How to cancel Data Plan on iphone

[hsenletap]

I was getting really terrible 3G service on the iphone. I got the phone on day 1 and paid for the data plan for 2 months. I wanted to get rid of the Data plan as I was not using the data plan on the 3G network but was paying for it. So I took the following steps to get the data plan off the Iphone

1. You'll need another phone besides the iphone.
2. Take the SIM from the IPHONE 3G and put it in the extra phone you have.
3. Call ATT from that extra phone with you Iphone 3g SIM in it.
4. Tell them that you were unhappy with the service and that now since its been more than 30 days You can't return the phone so you sold it to someone but kept your sim card. (They can tell if your calling from Iphone)
5. Now that you don't have the Iphone you would like to take the data plan off.
6. They'll take off the data plan and the visual voice mail since both are built in together. you can still use the other method to retrive your voicemails.

7. Also they asked me for the IMEI of the other phone (phone your calling from) but I decided not to give it to them but telling them that if you take the battery out you'll get disconnected and when they tell you to type somestuff to make it come up on the phone tell them that nothing comes up since we have an active call. SO DO NOT GIVE the IMEI of the phone you are using. (I don't know what that will do but I did not want to give it to them) If anyone does give if please post if you Iphone still works.

8. Also make sure you tell them to block all data to your phone. (Since people want to check out the iphone they usually assume you have data plan and start safari and so you'll get charged pay per use.)

9. Once this is done and the rep confirms that the data plan has been removed and block on data has been put on hang up.

10. Now remove the SIM from the phone you were talking on and put it back in your iphone.


P.S the GPS signal still works. Only the Map doesn't show. So if someone ever develops and app with Maps on your iphone then you're good to go.

I've been using my phone on wifi everywhere in philly. I'm happy that I have a iphone 3g and I don't have to pay the $30.

 

[powerbook911]

Smart thinking, but you don't worry they'll find out now that you told other people to do it too?

If I had come up with that and needed to save the money, I'd keep it to myself.

However, I need the data plan myself.

 

[StoneColdSober]

Never mind, missed one line in your post.

 

[mikecenizal]

cool deal, just gave my 2g iphone to my gf and she does not want the data plan on it either. i will try this method out as well.

 

[9822679]

smart idea.. we should get a sticky for this

I would never do this though, too much lost functionality ( Southern California has great 3g )

 

[Cynicalone]

Ok where to begin with the problems this can/will cause...

AT&T will be able to tell your using an iPhone because of your IMEI number. Doesn't matter if you refused to give it too them for the new phone. They have your IMEI number from you iPhone on record. Every time you use the phone it's going to show you using your iPhone.

Second and probably the most problematic for you. Even when the phone is on wi-fi it will sometimes use the cell network for data. So you might get an ugly surprise in the mail. There was a thread about this you might be able to find it. Even when the phone say's it's on wi-fi doesn't mean it is. Not a big deal if you have a data plan, but it is a really big deal if you don't have one.

 

[sime0n]

Ok where to begin with the problems this can/will cause...

AT&T will be able to tell your using an iPhone because of your IMEI number. Doesn't matter if you refused to give it too them for the new phone. They have your IMEI number from you iPhone on record. Every time you use the phone it's going to show you using your iPhone.

Second and probably the most problematic for you. Even when the phone is on wi-fi it will sometimes use the cell network for data. So you might get an ugly surprise in the mail. There was a thread about this you might be able to find it. Even when the phone say's it's on wi-fi doesn't mean it is. Not a big deal if you have a data plan, but it is a really big deal if you don't have one.

If he sells his iphone and uses his free phone then it doesnt matter if they haev his IMEI on record right? And if he blocks all data to his phone then will it still sometimes use the cell network for data?

 

[Cynicalone]

If he sells his iphone and uses his free phone then it doesnt matter if they haev his IMEI on record right? And if he blocks all data to his phone then will it still sometimes use the cell network for data?

If the OP wasn't using the phone then yeah it wouldn't matter.

I'm sure you could block most of the data but not all of it. And using it on wi-fi is not going to work. The phone will show the wi-fi symbol and fall back to 3G/Edge without you even knowing it. That can cause problems without a data plan.

 

[TechIsCool]

OK just thought i would post if you all did not know but here is a tutorial on how to disable all edge and 3g so you dont get charged also

 

[DMC-12]

I called AT&T less than a week after activating my iPhone 3G, and they removed the data plan for me, no-questions-asked.

 

[Knolly]

1. Giving them the phone's IMEI doesn't do anything bad. I gave them mine and have now been working off of my iPhone for about two months.

2. I suggest thanking them before #9.

3. Data blocking blocks ALL of the data. It's called WIX blocking, and your iPhone might TRY to get cell data, but the carrier disables your phone from receiving it on their side.

 

[ec51]

1. All you have to do to block ALL data is add the "WIX BLOCK" (by calling At&t).

2. Id worry about the GPS counting as data and winding up costing you a decent penny.

3. At&t does not track IMEI's - and cannot tell which phone you are using when you are using it.

4. If you were having so much problems with 3G, why didnt you just turn it off and use EDGE? Better yet, tell At&t you went back to your old iPhone and you want the $20 plan back on your account.

 

[SleepyHead157]

I was getting really terrible 3G service on the iphone. I got the phone on day 1 and paid for the data plan for 2 months. I wanted to get rid of the Data plan as I was not using the data plan on the 3G network but was paying for it. So I took the following steps to get the data plan off the Iphone

1. You'll need another phone besides the iphone.
2. Take the SIM from the IPHONE 3G and put it in the extra phone you have.
3. Call ATT from that extra phone with you Iphone 3g SIM in it.
4. Tell them that you were unhappy with the service and that now since its been more than 30 days You can't return the phone so you sold it to someone but kept your sim card. (They can tell if your calling from Iphone)
5. Now that you don't have the Iphone you would like to take the data plan off.
6. They'll take off the data plan and the visual voice mail since both are built in together. you can still use the other method to retrive your voicemails.

7. Also they asked me for the IMEI of the other phone (phone your calling from) but I decided not to give it to them but telling them that if you take the battery out you'll get disconnected and when they tell you to type somestuff to make it come up on the phone tell them that nothing comes up since we have an active call. SO DO NOT GIVE the IMEI of the phone you are using. (I don't know what that will do but I did not want to give it to them) If anyone does give if please post if you Iphone still works.

8. Also make sure you tell them to block all data to your phone. (Since people want to check out the iphone they usually assume you have data plan and start safari and so you'll get charged pay per use.)

9. Once this is done and the rep confirms that the data plan has been removed and block on data has been put on hang up.

10. Now remove the SIM from the phone you were talking on and put it back in your iphone.


P.S the GPS signal still works. Only the Map doesn't show. So if someone ever develops and app with Maps on your iphone then you're good to go.

I've been using my phone on wifi everywhere in philly. I'm happy that I have a iphone 3g and I don't have to pay the $30.

I did the same thing recently after my original 3G iphone fell into a pool and got water damaged (yeah sucks but whatever) I picked up a new one at an apple store and previously I didn't have 3G because the lady was all messed up the first day and she just did it when I asked. But this time they wouldn't do it. Instead i did exactly what you did except I did it through ATT Live Tech Chat, and I gave them the IMEI, they didnt do anything with it. I told them I was returning the iphone and didn't want to lose my account since I was simply replacing phones. The lady did it in a heartbeat and then I asked for my internet to be blocked so my 2nd phone can't exactly access internet. She also gave me voicemail for the iphone without data. I dont get visual voicemail but the voicemail still works.

Now before ppl go nuts and bashing me and telling me whats the point of the 3G iphone if i dont use the 3G, well it's still a great phone and ipod, and internet device all together. I work for a internet company so I don't need internet or email on my phone all day. I have that in front of me as long as im at work and at home I have wi fi so no need for 3g service. NYC has tons of hot spots as well. So you can give the IMEI, they don't do anything with it cuz they think your getting rid of the iphone 3g anyway. but it does work. i was actually going to write this but you got to me before i could. good job

 

[SleepyHead157]

If the OP wasn't using the phone then yeah it wouldn't matter.

I'm sure you could block most of the data but not all of it. And using it on wi-fi is not going to work. The phone will show the wi-fi symbol and fall back to 3G/Edge without you even knowing it. That can cause problems without a data plan.

actually you can test to see if this is the case by turning off the wi fi and trying to open a safari page. It doesn't work. It says you are not connected to the internet. Its called WIX BLOCK. just ask the ATT rep and they do it and then test it out just like i said and you should be good.

 

[goosnarrggh]

Ok where to begin with the problems this can/will cause...

AT&T will be able to tell your using an iPhone because of your IMEI number. Doesn't matter if you refused to give it too them for the new phone. They have your IMEI number from you iPhone on record. Every time you use the phone it's going to show you using your iPhone.

My response: So what? Who cares if Apple knows you're using an iPhone?

If they verbally agree to terminate your data contract, that's it... The data contract is terminated, and you'll start paying for data on a per-kilobyte basis. They cannot force you to enter into a new data contract without acquiring your consent to do so, no matter what IMEI they subsequently detect.

Next, if they verbally agree to add the WIX BLOCK to your account... that's it. The data service is blocked, and they contractually cannot turn it back on without receiving your consent to do so, no matter what IMEI they subsequently detect.

Having done all that, is the customer going to lose access to visual voicemail too?

 

[hsenletap]

1. All you have to do to block ALL data is add the "WIX BLOCK" (by calling At&t).

2. Id worry about the GPS counting as data and winding up costing you a decent penny.

3. At&t does not track IMEI's - and cannot tell which phone you are using when you are using it.

4. If you were having so much problems with 3G, why didnt you just turn it off and use EDGE? Better yet, tell At&t you went back to your old iPhone and you want the $20 plan back on your account.

I was using EDGE since the day I got it... I would try 3G almost everyday at my home and around the area but it wouldn't work. $30/month was too much for a service that did not work. I don't mind paying for something that works for right now I had to pull the plug on it. I will get back on once ATT fixes the 3g issues.

I also did not have the 1 get iPhone.

 

[hsenletap]

My response: So what? Who cares if Apple knows you're using an iPhone?

If they verbally agree to terminate your data contract, that's it... The data contract is terminated, and you'll start paying for data on a per-kilobyte basis. They cannot force you to enter into a new data contract without acquiring your consent to do so, no matter what IMEI they subsequently detect.

Next, if they verbally agree to add the WIX BLOCK to your account... that's it. The data service is blocked, and they contractually cannot turn it back on without receiving your consent to do so, no matter what IMEI they subsequently detect.

Having done all that, is the customer going to lose access to visual voicemail too?

Yes, you do loose the Visual Voicemail if you take the data off. You'll have to check voicemail the regular way (before the visual voice was avaliable.)

 

[bmwpowere36m3]

Yes, you do loose the Visual Voicemail if you take the data off. You'll have to check voicemail the regular way (before the visual voice was avaliable.)

I was kinda curious myself as well, if you remove the data plan and no longer have visual voicemail... does the phone notify you at all (some sort of symbol, alert, etc...) that you do have a voicemail. Then you would just call into your voicemail and listen to it?

 

[nakamuramori2]

genius but, complicated.... is there anyway i can cancel out the data plan without paying extra fee.??? cuz i dont wanna pay 30 dollars for 3G ...

 

[ec51]

I was using EDGE since the day I got it... I would try 3G almost everyday at my home and around the area but it wouldn't work. $30/month was too much for a service that did not work. I don't mind paying for something that works for right now I had to pull the plug on it. I will get back on once ATT fixes the 3g issues.

I also did not have the 1 get iPhone.

You can lie about going back to your old iPhone - you just need a 1st gens IMEI. Then you would have a $20 plan with your 3G.

 

[hsenletap]

I was kinda curious myself as well, if you remove the data plan and no longer have visual voicemail... does the phone notify you at all (some sort of symbol, alert, etc...) that you do have a voicemail. Then you would just call into your voicemail and listen to it?

Yes, your phone icon will have a red dot on it. And when you go in the phone app there will be a red dot on the voicemail. When you click the voicemail --> the screen will have a button "Call Voicemail" and when you click the button you'll be able to check voicemail like before.

P.S. you'll have to setup your voicemail again.

 

[chitownboy]

Works for me

I have been using the phone this way for 4 days now and it works great. Wifi's, calls, voicemail...My only question is do we know for sure if att tracks imei #'s. I saw on another forum that some people have been getting text messages from att saying if they don't add an iphone data plan on the phone att will add it for them. My thought was this was caused by not changing the imei # associated with the account but I'm not sure. I did change my imei # because I thought that would take care of this. It would be great to know for sure if att is monitoring the use of all iphone imei #'s on the network and enforcing this.

 

[l Shad0w l]

I actually did something like that about a month ago when i got my iphone. I did not have a upgrade but had a friend who did. So i went to att and did a DF using my friends upgrade. When the phone came in to avoid having my friends old sim card being deactivated while activating the iphone, i told the att employee this bs story about how my "mom" had to go on an emergency business trip and needs her phone to work until she gets back. So the att employee then half activated the phone (something like what happened to iphone buyers on the release date). When i got home i just put my sim in the iphone called up att, had my friend tell them she didn't have the iphone anymore so she would like to remove the iphone data plan. After she gave them the imei number of her samsung flip they removed the plan with no problems. I now have a iphone with no date plan, made sure i turned off 3g and took off the pay per use data option off my phone. So now when i try to access the internet, weather or whatever it just fails, and under settings in usage i have 0 sent and 0 received bytes. Might just add the media max plan for $15 and use that

 

[l Shad0w l]

Att can only track what phone you have through your online account page which does not show up in their internal system

 

[goosnarrggh]

I have been using the phone this way for 4 days now and it works great. Wifi's, calls, voicemail...My only question is do we know for sure if att tracks imei #'s. I saw on another forum that some people have been getting text messages from att saying if they don't add an iphone data plan on the phone att will add it for them. My thought was this was caused by not changing the imei # associated with the account but I'm not sure. I did change my imei # because I thought that would take care of this. It would be great to know for sure if att is monitoring the use of all iphone imei #'s on the network and enforcing this.

Interesting. AT&T's baseline contract (this is the contract that everybody signs, not just the contract signed by iPhone users) specifically states:

If it is determined that you are using iPhone without an eligible data plan, AT&T reserves the right to add an eligible data plan to your account and bill you the appropriate monthly fee.

I find it interesting because the iPhone is the only type of hardware mentioned by name in the contract for which there is a specific requirement saying that they will automatically sign you up for a data plan even if you don't ask for one.