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iPhone Without Data Plan in Canada and Accidental Data Usage

S

Spliff

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jan 25, 2007
183
0
Vancouver, Canada
I'm considering getting an iPhone up here in Canada but only want to purchase the voice plan at the moment (because the data plans are a rip and don't want to be locked in for 3 years). I am anticipating that the data plans will come down as the current "deal" is 6GB for $30. I know I won't use 6GB of data, and am waiting for more flexible plans.

I was talking with the sales rep at Rogers and he said there's no way of turning off the 3G on the iPhone if you signup for a voice only contract. That means, if I accidently hit the GPS button or Weather button, iPhone automatically connects to the Roger's network and I pay something stupid like $.30 per kB. One update from the weather application can end up costing you $30 which is just retarded. He also mentioned that each time an iPhone update is available, iPhone will attempt to connect to Rogers and download the updates. Since updates can be in MB, you could end up paying hundreds of dollars for a stupid update.

I'm not sure whether this is a scare tactic or not in order for Rogers staff to sucker you into getting their data plan, but would like to know whether you can disable 3G? I just want to use the iPhone with WiFi, and would hate to incur hundreds to thousands of dollars in airtime charges for some stupid updates or accidental keypresses. Any suggestions?
 
Spliff said:
I'm considering getting an iPhone up here in Canada but only want to purchase the voice plan at the moment (because the data plans are a rip and don't want to be locked in for 3 years). I am anticipating that the data plans will come down as the current "deal" is 6GB for $30. I know I won't use 6GB of data, and am waiting for more flexible plans.

I was talking with the sales rep at Rogers and he said there's no way of turning off the 3G on the iPhone if you signup for a voice only contract. That means, if I accidently hit the GPS button or Weather button, iPhone automatically connects to the Roger's network and I pay something stupid like $.30 per kB. One update from the weather application can end up costing you $30 which is just retarded.

For those users out there, is there any way to disable 3G so I can use WiFi only?
Click to expand...

Yes, it's possible.

You can create a user profile and install it on your phone...I did that the other day...

Use the iPhone configuration tool off apple's site.
 
you could move all web enabled apps to another page, making them harder to accidently hit
with a jailbroken iphone, it is possible to disable data connectivity
i havent heard of this config utility but will look into it

He also mentioned that each time an iPhone update is available, iPhone will attempt to connect to Rogers and download the updates
Click to expand...
iphone updates are done through itunes
unless he meant app updates, but the app store can be disabled
also, the update process is not automatic
 
Seems like an ipod touch and a free phone would have been a better solution for you.

Sure it is an extra device, but if you are going to turn off the data on the phone you are essentially making it a touch. And the phone portion of the iPhone is not so amazing that you could not replicate it with most other phones.
 
Spliff said:
I'm considering getting an iPhone up here in Canada but only want to purchase the voice plan at the moment (because the data plans are a rip and don't want to be locked in for 3 years). I am anticipating that the data plans will come down as the current "deal" is 6GB for $30. I know I won't use 6GB of data, and am waiting for more flexible plans.

I was talking with the sales rep at Rogers and he said there's no way of turning off the 3G on the iPhone if you signup for a voice only contract. That means, if I accidently hit the GPS button or Weather button, iPhone automatically connects to the Roger's network and I pay something stupid like $.30 per kB. One update from the weather application can end up costing you $30 which is just retarded. He also mentioned that each time an iPhone update is available, iPhone will attempt to connect to Rogers and download the updates. Since updates can be in MB, you could end up paying hundreds of dollars for a stupid update.

I'm not sure whether this is a scare tactic or not in order for Rogers staff to sucker you into getting their data plan, but would like to know whether you can disable 3G? I just want to use the iPhone with WiFi, and would hate to incur hundreds to thousands of dollars in airtime charges for some stupid updates or accidental keypresses. Any suggestions?
Click to expand...

HAHAHAHAHHAHAHA, i would have laughed at his face and politely thank him for nothing, and then laugh again

i have had iphone for 3g and not signed up for data plan, using wifi all the time.

All you need to do is call rogers customer service, and them to block your data. What this means is that you cant access internet except for wifi, so if accidnelty you press weather, it wont load anythign since their is no internet service.

a lot of people have done this, so yea you wont be paying anythign for data when you have it blocked on your account.

And most of the people at Rogers store dont know what they are talking about. When i wen to buy iphone, i asked one of them that whats my hardware eligible status. i told them i have signed a 2 year deal in may, but didnt do a hardware upgrade. He told me that ohhh you should have taken it then, cause we only offer hardware upgrade once, and if you dont take it at that time, you wont get it for alteast another year. I turned around and started laughing...........Canada "Where Rogers Happen"
 
marksman said:
Seems like an ipod touch and a free phone would have been a better solution for you.

Sure it is an extra device, but if you are going to turn off the data on the phone you are essentially making it a touch. And the phone portion of the iPhone is not so amazing that you could not replicate it with most other phones.
Click to expand...

I refuse to carry around 2 devices at one time to replicate what can be done with one device (the iPhone). And plus, why would I pay more for the touch than I would for the iPhone itself?

I am not saying I never want data on the iPhone, I just don't want to get bent over by Rogers right now signing up for it. Many people are getting suckered into this introductory offer just to have data on Day 1, but I can wait until they offer something similar to the States or else more flexible packages such as 1GB or 2GB (for $15 or $20 per month) etc.
 
taran420 said:
HAHAHAHAHHAHAHA, i would have laughed at his face and politely thank him for nothing, and then laugh again

i have had iphone for 3g and not signed up for data plan, using wifi all the time.

All you need to do is call rogers customer service, and them to block your data. What this means is that you cant access internet except for wifi, so if accidnelty you press weather, it wont load anythign since their is no internet service.

a lot of people have done this, so yea you wont be paying anythign for data when you have it blocked on your account.

And most of the people at Rogers store dont know what they are talking about. When i wen to buy iphone, i asked one of them that whats my hardware eligible status. i told them i have signed a 2 year deal in may, but didnt do a hardware upgrade. He told me that ohhh you should have taken it then, cause we only offer hardware upgrade once, and if you dont take it at that time, you wont get it for alteast another year. I turned around and started laughing...........Canada "Where Rogers Happen"
Click to expand...

LOL! This is the answer I want to hear, guess I'll be heading over to get my new iPhone this afternoon :) I hate the thought of signing up with Rogers though, they are the biggest scammers.
 
Spliff said:
LOL! This is the answer I want to hear, guess I'll be heading over to get my new iPhone this afternoon :) I hate the thought of signing up with Rogers though, they are the biggest scammers.
Click to expand...

well you can try FIDO, i know rogers owns it, but they offer per second billing and other perks.

Also if its a new contract, i would call rogers and then forward to retentions or customer relations(im not sure if you can talk to them if your a new cusotmer, but worth a try). if you go to the iphone department, you will get a bad deal. when in cusotmer relations, try to get the best deal possible. i have heard people getting a base deal with $25 + some free perks and other stuff.

you can try a rogers store, but make sure you get a good deal, cause you can especially with a three year contract
 
So I got the iPhone (from Fido as I can't stand Rogers) and am just on the phone with a Fido rep about blocking the data from my phone. She told me that they can put a block on the phone, but the iPhone may still try and connect to 3G if I use internet applications that are outside of the WiFi range.

I then asked her, what is the point of putting a block on the data on your end if my phone can still receive data? She said that they "thought" at first that the block was working properly, but there have been cases where people have received data and got charged ginormous amounts for it.

Can anybody else vouch for this? I want to use the iPhone with WiFi networks, but would be totally pissed if it started connecting to 3G if the WiFi reception was weak or something like that.
 
You could just turn off the 3G Network in your settings on the iPhone?

Go to Settings>General>Network>3G ON/OFF
 
Ok well i'm using the data plan and i was considering the same thing. My sister on the other hand is not using a data plan and is using rogers. When she got her iphone, she told the rogers rep. to block her data and they said they can do that and all, but later on i found out at fido about the exact same thing. That the iphone is special and that you can't block data on the iphone. Anyways when she got her phone we figured we'd test it. Well what do you know, data still works and your getting charged. We turned off 3G but that does not stop the phone from using Edge by itself unless wifi is turned on.
So really, all you can do is what another member suggested to you, put all the web applications on a different page and there would be less chance of clicking it.

I hope this helps you. If you find a solution i would love to know.
 
My iPhone on Rogers has data blocked. I cannot send nor receive data when out of Wi-Fi range. Also, I do not see "3G", "E", or the GPRS symbol next to the ROGERS carrier name in the top left corner. They CAN block all data.
 
this maybe out of topic but, since you ahve your data blocked, does GPS require any sort of connection like Wifi, 3g or edge?
 
I'm not sure if 3G is different, but I have t-mobile prepaid (with no data) on an unlocked original iPhone. I just put dummy data in the APN settings (literally "blah"). The EDGE symbol remains, but it can't pull down any data (and thus no charges).
 
Fido disabled my data, and even if I switch off my "Enable 3G" settting, I still get the "E" icon at the top left of my screen. Is that for data or for voice only?
 
Looks like I've downloaded data using Edge. What I don't get is, if the network says they've blocked the data, then the data should be blocked? Duh? What is so special about iPhone that can get around that? Simply send no frickin data to my phone, it should be as simple as that.

I think these stupid carriers are just trying to make a quick buck (or several thousand) off the early adopters that don't get data plans. Their strategy is probably to entice people to use the data, get a huge phone bill, and then signup for a data plan afterwards.

I call ******** when they say they can't block the data.
 
Spliff said:
Looks like I've downloaded data using Edge. What I don't get is, if the network says they've blocked the data, then the data should be blocked? Duh? What is so special about iPhone that can get around that? Simply send no frickin data to my phone, it should be as simple as that.

I think these stupid carriers are just trying to make a quick buck (or several thousand) off the early adopters that don't get data plans. Their strategy is probably to entice people to use the data, get a huge phone bill, and then signup for a data plan afterwards.

I call ******** when they say they can't block the data.
Click to expand...

well then they havent put a data block on your phone....once a data plan is put in, you wont get any data, cant receive or send...iphone is not special that it will receive data when their is a block on internet, their is no iphone god which will mysteriously bypass internet block

its their tactics, they want you to sign the data plan since you will get panicked.

call them up and tell them that i have put a internet block and still receiving data. tell them that you know a lot of people who have put data block and haven't received data. you have to be smart and ready to argue when you talk to some of them....ask them how is iphone special that it can bypass a internet block.

Seriously they are messing with you....call them up, be frustrated
 
I'm usually lurker here, but I felt so strongly about this thread that I registered just so I could put in a response.

I'm in Canada, and successfully bought an iphone from fido AND have the data blocked. I know, such an accomplishment!

The csr's at the fido store where I bought my iphone were in general okay to deal with, although mostly from apathy from what I gathered. The guy I talked to had an unlocked 1st gen iphone in his shirt pocket...

Anyhoo, in the store they said they've blocked my data, but upon subsequent testing I still had cellular data access. So, after 3 calls to the customer sevice line, I successfully had my cellular data blocked. You know this when you try to open an app, say app store, and a little window pops up and says you do no have access to cellular data (with the wifi turned off ofcourse).

I'm VERY happy about my decision to block data. I live on a university campus so I'm within a wifi network ALL the time.

I guess I'll know how successful I am when I receive my first bill. But the "usuage" indicated on my iphone is only 1kb from testing the network.
 
f*u*c*k sakes,

So I call them up again to bitch about the data charges I just incurred after requesting them to block the data, and I was told by the rep now that there is a special "iPhone data block", and that the rep this morning put on just a regular data block. I mean HOW RETARDED IS THAT? SO goddamn unethical these stupid mobile phone companies are.

"Oh she just put a data block on your account and not the "iPhone Data Block"" Sheesh, riiiiight
 
squeakyclutch said:
I'm usually lurker here, but I felt so strongly about this thread that I registered just so I could put in a response.

I'm in Canada, and successfully bought an iphone from fido AND have the data blocked. I know, such an accomplishment!

The csr's at the fido store where I bought my iphone were in general okay to deal with, although mostly from apathy from what I gathered. The guy I talked to had an unlocked 1st gen iphone in his shirt pocket...

Anyhoo, in the store they said they've blocked my data, but upon subsequent testing I still had cellular data access. So, after 3 calls to the customer sevice line, I successfully had my cellular data blocked. You know this when you try to open an app, say app store, and a little window pops up and says you do no have access to cellular data (with the wifi turned off ofcourse).

I'm VERY happy about my decision to block data. I live on a university campus so I'm within a wifi network ALL the time.

I guess I'll know how successful I am when I receive my first bill. But the "usuage" indicated on my iphone is only 1kb from testing the network.
Click to expand...

Glad to hear you got yours sorted out. I'm only out 50kb of data before they put the REAL BLOCK on, but if you calculate it at .17 or whatever it was per kb, its still almost $10. Pretty stupid when you can't even do anything with 50kb these days.

So for all those people who make their first phone call to Fido/Rogers to block data, be weary and make sure the "E" or 3G icon is not there.
 
Spliff said:
Glad to hear you got yours sorted out. I'm only out 50kb of data before they put the REAL BLOCK on, but if you calculate it at .17 or whatever it was per kb, its still almost $10. Pretty stupid when you can't even do anything with 50kb these days.

So for all those people who make their first phone call to Fido/Rogers to block data, be weary and make sure the "E" or 3G icon is not there.
Click to expand...

hopefully you dont have to pay for that...ask for a credit b/c of their stupidy
 
Ok I have now tested the data (with WiFi turned off) and it seems that I am now blocked with using apps that require data (which is good).

I did notice however that when I check my Settings->General->Usage->Cellular Network Data has now gone up to 315KB.

Does this mean I am still getting billed airtime? WTH is going on???
 
Spliff said:
Ok I have now tested the data (with WiFi turned off) and it seems that I am now blocked with using apps that require data (which is good).

I did notice however that when I check my Settings->General->Usage->Cellular Network Data has now gone up to 315KB.

Does this mean I am still getting billed airtime? WTH is going on???
Click to expand...
if you are not getting any data, then cell network data should be 0 bytes for both. If it went up from last time, give them a call and make sure that you wont get charged....also tell them that this is getting annoying and ridiculous, lol
 
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