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Is it possible to disable GPRS and still recieve SMS.

D

Dieselat

macrumors newbie
Original poster
Aug 29, 2007
12
0
I am on a plan that has unlimited texting, and no data package. I want to disable GPRS to the weather tool, stock, visual voicemail... wouldn't go online to use GPRS. I called cingular, and the lady that was helping me said, its possible to disable GPRS, but if I disable it I will not be able to receive at text messages.

Is their away I can, or Cingular can turn off GPRS, and I will still be able to receive text messages.

Also do you think soon in the future (Within a month) their will be a tool that you can manually disable GPRS via registry tweaks. Before the iphone I had a cingular 8525 and that is what I used to turn off GPRS.
 
SMS messaging can operate over GPRS but it usually doesn't.

Disabling GPRS wouldn't stop any handsets here in the UK from text messaging, but I don't know how AT&T do things.

But hey, you can get it enabled again if there's a problem - right?
 
I'm pretty sure you can get text messages still. Turn it off, have someone send a text and see what happens.
 
phones really don't use gprs for text messages.. mms, yeah.. but not text.

but, i'm a little confused..
are you using an iphone? if so..how do you not have a data plan?
 
Tramjaw said:
phones really don't use gprs for text messages.. mms, yeah.. but not text.

but, i'm a little confused..
are you using an iphone? if so..how do you not have a data plan?
Click to expand...
Their are other ways to activate it.. I am in a family plan, and my dad has a office phone, which comes with everything so and he doesn't feel I need a data plan. On my plan which I share with my mother and sister, we don't have a data plan but we do have unlimited texting.

If I wanted a data plan I would need to pay $40 extra a month just for my line, since 200 sms per month is too little, and If I wanted unlimited texting i would need to add another $20 per month to the unlimited data plan at $20.
 
If you disable GRPS you will NOT get text messages. GRPS is the network that EDGE uses. When a tower is set up with proper bandwidth, etc. presto, you get EDGE as long as "data package" is also added to your account.

Since the iPhone is told to only use internet functions with EDGE or WiFI it will not work with EDGE disabled.

Thus all you have to do is not have a data plan. You will still retain GRPS functionality which is used for text and other features like call forward (I think) and caller ID but the iPhone will not use it for other data access.
 
unity said:
If you disable GRPS you will NOT get text messages. GRPS is the network that EDGE uses. When a tower is set up with proper bandwidth, etc. presto, you get EDGE as long as "data package" is also added to your account.

Since the iPhone is told to only use internet functions with EDGE or WiFI it will not work with EDGE disabled.

Thus all you have to do is not have a data plan. You will still retain GRPS functionality which is used for text and other features like call forward (I think) and caller ID but the iPhone will not use it for other data access.
Click to expand...

I don't have a data plan. So my iphone is basically using GPRS to update many of its internet features, with it costing me 1 cent per kb.
 
Dieselat said:
I don't have a data plan. So my iphone is basically using GPRS to update many of its internet features, with it costing me 1 cent per kb.
Click to expand...

I dont see how. It should only use EDGE and WiFI for data, you should not be getting charged. I would call ATT and get that fixed.
 
I'm also trying to disable GPRS. I don't ever get MMS messages, and I don't want to be charged for data when I switch over to my iPhone. I was amazed when I called and the woman said she'd disable GPRS for me. Then she asked me if I was going out of the country... and it got hairy.

Now I'm on hold with Customer Service. I just talked to them, and they said it was impossible to disable (I had to do it using my **** razr's phone settings). I just hope that this SOC or whatever that I give them can disable it globally over the account. I really don't look forward to being charged for iPhone connections.
 
JPark said:
Dieselat, could you update us on what you've found out?
Click to expand...
Some people might still search and find this thread so i'll update.

I loved the iphone but I had to return it since I couldn't find a way to disable edge/gprs and still receive messages. I'm happy I returned it since I had bought a 4 gig for $500. Recently I ran a search on the same issue and I found out a way to do it. Some people change the ip so it has to where to go. I'm planning on getting another iphone soon so I can check to see if this works.

I also found an application that disables it for you. http://iphonetricksntips.blogspot.com/2007/11/servicesapp-for-iphone-disable-edge.html

For now I'm stuck with a black jack, which isn't really that bad.
 
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