Questions from an Android user thinking of switching

[nfl46]

Congrats, Op. It looks like the iPhone will handle your needs! And, when the jailbreak comes out, you'll be like what limitations?!?! Lol. Good job on possibly switching.

 

[kat.hayes]

Hi campyguy,

1. I'm assuming "MHS" stands for hotspot? Not sure what the "M" is for?

2. So are you saying that I can turn the hotspot feature on the iPhone and I will get charged roughly $1 a day each time I do? Do I have to sign up for this feature OR is it automatic when turning it on?

3. If there was a JB for iOS 8, does that mean I would be able to tether without paying the $30 a month or roughly $1 a day? if I had an iPhone 5S with iOS 7 could I JB and tether for free?

Thanks.

There's more than a few clueless responses to your OP.

Regarding GV, you'll need to check in in a few more days - the GV app and GV were both updated earlier in the day (same as your OP), with new capabilities. Regarding the GV app, the first line of their update leaves me a bit "troubled" - that it was "updated user interface to match iOS 7 guidelines" in the first bullet point when iOS 8 is coming out in less than two weeks. Considering iOS 8 is coming out in less than 10 days - Yikes!!! Google could (should) have waited just a few days to issue a build using Xcode 6, which came out just yesterday, updated to "match iOS 8 guidelines". Sheesh...

Look, Google undermined all developers recently by pulling tie ins for 3 party apps to Google Voice, and Google is just now (literally, today) getting to upgrading services related to GV and Hangouts (which was also updated today). The answer to your question yesterday would be different than today. I tried out the new GV and Hangouts app - on iOS 8, on my iPhone 5 this evening and it seemed to work smoothly, as smoothly as it has on Android phones (which I've owned). It's not just the app - it's the backend that's changed recently as well.

The comments regarding tethering - ignore the other posts. I have UL data, GFed on multiple VZW lines with iOS devices. I use iOS 8. On UL data plans, using an iPhone - MHS is $30 per month, or rated per diem (roughly $1 per day) and you can turn it on and off as needed. MHS on an UL data plan has no limit to the data you can use for MHS - I've used it dozens of times over the past 2 years. Regarding JBing - there's NO JB for iOS 8 - period. $1 per day for UL tethering on LTE is cheap. I have an LTE SIM for my iPad Air and my iPad 3, both on UL data lines in my VZW family plan - there's no extra charge for MHS on either of my iPads. There's no way around paying for MHS on an iPhone yet using iOS 8, given that there's no JB for iOS 8.

About extensibility - iOS 8 isn't out officially yet. The GM came out yesterday, and we couldn't build and submit apps with Xcode until that GM came out. Any feedback regarding extensibility yet is pure speculation (read: BS) until official builds come out.

 

[campyguy]

For free, it could be worse, like not even be there at all or be completely abandoned.

Yeah, but I'm still not over the Sparrow Mail "fiasco". I was, after all, a Grandcentral user before Google assimil.... er, bought them out.

 

[campyguy]

Hi campyguy,

1. I'm assuming "MHS" stands for hotspot? Not sure what the "M" is for?

2. So are you saying that I can turn the hotspot feature on the iPhone and I will get charged roughly $1 a day each time I do? Do I have to sign up for this feature OR is it automatic when turning it on?

3. If there was a JB for iOS 8, does that mean I would be able to tether without paying the $30 a month or roughly $1 a day? if I had an iPhone 5S with iOS 7 could I JB and tether for free?

Thanks.

"MHS" - Mobile Hotspot.

And, yes, although one turns off this option via the My Verizon Portal (and, yes, there's an app for that); an alternative is have those handy CS reps at the other end of a 611 call turn it on/off for you! The "per diem" or "per day" charge is $30/# of days in your billing period. If your plan allows for it, one can activate MHS either in My Verizon or on the handset (there's an OR to this but this has nothing to do with the iPhone you're coveting...). As an alternative, you can just leave the option on and be billed $30 per month, which I have also done when I'm on the road. Short version, if you only need MHS for a couple or several of days, turn on MHS - use it, then when you return and are near wifi, turn off MHS again - and you'll be billed a per diem rate. September has 30 days - use it for 3 days, your bill will go up by $3 and the MHS charge will be itemized on your next bill.

Re jailbreaking, I don't do it. I'd rather play with my friends than with my phone. I've read about the pros and cons. My first smartphone ran Symbian S60, and I've run custom ROMs on my Blackberries (ending with BBOS 5) and I've tired of tweaking. So, I have an LTE iPad on a separate line with UL data, and VZW allows for MHS at no extra charge on iPads. Slick. So, my "or" is that you can also use that SIM in a difference device like an iPad or a mifi to get your tethering on. I'd also tried Android a couple of years ago - but tired of that OS, but some of my friends love it.

So my main focus is to get me an iPhone 6 at a subsidy, and I am looking to use the Best Buy loophole (or Costco) to get an upgraded device and extend my UL data a couple of years. And, I'm hoping that Apple will mail the device to me and I'd consider that as an option. There's lots of other threads about this here and elsewhere. So, cheers!

 

[kat.hayes]

1.) What do you mean by having "those handy CS reps at the other end of a 611 call turn it on/off for you! " Do you mean turning on the mobile hotspot for free?

2.) I just finished a chat session with a VZW customer support person and they told me with unlimited data it will cost $40 a month for the hotspot and there is no per day option. I guess I will just call and see what happens with next person I speak with.

3.) "I have an LTE iPad on a separate line with UL data," are you saying you pay for LTE on your iPad and it has UL data? Is this something they offered a few years back?

4.) Does the "loophole" that you are referring to mean to add a new line to my existing plan for an extra $10 or whatever, buy a new phone with that line, and transfer that phone to my current line and just pay the extra $10 for the next 2 years?


Thanks.

"MHS" - Mobile Hotspot.

And, yes, although one turns off this option via the My Verizon Portal (and, yes, there's an app for that); an alternative is have those handy CS reps at the other end of a 611 call turn it on/off for you! The "per diem" or "per day" charge is $30/# of days in your billing period. If your plan allows for it, one can activate MHS either in My Verizon or on the handset (there's an OR to this but this has nothing to do with the iPhone you're coveting...). As an alternative, you can just leave the option on and be billed $30 per month, which I have also done when I'm on the road. Short version, if you only need MHS for a couple or several of days, turn on MHS - use it, then when you return and are near wifi, turn off MHS again - and you'll be billed a per diem rate. September has 30 days - use it for 3 days, your bill will go up by $3 and the MHS charge will be itemized on your next bill.

Re jailbreaking, I don't do it. I'd rather play with my friends than with my phone. I've read about the pros and cons. My first smartphone ran Symbian S60, and I've run custom ROMs on my Blackberries (ending with BBOS 5) and I've tired of tweaking. So, I have an LTE iPad on a separate line with UL data, and VZW allows for MHS at no extra charge on iPads. Slick. So, my "or" is that you can also use that SIM in a difference device like an iPad or a mifi to get your tethering on. I'd also tried Android a couple of years ago - but tired of that OS, but some of my friends love it.

So my main focus is to get me an iPhone 6 at a subsidy, and I am looking to use the Best Buy loophole (or Costco) to get an upgraded device and extend my UL data a couple of years. And, I'm hoping that Apple will mail the device to me and I'd consider that as an option. There's lots of other threads about this here and elsewhere. So, cheers!

 

[campyguy]

1.) What do you mean by having "those handy CS reps at the other end of a 611 call turn it on/off for you! " Do you mean turning on the mobile hotspot for free?

2.) I just finished a chat session with a VZW customer support person and they told me with unlimited data it will cost $40 a month for the hotspot and there is no per day option. I guess I will just call and see what happens with next person I speak with.

3.) "I have an LTE iPad on a separate line with UL data," are you saying you pay for LTE on your iPad and it has UL data? Is this something they offered a few years back?

4.) Does the "loophole" that you are referring to mean to add a new line to my existing plan for an extra $10 or whatever, buy a new phone with that line, and transfer that phone to my current line and just pay the extra $10 for the next 2 years?

Thanks.

For 1 & 2, CS should and can enable/disable MHS on your account. I've done it several times while on the road since it was more convenient than using a PC while someone else was driving. Or, maybe I was too lazy? Actually, it was in the days before the My Verizon app came out, however, I have made that call. Second, any VZW CS rep is hit and miss - you don't want to "add" MHS, you want to "turn on the MHS option on your account". I don't know where $40 came from - it's $30, I just used it on two of my iPhones last month.

3? I like my iPad. My small company and I have a few dozen UL data lines with VZW, and I have 3 lines with UL data on my personal account. I take a nano SIM from one iPhone 5 and put it into my VZW Air - the minutes are shared between my 3 lines, I have texting enabled on only one device but also have the VZW Messaging app on 3 devices with my main driver (with that number configured into the Messaging app - a free download) so I get texts on any of my iOS devices. So that SIM that I swap gets UL data for iPad use or MHS while in that iPad, or UL data for the iPhone; I DO NOT need to use My Verizon to enable MHS while the SIM is in the iPad, and there's no $30 surcharge for MHS while the SIM is in the iPad - it's just the terms of what VZW allowed for iPads at the time. I don't give out the number that's attached to that SIM I swap - but I do use it for calls when the SIM is in it, and now that GV is an option again I might try that app out again.

I acquired several UL data lines via eBay using VZW's AOL (Assumption of Liability). I picked them up for about $150 and see they're going for about 3 times that now. UL data plans are a bit of a commodity, it seems.

Re 4, not that one. Just Google something like "verizon wireless best buy loophole" - look for the Slickdeals thread that's a few thousand posts long. Seriously. That one you're alluding to was closed on 8/24. AFAIK (and hope) the one I'm alluding to isn't dead too!

 

[kat.hayes]

One of the main reasons I have stuck with Android is because I am able to tether using a simple app.

I just read that VZW is going to start throttling users going over 5GB a month?????!!!!!!

If this is the case, this will change my outlook on keeping my Android entirely. Since you also have unlimited data with VZW, what do you know/think of this planned throttling?

For 1 & 2, CS should and can enable/disable MHS on your account. I've done it several times while on the road since it was more convenient than using a PC while someone else was driving. Or, maybe I was too lazy? Actually, it was in the days before the My Verizon app came out, however, I have made that call. Second, any VZW CS rep is hit and miss - you don't want to "add" MHS, you want to "turn on the MHS option on your account". I don't know where $40 came from - it's $30, I just used it on two of my iPhones last month.

3? I like my iPad. My small company and I have a few dozen UL data lines with VZW, and I have 3 lines with UL data on my personal account. I take a nano SIM from one iPhone 5 and put it into my VZW Air - the minutes are shared between my 3 lines, I have texting enabled on only one device but also have the VZW Messaging app on 3 devices with my main driver (with that number configured into the Messaging app - a free download) so I get texts on any of my iOS devices. So that SIM that I swap gets UL data for iPad use or MHS while in that iPad, or UL data for the iPhone; I DO NOT need to use My Verizon to enable MHS while the SIM is in the iPad, and there's no $30 surcharge for MHS while the SIM is in the iPad - it's just the terms of what VZW allowed for iPads at the time. I don't give out the number that's attached to that SIM I swap - but I do use it for calls when the SIM is in it, and now that GV is an option again I might try that app out again.

I acquired several UL data lines via eBay using VZW's AOL (Assumption of Liability). I picked them up for about $150 and see they're going for about 3 times that now. UL data plans are a bit of a commodity, it seems.

Re 4, not that one. Just Google something like "verizon wireless best buy loophole" - look for the Slickdeals thread that's a few thousand posts long. Seriously. That one you're alluding to was closed on 8/24. AFAIK (and hope) the one I'm alluding to isn't dead too!

 

[Kyotoma]

One of the main reasons I have stuck with Android is because I am able to tether using a simple app.

I just read that VZW is going to start throttling users going over 5GB a month?????!!!!!!

If this is the case, this will change my outlook on keeping my Android entirely. Since you also have unlimited data with VZW, what do you know/think of this planned throttling?

Throttling is not new news. Verizon is going to throttle you during peak usage hours, and only if the cell tower you are connected to is experiencing high volume constraints.

 

[campyguy]

One of the main reasons I have stuck with Android is because I am able to tether using a simple app.

I just read that VZW is going to start throttling users going over 5GB a month?????!!!!!!

If this is the case, this will change my outlook on keeping my Android entirely. Since you also have unlimited data with VZW, what do you know/think of this planned throttling?

I've taken no issue with users using apps or JBing to tether. I do take issue with those who do not follow the TOS of the agreement or, within reason, do not abuse the network. I enforce a non-abuse policy with my employees too - I'll pay for and set up wifi if one or more of us have to be someplace for longer than a day.

I like UL because it's one price per month - what the carriers seem to not care about for small businesses is I have to pay a guy to monitor usage, pay an accountant to deal with fluctuating costs, spend more time looking through each and every bill, spend time anticipating usage for the upcoming month - a M(ajor)PITA.

I agree with what Kyotoma wrote, with a disclaimer - that's what they're saying NOW. VZW can and has made changes to their TOS, and have at least one special section for UL data users. My concern is that they cited a quantity - 4.7GB in March - is that that quantity accounts for the users that have openly "bragged" about using 100-400GB of data each month, and when those users are reined in and throttled, that quantity VZW uses as a soft cutoff line will drop drastically. For example, I use 100GB and you use 10GB - the average is 55GB, but when I get throttled to maybe 13GB (because some of the towers I use are really nowhere near urban areas) and you use 7GB, that average drops to 10GB - an oversimplification.

I'm not happy about it, but I started using data where EDGE was "high speed" - ya'll have no idea how good we've got it. I feel this throttling is a money grab by the carriers, and I tried out T-Mobile's Test Drive just last week. I'll be switching some of my 50-odd lines to Cricket and T-Mobile, and look at US Cellular (two of my sites are in US Cellular territory, but we don't have a physical address there yet, and VZW's data is pretty non-existent there).

My take is that I will be looking to order an iPhone 6 via Best Buy soon, using that loophole I alluded to earlier), and see if my UL data sticks. If not, I'll return the handset and workout a deal to get the 6GB offer for GFed UL data users on one of my lines, and start flipping the UL data lines on eBay. I'm not interested in Android as we use MS Exchange services - the iPhone seems to be the only mobile handset that supports all of the major services out the box, and it's served me well. VZW has millions of UL data subs still, so they're not going to do much more to piss us off. As others have written, I wouldn't be surprised to see VZW offer it again in the future - T-Mo discontinued it, and they're offering it again, after all.

My last take on the VZW network optimization thing - the timing of it was set after the 2-year contract period (after the last authorized subsidies were made in July 2012) and right about the time millions of users would want the iPhone 6 handsets. Not. A. Coincidence. But, the network is about everywhere, they have pretty good CS, and they carry (most of) the phones we want. I think the throttling isn't going to hit us too hard for awhile - roughly 20% of their customers might mean something like 10M customers? When I piss off one client, it's not a good thing. But it's their network, and we'll adapt or move to another carrier. Still not happy about it... Cheers!