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iPhone without a Data Plan(Canada)

S

snaky69

macrumors 603
Original poster
Mar 14, 2008
5,908
488
My motorola razr is getting old and buggy and my ipod nano 4gb is starting to be pretty cramped in the storage capacity, and I figure I could replace both those devices at once, so why not get an iPhone right?

I don't browse on the go, ever, unless there is wi-fi present, so a data plan would be pretty much useless to me. Read: 3G would serve no purpose for me. Now I know I can get the phone without a data plan without a problem, what I want to know is if the phone itself will use data regardless without any action from me? Say to update weather or the like?
 
snaky69 said:
My motorola razr is getting old and buggy and my ipod nano 4gb is starting to be pretty cramped in the storage capacity, and I figure I could replace both those devices at once, so why not get an iPhone right?

I don't browse on the go, ever, unless there is wi-fi present, so a data plan would be pretty much useless to me. Read: 3G would serve no purpose for me. Now I know I can get the phone without a data plan without a problem, what I want to know is if the phone itself will use data regardless without any action from me? Say to update weather or the like?
Click to expand...
At the very least visual voicemail will use data - regardless of weather or not you have a data plan or not. You have to remember that the iPhone is designed for use with a data plan, otherwise you are essentially crippling 90% of the functionaility.
 
snaky69 said:
My motorola razr is getting old and buggy and my ipod nano 4gb is starting to be pretty cramped in the storage capacity, and I figure I could replace both those devices at once, so why not get an iPhone right?

I don't browse on the go, ever, unless there is wi-fi present, so a data plan would be pretty much useless to me. Read: 3G would serve no purpose for me. Now I know I can get the phone without a data plan without a problem, what I want to know is if the phone itself will use data regardless without any action from me? Say to update weather or the like?
Click to expand...

just curious...where do you get an iphone without a data plan? i guess as long as the app store is available then that wouldn't be so bad, but i can't imagine someone purchasing an iphone and not use the amazing web browser.
 
pdjudd said:
At the very least visual voicemail will use data - regardless of weather or not you have a data plan or not. You have to remember that the iPhone is designed for use with a data plan, otherwise you are essentially crippling 90% of the functionaility.
Click to expand...
Visual voicemail will not be used, nobody I know has a phone capable of this, so I guess this is a non-issue for me?
 
deyjavoo said:
just curious...where do you get an iphone without a data plan? i guess as long as the app store is available then that wouldn't be so bad, but i can't imagine someone purchasing an iphone and not use the amazing web browser.
Click to expand...

I can still use it on wi-fi networks, and pretty much everwhere I go(school, home work) has a wi-fi network that is free. The rest of the time I'm driving, so not much web browsing to be done.
 
deyjavoo said:
if the 90% is accurate, i would hardly call this a "non-issue".
Click to expand...

I'm not sure I'm following you.

I basically want to make the two devices to be replaced by a single one. I want a phone that'll hook up to my iTunes, and if I want to browse when I'm at university then I can log into the wi-fi network they have there, etc.

I just thought of the iphone because I like :apple: products.
 
snaky69 said:
I'm not sure I'm following you.

I basically want to make the two devices to be replaced by a single one. I want a phone that'll hook up to my iTunes, and if I want to browse when I'm at university then I can log into the wi-fi network they have there, etc.

I just thought of the iphone because I like :apple: products.
Click to expand...

I was referring to the other poster that said you would be crippling 90% of the iphone's functionality.
 
iPhone in Canada

Since the monthly fees in Canada for the (voice and data) iphone service is still at $60/month, thanks to the Rogers monopoly in our country, I plan to wait until some sane competition brings these fees down to the $30/month that Americans presently enjoy. It may not take that long...
 
shivapashupati said:
Since the monthly fees in Canada for the (voice and data) iphone service is still at $60/month, thanks to the Rogers monopoly in our country, I plan to wait until some sane competition brings these fees down to the $30/month that Americans presently enjoy. It may not take that long...
Click to expand...

That could also be an idea. A friend of mine is using an unlocked first gen iphone on the rogers network, I'd have to ask him how much he pays per month and if he uses mobile internet at all.
 
If you don't want to use data right now, and want to wait until Rogers drops its data prices (it'll probably be a while), then have them block data on your account. Your phone will be UNABLE to use data even if it wants to. You can sign on to any voice plan with the iPhone as well.
 
buy an unlocked 2G 16gb iphone (since you dont need 3g) off craigslist or kijiji, i doubt it would be more than $300 possible even 200-250. Jailbreak it get Boss prefs to block data, AND cal rogers and tell them to block your data.
You should then be good to go.

Or get a 3g and still block data both ways and if a data plan comes up that is a good deal unblock and you are good to go at 3G speeds.
 
shivapashupati said:
Since the monthly fees in Canada for the (voice and data) iphone service is still at $60/month, thanks to the Rogers monopoly in our country, I plan to wait until some sane competition brings these fees down to the $30/month that Americans presently enjoy. It may not take that long...
Click to expand...

pls tell me where in amarica that data/voice is $30.
 
macdim said:
If you don't want to use data right now, and want to wait until Rogers drops its data prices (it'll probably be a while), then have them block data on your account. Your phone will be UNABLE to use data even if it wants to. You can sign on to any voice plan with the iPhone as well.
Click to expand...
+1

The only foolproof way to use an iPhone without a data plan is to have data blocked on the provider's end. I've been using an iPhone with data blocked since July and have had no problems.

The only aspect of the phone that doesn't work when data is blocked is visual voicemail - it will revert back to regular, call-in voicemail. Every other function that requires data will simply not work if you're not connected to wifi.
 
CrzyCanuck72 said:
+1

The only foolproof way to use an iPhone without a data plan is to have data blocked on the provider's end. I've been using an iPhone with data blocked since July and have had no problems.

The only aspect of the phone that doesn't work when data is blocked is visual voicemail - it will revert back to regular, call-in voicemail. Every other function that requires data will simply not work if you're not connected to wifi.
Click to expand...

So I just call up fido, tell them to block data and I'm set, correct?
 
shivapashupati said:
Since the monthly fees in Canada for the (voice and data) iphone service is still at $60/month, thanks to the Rogers monopoly in our country, I plan to wait until some sane competition brings these fees down to the $30/month that Americans presently enjoy. It may not take that long...
Click to expand...

Look at the number of providers selling Blackberry's and the rates are the same so don't believe that competition will be the magic bullet that will lower prices.
 
All U.S. iPhone users, please don't give pointless answers. 90% of the iPhone is dominated by Apps, which can be used by both Data and Non-Data users. Just be sure to block data to avoid huge charges, like what I did to mine, installing a fake APN. It will use data even if you don't want it to. Then you can start using prepaid or monthly plans.

*Lock this thread please, Thread Starter, please use the search features, there are plenty of articles about this.
 
I am in exactly in the same boat as you. I own a Razr as well. My contract expires this summer. However, I am really looking forward to the new cell phone carriers coming to canada. These guys in particular: http://www.wirelesssoapbox.com/

They are said to be launching a new website soon so maybe they will tell us what their plans might look like. So if at all possible I would hold out on getting stuck in a contract until these guys announce what they are going to look like.
 
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