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Saved $120 in data...

S

sundog925

macrumors 6502a
Original poster
Dec 19, 2011
958
1,029
So far, since getting my iPhone on launch day, I have saved $120 in data by buying it outright from Verizon and keeping my unlimited.

I just wanted to point out that the phone will pay for itself less than 5 months at this rate.

This is just a retort to those who've said keeping unlimited, you end up paying more per month vs a 2 year contract.

Anyone else save as much, or more?
 
did you find yourself using the phone more than usual and downloading more because you felt like you had to just to justify paying full price?
 
evilrt said:
did you find yourself using the phone more than usual and downloading more because you felt like you had to just to justify paying full price?
Click to expand...

Nope, never turn on wifi since the LTE is just fine and faster than wi-fi.

Normal usage.
 
ELMNT925 said:
Nope, never turn on wifi since the LTE is just fine and faster than wi-fi.

Normal usage.
Click to expand...

Lol, this is why they are working to get rid of the Unlimited plans. No wonder Verizon LTE speeds have been getting slower :p
 
i used more data last month than i did all of last year. i left LTE on all the time. i paid full price for my fiance's i5 also to keep unlimited and she has wifi on when at home. she used just over 4GB... before that she used 500MB a month. so, like you, i'm going to save serious cash because i bought both i5s unsub'zed.
 
DodgeV83 said:
Lol, this is why they are working to get rid of the Unlimited plans. No wonder Verizon LTE speeds have been getting slower :p
Click to expand...

Verizon doesn't throttle LTE speeds, it's actually signal dependent soooo...
 
ELMNT925 said:
Verizon doesn't throttle LTE speeds, it's actually signal dependent soooo...
Click to expand...

Maybe I'm misunderstanding the technology. If a bunch of people in my area have unlimited plans and are streaming high-bitrate HD Video via LTE, despite being at home where Wifi is an option, would my Verizon LTE service not get slower?
 
DodgeV83 said:
Maybe I'm misunderstanding the technology. If a bunch of people in my area have unlimited plans and are streaming high-bitrate HD Video via LTE, despite being at home where Wifi is an option, would my Verizon LTE service not get slower?
Click to expand...

It would not.
 
I used over 10 gigs last month. I would have had to pay through the nose had I gotten the phone subsidized which then would put me on the share everything (aka rip everyone off) plan.
 
pure3d2 said:
I used over 10 gigs last month. I would have had to pay through the nose had I gotten the phone subsidized which then would put me on the share everything (aka rip everyone off) plan.
Click to expand...

I understand that it makes you feel better by acting like everyone else is a sucker, but it actually saved my family money every ,onto by switching.

I guess using 10gb is a form of bragging? I just use wifi. Should I keep track of how much & report back?
 
willmtaylor said:
I understand that it makes you feel better by acting like everyone else is a sucker, but it actually saved my family money every ,onto by switching.

I guess using 10gb is a form of bragging? I just use wifi. Should I keep track of how much & report back?
Click to expand...

Not really. It's just WHY even buy the phone to keep it on wi-fi all the time and be afraid to use it off wi-fi? Live your mobile life un-hinged.
 
ELMNT925 said:
Nope, never turn on wifi since the LTE is just fine and faster than wi-fi.

Normal usage.
Click to expand...

Wifi will use less battery so if you're near one that's fast then I'd connect to that instead.
And like you said it saved you money but people that dont use up more than a few GB's of data or way less it would not save them any.
This rule applies to the small percentage of high data users.
 
DodgeV83 said:
Maybe I'm misunderstanding the technology. If a bunch of people in my area have unlimited plans and are streaming high-bitrate HD Video via LTE, despite being at home where Wifi is an option, would my Verizon LTE service not get slower?
Click to expand...

It would.
More traffic and more users connected to a tower then net congestion and high usage will cause lower speeds for everyone.

ELMNT925 said:
Not really. It's just WHY even buy the phone to keep it on wi-fi all the time and be afraid to use it off wi-fi? Live your mobile life un-hinged.
Click to expand...

That makes zero sense.
Keep it on wifi to use up less battery and get better speeds. If you have wifi its the responsible thing to do is use it instead of trying to rack up as much carrier data as you can in order I guess to "stick it to the Man".
These types of attitudes are childish.
So just because I have unlimited data Im supposed to use up 30GB's of carrier data and live my life unhinged?:rolleyes:
 
Last edited:
ELMNT925 said:
Not really. It's just WHY even buy the phone to keep it on wi-fi all the time and be afraid to use it off wi-fi? Live your mobile life un-hinged.
Click to expand...

Because it's people like you that made AT&T and VZ start throttling and killing off unlimited data in the first place. It's only a matter of time before enough people doing what you are doing ruins it for the rest of us. Congrats.
 
kfergiez said:
Because it's people like you that made AT&T and VZ start throttling and killing off unlimited data in the first place. It's only a matter of time before enough people doing what you are doing ruins it for the rest of us. Congrats.
Click to expand...

I barely used 500 mb on 3G cuz it was so unbearably slow. Might as well kept my 4 if i was gonna keep it on wi-fi all the time.
 
Applejuiced said:
What difference does it make if wifi is fast and you can do anything you do on carrier data?
So you keep it off wifi on purpose then even if the wifi is pretty fast?
Click to expand...

gotta get my money's worth. and yes, because I can. The phone has an LTE antenna in it. USE IT.
 
ELMNT925 said:
gotta get my money's worth. and yes, because I can. The phone has an LTE antenna in it. USE IT.
Click to expand...

Get your moneys worth?
Very irresponsible remark.
So if you have heat and hot water included on your rent you're supposed to let the hot water run all day and keep the windows open in the winter with the heat on max to get your moneys worth?
People like you abusing it is the reason unlimited plans are gone and if it keeps up with spectrum being limited you will see throttling introduced from verizon too soon.
 
Applejuiced said:
Get your moneys worth?
Very irresponsible remark.
So if you have heat and hot water included on your rent you're supposed to let the hot water run all day and keep the windows open in the winter with the heat on max to get your moneys worth?
People like you abusing it is the reason unlimited plans are gone and if it keeps up with spectrum being limited you will see throttling introduced from verizon too soon.
Click to expand...

u mad bro? maybe those 2GB will make you happy.
 
ELMNT925 said:
gotta get my money's worth. and yes, because I can. The phone has an LTE antenna in it. USE IT.
Click to expand...

There are quite a few reasons to use Wifi anyway, as iOS restricts a lot of what the phone can do when not on Wifi:

  • App Downloads
  • iMessage photos/videos are massively compressed
  • PhotoStream doesn't sync
  • FaceTime is much more compressed
  • Some in-app downloads are restricted to Wifi only
  • Some apps limit features and reduce video quality if not on Wifi
  • Some multi-player games won't allow you to play online if not on Wifi
  • Some apps use Wifi to transfer data between the phone and other machines on the network
  • iTunes nightly Wifi backup
  • Reduced battery life
  • Without Wifi, location services will take longer, and take more battery

You're actually missing out on quite a lot :eek:

Is it worth missing out on all of that, and adding to the congestion problem, just to say you're getting your money's worth out of your unlimited LTE plan?
 
App Downloads - um, most work over LTE, your trippin
iMessage photos/videos are massively compressed, not really, give it a try
PhotoStream doesn't sync- mine does, maybe yours is off?
FaceTime is much more compressed-so is skype.
Some in-app downloads are restricted to Wifi only, or computer only, hello.
Some apps limit features and reduce video quality if not on Wifi, LTE is faster, full vid quality
Some multi-player games won't allow you to play online if not on Wifi, which? I have yet to encounter that
Some apps use Wifi to transfer data between the phone and other machines on the network- not any of mine! and usually its iTunes transfers.
iTunes nightly Wifi backup- your computer has to be on, what a waste of energy
Reduced battery life, haven't noticed ANY change.
Without Wifi, location services will take longer, and take more battery, theyre accurate as is.
 
ELMNT925 said:
App Downloads - um, most work over LTE, your trippin
iMessage photos/videos are massively compressed, not really, give it a try
PhotoStream doesn't sync- mine does, maybe yours is off?
FaceTime is much more compressed-so is skype.
Some in-app downloads are restricted to Wifi only, or computer only, hello.
Some apps limit features and reduce video quality if not on Wifi, LTE is faster, full vid quality
Some multi-player games won't allow you to play online if not on Wifi, which? I have yet to encounter that
Some apps use Wifi to transfer data between the phone and other machines on the network- not any of mine! and usually its iTunes transfers.
iTunes nightly Wifi backup- your computer has to be on, what a waste of energy
Reduced battery life, haven't noticed ANY change.
Without Wifi, location services will take longer, and take more battery, theyre accurate as is.
Click to expand...

Everything I listed is restricted when not on Wifi. These are indisputable facts. I could take screenshots and post sources from official Apple documentation to support each point, but I can see the conversation would go no where.

While you may be able to convince yourself that the iPhone features you will be missing out on are not a big deal, it is a fact that you won't have them. Since you acknowledge your Wifi signal is fast enough to do everything you're doing now, there is also 0 technical benefit to not using Wifi.

However, if you prefer the psychological benefits of using LTE over these missing features, no one here will change your mind.

Have fun! :)
 
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