AT&T doesn't care about FCC or Net Neutrality rules. At worst they will have to pay a "fine" (a bribe to the FCC to ignore the problem), and nothing will change.
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Net Neutrality Organization Accusing AT&T of Violating FCC Rules With FaceTime Data Plan Requirements
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By that definition (only device) you are also not allowed to hook up your iPhone to any kind of dock and stream. So no hooking it up to your car stereo, home system, mirroring it to AppleTV etc. Heck you shouldn't even hook it up to a bluetooth device!
That "only one device" was originally in the contract to prevent cloning of sim cards. Only later was it interrupted to include tethering.
No. Because with your example above - you are still only using data on the one device that was contracted. Tethering is offering data to another device in addition to the one contracted.
When tethering you are using the data on your iPhone which passes it on to the other device. Just like passing on the data to your car stereo, home audio system etc.
No. If you're using bluetooth - you're now taking what ATT provides the iPhone (data) and converting it to music which you are sending to a device. The other device isn't connected or using data that ATT is providing (in the case of streaming audio).
If you're streaming data to another computer - then you are using ATT's data on more than one device because there's little to no way to NOT use data simultaneously on the iphone while it's tethering. Even small amounts - you're using two devices. Maybe it's an incoming email. Maybe it's an app getting a notification. It's pretty impossible to only use the phone as JUST a conduit.
It's so nice to be jail broken and not have any of these restrictions. What a joke. My wife and I can FaceTime whenever we wish.
Thank you.
I just filed a complain with the FCC.
Its ridiculous.
AT&T just announced its crippling the FaceTime video calling app on its customers iPhones unless they subscribe to a more expensive text-and-voice plan.
Thats right AT&T will block one of the iPhones best features unless users pay more money for less data and unlimited voice minutes, none of which they need to use FaceTime.
Not only is AT&T screwing consumers it's violating Net Neutrality with this plan.
I'm curious if you would make the same argument if your ISP at home came in and told you that you could not have a router and that the modem could only be used directly connected to 1 computer at a time. That is exactly the same situation.
Sure, you get your unlimited data at 2G/3G Speeds. Have Fun!!!
By the way, since you brought up the contract, read it! It says they can cancel it anytime! I believe the mistake AT&T made was not just cutting it off immediately and allowing the greedy to hang on for so long.
They can cut it whenever they want and I will then cut them.
Sounds like a good plan. And the only greed here is from the carrier not the consumer that spends over $100 a month to have an iphone on their network.
Wake up and smell the coffee.
Before you claim "AT&T should give me what we agreed on" (thereby implying that they aren't), and that that includes tethering, you should read the agreement (aka: contract) you signed, which explicitly *disallows* tethering.
That said, I don't think there's anything there that explicitly calls out FaceTime (or FaceTime-like) use, so that's probably a different issue, but you'd be amazed at just how many caveats you agreed to when you signed that service contract. A number of them *could* potentially be read to allow them to restrict FaceTime-like services based on data usage patterns and the like.
This makes no sense at all
Am I understanding this correctly?
Currently I pay a consistent $89.64/month (US) (This includes fees and taxes)
I have:
450 Mobile ~ Any Mobile Minutes
Over 5000 rollover minutes
Unlimited Data & Text
My monthly data usage is roughly between 1.2Gb - 2Gb through Pandora at work and just daily internet browsing.
---------------------
Based on http://www.att.com/Common/about_us/pdf/att_mobile_share_plans.pdf
They are essentially strong arming me to pay $110.00/month plus fees and taxes just to use Facetime?
And lets not forget that according to
http://gizmodo.com/5602597/how-much-data-does-a-3g-facetime-call-use
A 5 minute facetime call is 14.7MB. Thats roughly 180MB/hr
So add that on top of my average Data usage I'm pretty close to 4GB limit.
If this is true, ****** you AT&T, I hope this gets resolved.
Anyone have any good words about switch to sprint?
Am I understanding this correctly?
Currently I pay a consistent $89.64/month (US) (This includes fees and taxes)
I have:
450 Mobile ~ Any Mobile Minutes
Over 5000 rollover minutes
Unlimited Data & Text
My monthly data usage is roughly between 1.2Gb - 2Gb through Pandora at work and just daily internet browsing.
---------------------
Based on http://www.att.com/Common/about_us/pdf/att_mobile_share_plans.pdf
They are essentially strong arming me to pay $110.00/month plus fees and taxes just to use Facetime?
And lets not forget that according to
http://gizmodo.com/5602597/how-much-data-does-a-3g-facetime-call-use
A 5 minute facetime call is 14.7MB. Thats roughly 180MB/hr
So add that on top of my average Data usage I'm pretty close to 4GB limit.
If this is true, ****** you AT&T, I hope this gets resolved.
Anyone have any good words about switch to sprint?
Sure it is, it is just using it in an altered format. It is STILL data, which is the point.
When you stream music the iPhone continues to use other data just as you say. Again, no difference.
You keep forgetting the fact that the whole premise is one data plan for one device. You keep wanting to add devices and act like they aren't using more data - or you're trying to equate broadcasting an audio signal to a speaker which does not, itself, use data.
There's a difference. If you don't understand that - you're lost.
It's funny you say that because not that long ago Comcast, and other cable internet and telephone DSL companies did just that.
att is taking care of texas first because they are from texas- my thought
exactly why i have no problem staying with them... in san antonio the 3G service aint bad. and the LTE is excellent.
Some ISPs have done that and may still do it. I'm not saying I'm FOR the practice - but the argument is valid based on the contract/agreement signed. What I was arguing is that when ATT sells you a data plan - it is for one device unless the plan calls for otherwise. Streaming your music to a speaker isn't adding another device. Tethering is. And since Airplay (unless I'm mistaken - and not referring to jailbreaking) is Wifi only - you aren't using ATT's data to stream "their" data to another device.
Exactly. And I remember you'd have to pay extra for the "privilege" of using a router.
When you tether you are using ONE device to retrieve the data. It is then the phone that distributes the data to another device. When you stream to a music you are also retrieving the data from one device and then distrubuting it to others. DATA is DATA.
Just keep ignoring the argument and resort to insults. If you don't understand how broadcasting streaming data would increase and use data then it is you who is lost or pretty obvious you either work for, worked for, or have some other relationship with a telco.
When you tether - the primary device is pulling data for it's own use and the slave device is using data based on whatever is also being streamed. That's two devices. I'm not being insulting when I say it's basic math. It's pretty impossible for the primary device to ONLY work as a conduit unless you remove every app from it, don't have any email configured, etc. Who would actually do that. No one. So the primary and slave devices are BOTH using data and the contract you signed states the data plan is for ONE device. I'm not arguing that it makes sense or is fair. I'm saying that One Data Plan = One Device according to ATT.
Even if I accept your argument that it is two devices when tethering, which I don't since the second device is not connected directly when tethering. If you are streaming data that device is pulling data along with the phone itself "for its own use" as you put it - that is also 2 devices - which is my original point. AT&T is picking and choosing what data and what "devices" that is ok for. They don't define what a "device" is. According to their terms they "could" as not allow you to do that - which you would also probably defend.
I'm not defending. I'm defining. A non-shared data plan without any other add-ons is for one device. There's nothing to defend. And I'm surprised this back and forth keeps going given that one device = one device. If you're using data on a secondary device, that's adding a device. Whether it's a byte or 3 gigs - it's another device and is against the ATT's data plan rules. This is in regards to tethering.
Facetime is another matter entirely and I don't agree with ATT's "banning" of the function.
Basic math, huh?
By the same "math," when I use my cell hand-free in my car, I am using two devices (more, if you count each speaker), too.
Or if I stream music (data) from the iPhone through AirPlay to my Apple TV, which is then connected to my AVR, which is then connected to a 7.1 speaker system..., we are already over 10 "devices" here.
Maybe we should pay extra for that too, eh?
Basic math, huh?
By the same "math," when I use my cell hand-free in my car, I am using two devices (more, if you count each speaker), too.
Or if I stream music (data) from the iPhone through AirPlay to my Apple TV, which is then connected to my AVR, which is then connected to a 7.1 speaker system..., we are already over 10 "devices" here.
Maybe we should pay extra for that too, eh?
No. Because only one device is getting ATT's data. The speakers are not getting data - their getting bluetooth data from the iPhone.
Why is this so hard for some people to understand. And why do people think I am saying ATT's policy is the right one? I'm just stating how ATT views their one device/data plan policy.
AirPlay works on Wifi. So again - ATT is not providing data to another device. Your iPhone is taking ATT's data and then uploading it via your own wifi signal.