HOLY CRAP BATMAN, FaceTime just cost me $50 TODAY to UNSUCCESSFULLY Activate!

[bella92108]

wow. $50? sorry about that. just be more careful and read all the info next time i guess. hope it was worth the facetime. lol

Well there was nothing that warned me I'd be charged. I assumed since they said "it works on wifi, not cellular" that meant it'd activate via wifi. How backwards is it that they didn't just create a way to activate through a TCPIP message rather than a text, so strange. They'll have to address how it activates and switch to an internet-based method, be it email or a simple server-connection, since the iPod Touch will need to be activated as well.

the sad part is it didn't even activate successfully, so I got charged for nothing :-(

 

[Bandolier]

Just because they work on all GSM networks doesn't mean they have to program the phone to be 100% compatible with all GSM networks around the world.

 

[Mystikal]

Wait, is this a warning?

Im not sure....

 

[bella92108]

Just because they work on all GSM networks doesn't mean they have to program the phone to be 100% compatible with all GSM networks around the world.

Nope, I don't EXPECT anything to be 100% compatible. However, when you sell a device and advertise on the box that it'll work on any GSM network because it's SIM-free, there should also be a disclaimer that it's going to send a text message to activate. If your car's window sticker says "Has GPS that works in all 50 states" and then you drive to Texas and it says "No map data available, please call to get the TX maps"... you'd be a bit bummed too. Sure it's shared responsibility, but the difference is apple can be somewhat vague in the way they market something, and not forthcoming about the way a product activates like this. My assumption was that this is 2010 and they activated through wifi just like any other internet-enabled device has for years... the requirements said I have to have a phone number and wifi connection. It doesn't even say I have to have internet connection nor text messaging capability.... so I guess it's shared-responsibility....

 

[Alisstar]

Ok, let's say that if you had reset your network settings when you got to the Philippines (before trying to activate FaceTime) with your UK factory unlocked phone. Would that have saved you the $50?

Maybe your phone "thought" it was still in the UK, and having reset the network settings upon arrival in the Philippines would let the phone "know" the new network settings for the carrier, thus saving you the added cost.

 

[bella92108]

Ok, let's say that if you had reset your network settings when you got to the Philippines (before trying to activate FaceTime) with your UK factory unlocked phone. Would that have saved you the $50?

Maybe your phone "thought" it was still in the UK, and having reset the network settings upon arrival in the Philippines would let the phone "know" the new network settings for the carrier, thus saving you the added cost.

No, the issue is that I DID reset my settings (and FT re-activated just as it does every time you change sims)... and in the Philippines the official iPhone Carrier is Globe Telecom, so I used Globe's sim... the issue, I believe, is that while Globe is "Official iPhone Carrier" they don't have iPhone 4 yet (they have the new 8GB 3GS but no iPhone 4 till October, nor do they have carrier 7.2 yet (still on 7.0)... so my thinking is there's a gap there that the iPhone then assumes to contact the UK activation server. The phones from Hong Kong and Singapore (both fully official) do that when putting in a SIM from Globe. At first I thought it might be Globe, but then I went to Thailand and used a sim in Bangkok from DTAC wireless, which, like Globe, is a carrier who is official iPhone carrier, but hasn't yet released the iPhone 4, nor carrier 7.0... I replicated the issue on several other devices.

So I can only assume that something in the phone's carrier file and FT activation profile talk to one another and the affected people are those in official countries which don't yet have iphone 4, so when you use an unlocked version it looks for that, can't find it, and as a backup fires off the text to the "default" SMS\ft activation server in the UK. It's not just my UK phone, the ones from Hong Kong and Singapore also default to the UK # as well.

Peculiar, ehh? I just hope next week they update to activate through the internet as text-activation seems so 1995 in technology haha.

 

[lPHONE]

Wait, how is this Apples fault?

You imported an iPhone designed to work in the UK. The blame is completely with you, not Apple.

It's Apple's fault buddy.
They made the iPhone this way. Flawed. With major imperfections.
Holla if ya hear me!

 

[bella92108]

It's Apple's fault buddy.
They made the iPhone this way. Flawed. With major imperfections.
Holla if ya hear me!

I love how he keeps saying I did something wrong taking a sim unlocked phone (which apple sells on the box as "use on any worldwide GSM network").

Just goes to show how many (not all) Americans are uneducated that outside of the US the cellular industries are very different (arguably better) where phone manufacturers sell you the handset then you take it to any carrier you please. While the phone was manufactured to be sold the UK, it was certainly not manufactured with the sole purpose of being used in the UK.

It's not like the US in the rest of the world. You pick the phone you want then you use it on whatever network you want. You don't have to be forced to go with a carrier that may not even work in your house just because you want the specific phone. Apple doesn't care what carrier you use... only in the US they care because of the AT&T agreement they have due to AT&T being the only carrier that could support the same hardware they sell in the rest of the world.

 

[miamihacker]

Wait, is this a warning?

i think so

 

[yci1]

Same here in NZ with Vodafone (iPhone 4 carrier)

following links shows how shocking NZ Vodafone look after their iphone customers regarding the face time UK sms.

http://www.geekzone.co.nz/ahmad/7345
http://www.geekzone.co.nz/forums.asp?forumid=76&topicid=65233

Vodafone NZ simply doesn't want to deal with this problem as they claims it's apple's fault, they will not zero rate these charges despite they are the only official carrier in this country. They suggest us take it to Apple and leave them alone. Vodafone Rep posted on their official Twitter regards customers question about these UK sms, his reply was "It's 20c" then link to a music video "If you don't want an iphone 4 don't buy it"

SHOCKING!!!

Rang Apple support, their answer was once you have it on, leave it on, if you click the switch on/off, put a new sim, restore your iphone and setup as new phone or warranty replacement, it will send sms to UK every time (cause a charge). There is nothing they can do except submit this problem to apple feedback and he suggested I should do one myself

http://www.apple.com/feedback/iphone.html

DISAPPOINTING!!!

I am not sure about the rest of the world, at least in NZ we weren't told about having this setting on and off will generate international sms before we sign up the contract. I didn't expect such hidden cost if I got my iphone 4 from the official carrier with a 24 months contract.