been on a Mac all her life. She has used this phone and her Touch for years. The 3G was a very good phone. I just would like to reuse it instead of making it into a paperweight. I also don’t want to pay for something she will not use. I am not the only parent thinking this way. I have many friends asking the same question.

"Woops" She will have internet access when she is on the home network.

Thank you for your Input..
Click to expand...

Sell the phone and get a keyboard phone with no data plan... This phone is built specifically for the internet, almost every feature on the phone is internet/data related. And I'm pretty sure that if you have a text plan that includes MMS, at least it does on my 20$ AT&T text plan. so if you want her to be able to text MMS is gonna be included. If you want to use an AT&T account you'll have to pay for data sooner or later, and if you're contracted you'll be stuck with that data plan. But if you want, and have money to blow, you can keep it on AT&T and pay for the cheaper data plan, the 512MB, and then go to restrictions in the phone and I believe that'll kill safari. But the reality is that the iPhone is designed for people to get data plans, that's where AT&T makes it's money, so that's why they would rather die before letting an iPhone user not have a data plan.
 
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