Trying to avoid data charges.

[oleslb]

I have a typical slider phone for a $10/month unlimited texting plan(ATT). I'm also buying an unlocked iPhone 3gs that I plan to jailbreak. Is there a way I can use that plan on my iPhone without getting charged for the data. I know that you can't do it through ATT or Apple because I tried to call them and they said it wasnt possible. But is there an alternate method I could use?

Also, if thats not possible I will be going to the University Of Pittsburgh this fall which is a city campus that has wifi on the whole thing. Is there a way I can text through wifi but have texts sent and recieved through my current $10/month cell phone? So I dont have to use 2 different numbers like if I were to use a typical texting app.

I know that I asked alot but I would really appreciate any help you guys could offer. I will try to clear anything up you need my to if you can't understand my question or need more info.

THANK YOU!

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Would really appreciate it if someone could help me!

 

[hockeyman94]

I have a typical slider phone for a $10/month unlimited texting plan(ATT). I'm also buying an unlocked iPhone 3gs that I plan to jailbreak. Is there a way I can use that plan on my iPhone without getting charged for the data. I know that you can't do it through ATT or Apple because I tried to call them and they said it wasnt possible. But is there an alternate method I could use?

Also, if thats not possible I will be going to the University Of Pittsburgh this fall which is a city campus that has wifi on the whole thing. Is there a way I can text through wifi but have texts sent and recieved through my current $10/month cell phone? So I dont have to use 2 different numbers like if I were to use a typical texting app.

I know that I asked alot but I would really appreciate any help you guys could offer. I will try to clear anything up you need my to if you can't understand my question or need more info.

THANK YOU!

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Would really appreciate it if someone could help me!

Yes you can, although eventually you will get caught onto by at&t I've had customers that get caught in a month others that have been using it for over a year now. before you put your sim card in go to settings>general> cellular> turn off cellular data. Also turn off iMessages.

If your jailbreaking your 3GS for the unlock why don't you just get a factory unlock much easier to maintain & last forever.

 

[Applejuiced]

They will catch on and add the mandatory iPhone data plan.
Only way around it is to use prepaid.

 

[DipDog3]

Yes you can, although eventually you will get caught onto by at&t I've had customers that get caught in a month others that have been using it for over a year now. before you put your sim card in go to settings>general> cellular> turn off cellular data. Also turn off iMessages

This won't work. AT&T checks the IMEI of the phone when you put the SIM card in. If it is an iPhone, they will slap a data plan on it immediately.

AT&T used to give you a warnings and wait a few months, but now they just sign you up for the data plan & send you a text telling you as much.

I have been trying to get around this for years, and short of changing the IMEI (which is probably impossible & illegal) I haven't found a solution.

 

[tvalleau]

Switch to Consumer Cellular. They use ATT, but their data plans cost start at $5. (Just a happy customer.)

 

[.Asa]

Switch to Consumer Cellular. They use ATT, but their data plans cost start at $5. (Just a happy customer.)

Commercial break!

 

[lordofthereef]

This won't work. AT&T checks the IMEI of the phone when you put the SIM card in. If it is an iPhone, they will slap a data plan on it immediately.

It's definitely not immediately, in all cases. I have read of people going for days, months, and rarely even years without it. When we added a third line to our account for my mom and we decided to give her my old iPhone we didn't add a data plan. It took them nearly three full billing cycles (ended up being about 2.5 months) before they automatically added data to the line. This was just around February of this year, so fairly recently.

 

[Applejuiced]

It's definitely not immediately, in all cases. I have read of people going for days, months, and rarely even years without it. When we added a third line to our account for my mom and we decided to give her my old iPhone we didn't add a data plan. It took them nearly three full billing cycles (ended up being about 2.5 months) before they automatically added data to the line. This was just around February of this year, so fairly recently.

What he said above.
It took 7 months for a friend of mine but he did eventually get the text message from AT&T and iphone data plan added.
After that it seems like they were watching his line cause a soon as he put his sim back in the iphone days later they would catch it quick.

 

[Interstella5555]

Yes you can, although eventually you will get caught onto by at&t I've had customers that get caught in a month others that have been using it for over a year now. before you put your sim card in go to settings>general> cellular> turn off cellular data. Also turn off iMessages.

If your jailbreaking your 3GS for the unlock why don't you just get a factory unlock much easier to maintain & last forever.

Ridiculously false. I've used the 2G, 3G and 4 on AT&T with PAYG with no issues.

 

[oleslb]

So after spending a lot of time researching different options this is my plan:
I've bought an iPhone 3gs off eBay for $70 that is unlocked and will be jail-breaking it (Although based on my plan I don't think that is necessary).

Next, I created a Google voice account and got a 2nd phone number with that. Whenever I'm in wifi (which will be 99% of the time that I'm at college and like 90% of the time during the summers) I will text and call using Google voice for free!

I will give out my Google voice number when I meet people and to my old contacts. They will call or text me on my iPhone which I will receive through wifi (Google Voice).

With how Google voice works, it will send a duplicate text or call to my current slider phone ($10/Month plan with ATT) when someone texts me through my Google voice number. I will only use my other phone when im traveling or am not in wifi and people will only have to text my one number.

What do you think? I think this is the best known way to use an iPhone without a data plan.

 

[KUguardgrl13]

Just know that campus wifi isn't perfect. I go to the University of Kansas, and we have the occasional issues with our service. My campus isn't as urban as Pitt, but we're a comparable student body size (about 30K). You might also check that your dorms use the same connection as the rest of campus. Our dorms use a service called ResNet that is horribly slow and charges you a fee for every device you connect. The campus wifi may also not cover all areas of campus. I think our football stadium was only recent added as well as some of the far flung research facilities. It'll also be spotty between buildings in open areas.

 

[BruiserB]

So after spending a lot of time researching different options this is my plan:
I've bought an iPhone 3gs off eBay for $70 that is unlocked and will be jail-breaking it (Although based on my plan I don't think that is necessary).

Next, I created a Google voice account and got a 2nd phone number with that. Whenever I'm in wifi (which will be 99% of the time that I'm at college and like 90% of the time during the summers) I will text and call using Google voice for free!

I will give out my Google voice number when I meet people and to my old contacts. They will call or text me on my iPhone which I will receive through wifi (Google Voice).

With how Google voice works, it will send a duplicate text or call to my current slider phone ($10/Month plan with ATT) when someone texts me through my Google voice number. I will only use my other phone when im traveling or am not in wifi and people will only have to text my one number.

What do you think? I think this is the best known way to use an iPhone without a data plan.

That would work, but you could do the same wih an iPod Touch.

 

[vonWachtstain]

It took 4 months for AT&T to add data charge to my 3rd line. I was luckily out of contract so I showed them middle finger and switched to Verizon. But somebody should sue them. If they have technology to see u put your sim card into a smartphone then they can also see you put that sim card back into your 10 year old flip phone and REMOVE MONTHLY DATA CHARGE LOL

 

[zorinlynx]

I'll never understood why people go through so much trouble to do this with AT&T.

Just unlock the phone and go to T-Mobile, where you can get any plan you want and they don't care. Heck, some of their voice plans WITH data are cheaper than AT&T's plans without data!

 

[Mrbobb]

Must emphasize ATT only cares if u have a subsidized phone, otherwise u do whatever u want.

Wanto clarify one point. PLAIN TEXTING doesn't use data (that you must sign up for a data plan), only MMS (text with other attachments).

 

[CEmajr]

I'll never understood why people go through so much trouble to do this with AT&T.

Just unlock the phone and go to T-Mobile, where you can get any plan you want and they don't care. Heck, some of their voice plans WITH data are cheaper than AT&T's plans without data!

This pretty much. End thread

And if you're in an area with poor Tmobile coverage then use an AT&T MVNO like Net10. Stop wasting time trying to dance around AT&T's data plans if you don't want to pay for them.

 

[oleslb]

Must emphasize ATT only cares if u have a subsidized phone, otherwise u do whatever u want.

Wanto clarify one point. PLAIN TEXTING doesn't use data (that you must sign up for a data plan), only MMS (text with other attachments).

So if its not a subsidized phone Att doesnt require data? Also I'm thinking about adding a pay as you go plan and having google voice forward messages or calls to my iPhone when im not in wifi?

 

[Applejuiced]

Must emphasize ATT only cares if u have a subsidized phone, otherwise u do whatever u want.

That's false.
Even if you bought your iphone used or full price not subsidized if its on a post paid account AT&T does care and they will add the mandatory iphone data plan as soon as their system detects it.

 

[Mrbobb]

So if its not a subsidized phone Att doesnt require data? Also I'm thinking about adding a pay as you go plan and having google voice forward messages or calls to my iPhone when im not in wifi?

Without splitting hair, if u want to save$, pre-paid is the way to go, and yes, you don't have to have pre-paid data if you don't want to.

I am like you, but once in a while, it's nice to look at GoogleMap while sitting in the car, not often, so if you want that you sign up with a per MB data plan, typically 30c. Some people here will go Apes at that amount but if you just use for that purpose, emergencies etc, a few MB per month, I say that's flexibility. U don't use any, u don't get charged, the beauty of metered service for us El-Cheapo users.

 

[oleslb]

Without splitting hair, if u want to save$, pre-paid is the way to go, and yes, you don't have to have pre-paid data if you don't want to.

I am like you, but once in a while, it's nice to look at GoogleMap while sitting in the car, not often, so if you want that you sign up with a per MB data plan, typically 30c. Some people here will go Apes at that amount but if you just use for that purpose, emergencies etc, a few MB per month, I say that's flexibility. U don't use any, u don't get charged, the beauty of metered service for us El-Cheapo users.

Yeah im thinking of using google voice while on campus and giving out that number then having google voice forward the texts and calls to my iPhone when im out of wifi and using a pay as you go method for that which shouldnt be much

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Without splitting hair, if u want to save$, pre-paid is the way to go, and yes, you don't have to have pre-paid data if you don't want to.

I am like you, but once in a while, it's nice to look at GoogleMap while sitting in the car, not often, so if you want that you sign up with a per MB data plan, typically 30c. Some people here will go Apes at that amount but if you just use for that purpose, emergencies etc, a few MB per month, I say that's flexibility. U don't use any, u don't get charged, the beauty of metered service for us El-Cheapo users.

Yeah im thinking of using google voice while on campus and giving out that number then having google voice forward the texts and calls to my iPhone when im out of wifi and using a pay as you go method for that which shouldnt be much. Which specific plan do you recommend?

 

[ross1998]

With tmobile they don't require data plan if you didn't buy it from them, or any prepaid service would do

 

[KUguardgrl13]

OP is going to school in Pittsburgh, PA, so prepaid carriers will be there. I grew up there and remember Criket was around. Not sure about others, although I'm sure there are. Make sure if you switch carriers that it works in your hometown too

 

[Mrbobb]

Which specific plan do you recommend?

In order to answer this question, you should have an idea of what you monthly usage is, minutes, number of texts, then u can pick the plan suitable for you.

Prepaid is been discussed repeatedly in this forum, use the SEARCH button to browse past "Prepaid" threads.

Lots of the Prepaids are also called MVNO (resellers), so u are looking for AT&T or Tmobile MVNO.