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Preventing ATT from detecting iPhone?

A

apatel87

macrumors regular
Original poster
Mar 30, 2009
133
0
Hi I am sure that some of you are going to get angry because you are loyal to ATT but I recently signed up for a family plan with ATT that consisted of 3 iPhone plans and one regular plan. Since my iPhone was an upgrade I was goign to let my mom use the old iPhone since she didn't want data and really just wanted to use it as an iPod.
However as most of you know, using an iPhone without a data plan on the ATT network will just cause them to tack on a data plan. Is there anyway to bypass that? I shut off all cellular data on the iPhone.
Do I need to jailbreak and unlock the phone? I heard that that doesn't always do it. Any suggestions. Thanks a lot for the help.
 
Pay-as-you-go SIM card. No data plan needed, but no data possible except over WiFi.

If you want data, you can buy it incrementally on the PAYG account.
 
You can turn off whatever you want on your iPhone, but AT&T will still know that you are using an iPhone. The system automatically detects what kind of device is connecting to the network when it connects.
 
So my mom's line is a regular non-smart phone line. (The phone we got from ATT was a Samsung Solstice). So basically you are saying that no matter what, if I take her nonsmart phone sim card and put it in the old iPhone, even though that iPhone as fully been paid for, I will get charged the data plan fee?
 
Yes you will need a data plan if you are using the iPhone.

As stated on the AT&T site regarding iPhones

AT&T Service Rules" said:
A data plan is required for the life of your iPhone service and cannot be removed in the future.
Click to expand...
 
If all she's going to use it for is an iPod, sell the iPhone on Craigslist and buy her an iPod Touch. You'll probably be able to up the storage capacity and still pocket some money in the process.
 
Yea she was only going to use it as an iPod but doesn't like carrying her phone and the iphone around. She wants to device which I guess is the appeal of the iPhone. I was just hoping that since she doesn't use data and since I had already paid for the iPhone with my previous two year contract that it would be fine. I guess I have no choice except for her to have two separate devices or just to get on the data plan.
 
Truthfully,
I've had my iPhone 3GS since launch and I've got the data plan removed a few months ago by switching to a nonsmartphone. I then, switched back to my iPhone 3GS, and they still haven't noticed. Trust me. You'll be fine. All the people on here have probably never tried it without a data plan. I have. It works. If you want to be on the even safer side, have a total data BLOCK put on the account. But, pic messages won't be able to come through.
 
apatel87 said:
So my mom's line is a regular non-smart phone line. (The phone we got from ATT was a Samsung Solstice). So basically you are saying that no matter what, if I take her nonsmart phone sim card and put it in the old iPhone, even though that iPhone as fully been paid for, I will get charged the data plan fee?
Click to expand...

Yes, AT&T will detect what phone you're using to acesss their network.
Only option to avoid the data plan is prepaid AT&T sims or use it on Tmobile.
No other way around it.

Cchs227 said:
Truthfully,
I've had my iPhone 3GS since launch and I've got the data plan removed a few months ago by switching to a nonsmartphone. I then, switched back to my iPhone 3GS, and they still haven't noticed. Trust me. You'll be fine. All the people on here have probably never tried it without a data plan. I have. It works. If you want to be on the even safer side, have a total data BLOCK put on the account. But, pic messages won't be able to come through.
Click to expand...

They havent noticed yet.
Sooner or later they will.
He might be fine for a few weeks or months but they eventually will catch on
 
Get a GoPhone SIM and use that. My sister does this with an iPhone and AT&T hasn't put a data plan on it yet, been a long while now.
 
AT&T's policy on pay as you go is vastly different from the post-paid.
Unless something changes, your sister will never have a data plan forced on her.
benhollberg said:
Get a GoPhone SIM and use that. My sister does this with an iPhone and AT&T hasn't put a data plan on it yet, been a long while now.
Click to expand...
 
i had my 3g without data plan and 3gs without... but it was a pain with my 3gs because they kept adding a data plan so i was happy when they announced the cheaper data plan with the i4
 
It would just be easier and more useful if you added a data plan (for both you and your mother).
 
It's quite easy really. Just don't use the phone.

I have no idea why people think they can outsmart the carriers that provide the service.

Don't want to pay for data? Dont use a smartphone of any type.
 
It just boggles me that if your contract is over and you do not want/need data why ATT still sticks it to you. If you have your phone paid off and data shut off, what's it to them? (I know....$$$)
 
apatel87 said:
Yea she was only going to use it as an iPod but doesn't like carrying her phone and the iphone around. She wants to device which I guess is the appeal of the iPhone. I was just hoping that since she doesn't use data and since I had already paid for the iPhone with my previous two year contract that it would be fine. I guess I have no choice except for her to have two separate devices or just to get on the data plan.
Click to expand...

Unfortunately for you, you cannot use the phone sans data plan, unless you intend on going pre-paid.

Honestly, I would never consider using an iPhone without a data plan anyway. I just love having the ability to stream a video if I'm bored or surf the net to prove something is true or look up random stuff.
 
chown33 said:
Pay-as-you-go SIM card. No data plan needed, but no data possible except over WiFi.

If you want data, you can buy it incrementally on the PAYG account.
Click to expand...

AFAIK this only works in the 3G (which is the way my gf is currently rocking it), but you're correct regardless.
 
Cchs227 said:
Truthfully,
I've had my iPhone 3GS since launch and I've got the data plan removed a few months ago by switching to a nonsmartphone. I then, switched back to my iPhone 3GS, and they still haven't noticed. Trust me. You'll be fine. All the people on here have probably never tried it without a data plan. I have. It works. If you want to be on the even safer side, have a total data BLOCK put on the account. But, pic messages won't be able to come through.
Click to expand...

This is true. My mom was using my old iPhone for over a year without a data plan tacked on.
 
Cchs227 said:
Truthfully,
I've had my iPhone 3GS since launch and I've got the data plan removed a few months ago by switching to a nonsmartphone. I then, switched back to my iPhone 3GS, and they still haven't noticed. Trust me. You'll be fine. All the people on here have probably never tried it without a data plan. I have. It works. If you want to be on the even safer side, have a total data BLOCK put on the account. But, pic messages won't be able to come through.
Click to expand...

unless AT&T's iphone detection became less zealous recently, otherwise eventually one day they will give you a data plan, and send you a text message about it.

I did it once.
 
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