iPhone 3G without data plan

13

Comments

  • Reply 41 of 72
    mchjhnmchjhn Posts: 4member
    dillio33,



    1. ATT created a new rule for smart phones in the beginning on 2010. If a phone is considered a smartphone (defined as a phone with a full keyboard according to the 5 customer reps i talked to), then you are required to get the data plan.



    2. the iPhone/other phones "phones home" to ATT and they know you are using it. every phone communicates to ATT's network through an IMEI number. When you set up a new phone, you are required to provide that number. What i did was give them the IMEI number from an old flip phone, and they activated my SIM. Then, i plugged the SIM into the iPhone. It worked, and I didn't have to pay the data plan...



    3. But, the iPhone has a propriety text messaging firmware, so nobody received my text messages for a week. I received there messages, but they didn't see mine. Second, I couldn't check voicemail, at all. i tried doing it the old way, but i wasn't able to set up my voicemail box. Then, when you call into ATT to troubleshoot, they "see" you are using a different phone than they have on record (ie the crappy flip phone).



    I tried getting around the $30 data plan for a month, and in the end, it wasn't worth the level of effort, and the lack of features.



    Oh yeah, you said you are in a wireless network 75% of the time, well you really love to have that 3g data plan for those other 25%. I never realized how much i used it until i didn't have it...
  • Reply 42 of 72
    Of couse you can.
  • Reply 43 of 72
    bushman4bushman4 Posts: 858member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by tonton View Post


    See... this is what I don't get. If what you want is WiFi internet and phone calling, why not just have a regular full-featured phone and an iPod Touch? Is it just to save that minimal amount of space of having the second small device?



    As a phone without data, there are hundreds of phones that work better than the iPhone, with better features and better performance. The iPhone becomes an attractive device only because of the integration of the phone features with the data features.







    Some many people unhappy with the PHONE FEATURE. Why doesn't AT&T start improving its service???????????????? It actually seems the service has gotten worse in NYC.
  • Reply 44 of 72
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by dillio33 View Post


    I have read many threads on this subject.... but a lot of the information is old or from people who don't know what they are talking about. So I wanted to get some things cleared up once and for all.



    ---Goal---

    To use my 16GB 3G iPhone on AT&T monthly service without paying the $30/mo data plan.



    ---Background---

    -I had a 2 year contract with AT&T for a different phone. That contract expired last month, so now I'm just doing the month-to-month payments and still using my old phone with a no-data plan. (I do not have a contract with AT&T for the iphone)



    -I just bought a 3G jailbroken iphone off of ebay (firmware 3.1.3). Since the iphone is jailbroken, I'm assuming it does not need activated or anything.



    -I have already called AT&T and had them block all data to my account.



    -I am part of a family plan and I want to be able to text frequently.





    ---Things I'm aware of so you don't need to point them out like I'm a complete idiot (just a partial idiot)---



    -I am fully aware that I could get a ipod touch and keep my phone then "problem solved". However, I want them combined into 1 device so I don't have to carry around 2 everywhere I go. I also want GPS built in and I think the camera would be nice addition as well.



    -"An iphone without data is useless" Yes, I agree (for the most part) but 75% of the time I'm at work, home or the local coffee shop and all 3 have WIFI so I do not need the EDGE/3G plan.



    -I will not be able to get visual voicemail without the data plan. (Don't care, I'm fully capable of calling in to check my voicemail... I've been doing it for about 4 years now)



    -I will not be able to download GPS maps via the 3g network (I plan to get around this by using the TomTom app that basically has the entire continent on the phone, no downloads required. 3G can hold 16 gb and that will be useful since this program is 1.3gb)



    -I could get a pay-as-you-go phone and swap the SIM cards but I want to be able to send texts a lot and I don't want to have to pay for each text.





    ---My Plan---

    -To swap the SIM card of my current phone into the iPhone

    -Change the iPhone's IMEI to my old phone's IMEI (if possible)

    -Have AT&T be none the wiser that I am using an iPhone without a data plan.



    ---My questions---

    -Will AT&T know if I am using an iPhone if I just swap the SIM cards? (There is a lot of heresay out there about what they know... please only answer if you have something with actual evidence... not just what you read on some other thread)



    -Will AT&T even care that I am using an iPhone without a data plan because I didn't sign a contract with them for buying/using an iPhone? (In other words, am I going to be charged some fee or something if i'm already just doing month-to-month)



    -Is it possible to change the IMEI on a 3G phone and will it help? ( I know that older iphones had this capability using like Ziphone or something, but supposedly not on the 3G)



    -What do I need to do give myself the best chances of AT&T finding out about the iPhone (I've heard of people swapping the SIM back to their old phone the day before the billing cycle ends each month, others always ejected the SIM everytime they restarted the iPhone because supposedly that is when it transmits the phone data to AT&T)



    did you find an answer because I have same question? for 3G on 4.0 os Thank you.



    r
  • Reply 45 of 72
    duncandduncand Posts: 3member
    This is FYI as well as a request for ideas.



    As of yesterday, ATT just discovered we were using an iPhone 3GS and added the data plan. We got a txt from them saying so.



    I contacted them all indignant, and had them remove it, but the would not do it until after I put the sim card back in the old LG phone, which I did. They then removed the data plan and told me to have a nice day.



    Here's the back story:



    I bought a used 3GS and upgraded it to iOS4. Then I went into the settings and turned off 3G and Edge data.



    We thought we were in the clear and used the phone for about a month.



    Then they added the data plan.



    So, now I'm looking for a way to get around this. We like the phone but don't need data, as we have WiFi everywhere.



    Any ideas on what to try now?
  • Reply 46 of 72
    I purchased a 32GB 3GS for my son last week. I don't want to pay the $15/mo for data and I already had his data blocked on his old phone so I simply inserted the SIM. That was on a Thursday. Now it is Tuesday (5 days later) and his phone displayed NO SERVICE as of this AM. I called a ATT rep (friend) and they assumed that the system recognized the change to an iPhone and blocked the sim (calls and all) due to no data plan... but I have no confirmation of that. I am probably going to bite the bullet and spend the $15/mo for him but would really like to avoid it if possible.
  • Reply 47 of 72
    I dont understand why apple doesnt Bring a lawsuit against AT&T about their requirement for iphone users to have a data plan. The Iphone is a Combination of a phone and an itouch so why charge users 15-30$ a month because they want to carry one device instead of 2.



    Personally I see no reason to spend $250 on a itouch that is practically a mini computer if it wont replace my phone as well. Why cant we fuse our phone and itouch together without the data plan tax!! I'm at a point that I dont want a iphone because of the data plan and I dont want a itouch because there isnt room in my pocket for an itouch and a phone. Apple is the one that loses here because given the choice between an itouch and a phone I'm going to carry my phone.



    People can go on and on about how nice the 3G is and how much they use it blah blah. I'm currently using a non-smart phone so I cant really miss it if I never had it can I?



    I guess it's alot to hope for that Apple and AT&T would listen to consumer demand and produce something that combines a phone, mp3 player, PDA, and how about throw in an HD Radio (like on the nano) without charging for a service that it seems a significant portion of people wish to do without. (especially in today's economy).
  • Reply 48 of 72
    I have used an old iphone 2G for 2 years without a dataplan. Jailbreak, unlock... just use WIFI. Worked great. Did the same for my wife's 3G when she upgraded to a 4G. But ATT automatically added the dataplan to the old 3G, even though I wasnt using any data!



    What kind of bullshit is this? I just want to make calls... why do I need a dataplan to do that? No subsidy should mean free to use how I want.
  • Reply 49 of 72
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by killerbob270 View Post


    I dont understand why apple doesnt Bring a lawsuit against AT&T about their requirement for iphone users to have a data plan. The Iphone is a Combination of a phone and an itouch so why charge users 15-30$ a month because they want to carry one device instead of 2.



    Personally I see no reason to spend $250 on a itouch that is practically a mini computer if it wont replace my phone as well. Why cant we fuse our phone and itouch together without the data plan tax!! I'm at a point that I dont want a iphone because of the data plan and I dont want a itouch because there isnt room in my pocket for an itouch and a phone. Apple is the one that loses here because given the choice between an itouch and a phone I'm going to carry my phone.



    People can go on and on about how nice the 3G is and how much they use it blah blah. I'm currently using a non-smart phone so I cant really miss it if I never had it can I?



    I guess it's alot to hope for that Apple and AT&T would listen to consumer demand and produce something that combines a phone, mp3 player, PDA, and how about throw in an HD Radio (like on the nano) without charging for a service that it seems a significant portion of people wish to do without. (especially in today's economy).



    Can you buy an international (unlocked) iPhone and just use an AT&T SIM?
  • Reply 50 of 72
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by tonton View Post


    Can you buy an international (unlocked) iPhone and just use an AT&T SIM?



    Not sure, but...



    My brother gave me his old 2G when he upgraded to a 3G about 18 months ago. I researched this, and unlocked the phone (not clearly legal at the time now perfectly legal with modifications to copyright law). I slipped in my old ATT sim card and the phone worked fine. I called ATT to block data on my phone and it worked flawlessly for almost 2 years.



    Recently, as ATT dropped data plans to $15, my wife and I both got new Iphone4s and "handed" down her older iphone3G to her. I unlocked the phone and slipped in her old sim.



    Things seemed to be working fine, but I just learned that ATT automatically added her a dataplan (without my consent)... of course at the higher $25 data rate even though we disabled 3G data access on her phone. Apparently, this isnt working without some sort of "workaround". I'm not sure why I slipped under the radar for almost 2 years and suddenly my daughter gets nabbed. Either ATT automated its "discovery" of hacked iphones engineered to get around the dataplan requirement, or this was set off because I made a few other adjustments to our account (including adding the new iphones). I am going to have her go back to her old phone for a month, then see if I can slip under the radar again.



    If anyone has a "workaround" or good theories, please share. Like I said, I used an unlocked 2G for 18 months without a dataplan and ATT never objected. For them, whats the difference between using that and an old motorola razr? Yes, my unlocked iphone wasnt as fully featured as a "real iphone" but it was pretty damn good... like carrying an Ipod touch and a phone in 1 device. Whats wrong with that?
  • Reply 51 of 72
    Our family has two iPhones (3G and 3GS)

    As we were trying to cut back on monthly expenses, we decided to remove the iPhone data plan and rely solely on WiFi.



    "Nay! Nay!" said AT&T



    Fed up, we purchased two $20 Go Phones from Target, removed our SIM cards from the iPhones and placed them in the Go Phones. Call At&t and we were on our way with Fourth-Rate-Crappy (FRC) phones. We had all data blocked. A look at our account on-line almost immediately showed the FRCs.

    After a week, I'd had it. I could not take the FRC another moment, so just out of curiosity, I swapped my SIM back to the iPhone.

    VOILA!

    When you viewed the account online again, it showed my line to be the iPhone, so they most certainly log, almost immediately, what device you are using via IMEI. Thinking "Well, I've already done the deed, I'll wait for their notification that they were tacking on the 'mandatory' data plan..."



    Tick-tock-tick-tock.



    A month later, no notice, and nothing on my bill.

    Envious of my iPhone usage, My husband follows suit.



    Tick-tock-tick-tock.



    Five months later and we are still data plan free.
    • Visual voicemail is non-existent (you have to call in to get your messages like a non-iPhone phone would)

    • Text messages don't work (probably due to data block) and I'm too chicken to call AT&T and have them change it.

    • There is NO 3G... only WiFi.... and that works great for me.

    So the moral of my story is: Some people get hit, and some don't. I have no idea why they have not added the data back on our account when it is clear that the are able to SEE what phone I am using. I fully expected it at the point I realized that.
  • Reply 52 of 72
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by iskondi View Post


    I too am very curious about this. Both my wife and I have had our iPhone 3Gs for roughly two years and when the new version comes out this year we plan on upgrading to it, however, from what I can tell I'll be UNABLE to allow my kids to use the old iPhone 3G (on AT&T at least) without getting charged a data plan.



    Recently my daughters phone broke and I swapped her SIM into an old Samsung Blackjack I had lying around and promptly received a text from AT&T (at midnight mind you, thanks for that) saying that they had oh so helpfully added a Data Plan to my account.



    After calling them, they said they could remove it if I gave them an IMEI number of a non-smart phone that she would be using.



    I also happen to COMPLETELY disagree with the notion that without a dataplan the iPhone is silly and when you've jailbroken the phone it's SUPER easy to disable all DATA on the phone so that you don't have to worry about "accidentally" using it. (Yay for JailBroken)



    If AT&T wants to require a dataplan for a subsidized phone I totally get it, but when I've "paid my dues" for my phone and still cannot choose how to use it, that's down right disreputable and AT&T should be ashamed of themselves.



    From all the reading I've done, changing your IMEI number is completely illegal so I've little hope there. I'm thinking that jailbreaking/unlocking and using a non-AT&T service that doesn't require a dataplan would be the only way to go and being as I'm using a Family plan, that doesn't really work out.



    *Sigh* So frustrating!



    Iskondi



    My wife is using a previously used 3G iPhone as her phone, which we purchased from a colleague for $50. We just used the SIM card from her LG phone and it started working. The data on this line was disabled earlier. We have not received any calls or message from ATT yet regarding using a data plan yet.
  • Reply 53 of 72
    A few years back I wanted to get a Blackberry without paying for the data plan and everyone I talked to told me I couldn't do this. I tried just putting my ATT SIM card in, and sure enough the phone worked fine, I just couldnt get on the internet.



    More recently, my roommate bought a new iPhone and lent me his old one. I wanted to see if my luck with the Blackberyy would continue onto the iPhone. Once again, the phone worked fine, and I could access the internet via Wi-Fi.



    A few notes about this:

    1. Before I even had the Blackberry, I called ATT and put the Data Block on.

    2. I had to call into voicemail in the conventional way, there was no listing of them.

    3. Almost every time I used the iPhone, a message would pop up telling me in couldnt find a network.

    4. WiFi would work, but not consistently.



    I never got any extra charges from ATT. I began working for a company that sells refurbished phones (at great disounts! sorry for the shameless plug) and I tried to test my luck and put my SIM into a few different iPhones. All worked exactly the same as my iPhone did.



    I have heard stories about ATT charging without notice for the data plan if they detect you are on an iPhone, but this wasn't my experience.



    Good Luck if you try!



    Scott
  • Reply 54 of 72
    I've got a 3Gs, and recently acquired a notebook from which I'll need regular access to the internet during my commute. While I could change to the tethering plan, why should I give up unlimited data for a higher-cost plan? So I'll swap the iPhone SIM to a standard phone, remove data from my plan and use a Virgin Mobile MiFi device to get non-stop, unlimited 3g service for my notebook. I swap the SIM back into the iPhone (with cellular data disabled), and for only $40 a month I'll get unlimited mobille internet access for both devices. Sweet. I already use TextFree for free texting to the iPhone, so it's no problem if I lose that capability.
  • Reply 55 of 72
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by allenmobis View Post


    I own the iphone 3GS and the data plan, but I want to get rid of the 30$ plan. Please tell me can I use it as a calling and sending text massages phone without jailbreaking it or getting caught by AT&T.



    Nope. Can't be done. You have to have it. If you remove it, AT&T will add it back on. There is ABSOLUTELY nothing you can do. Use T-Mobile, a regional GSM carrier, or use AT&T and live with it.
  • Reply 56 of 72
    Jesus, why are you people so cheap? You spend hundreds of dollars on a phone and then bitch and moan about $15 a month? Nobody in this thread has admitted it, but it's obvious that you only want to continue using an iPhone because it's the "cool" device to have, even if you have it completely stripped down to the point where a regular non-smartphone would work just as well. If you don't use the data, get over yourself and get another phone that doesn't require it.



    Quote:

    Originally posted by camccamp

    Five months later and we are still data plan free.



    * Visual voicemail is non-existent (you have to call in to get your messages like a non-iPhone phone would)

    * Text messages don't work (probably due to data block) and I'm too chicken to call AT&T and have them change it.




    Congratulations. You've completely disabled a feature that even the crappiest of phones has, all because you're too cheap to pay $15 a month. I can't help but laugh at the thought of someone carrying around an iPhone and not even being able to text on it.
  • Reply 57 of 72
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by chosen1 View Post


    Jesus, why are you people so cheap? You spend hundreds of dollars on a phone and then bitch and moan about $15 a month? Nobody in this thread has admitted it, but it's obvious that you only want to continue using an iPhone because it's the "cool" device to have, even if you have it completely stripped down to the point where a regular non-smartphone would work just as well. If you don't use the data, get over yourself and get another phone that doesn't require it.



    Congratulations. You've completely disabled a feature that even the crappiest of phones has, all because you're too cheap to pay $15 a month. I can't help but laugh at the thought of someone carrying around an iPhone and not even being able to text on it.



    WELCOME to our website. We're going to get along FAMOUSLY, I just know it.



    I own an iPhone. I can't afford the plan, therefore I don't use it as a phone nor for data. It remains as useful to me as if it was a phone. Pretty simple.
  • Reply 58 of 72
    My wife and I are currently on a family play where we both have iPhones. However, she has been issued a second iPhone through work. Our personal two-year contract is up and we now pay month-to-month at the family plan rate. However, since she doesn't use her personal iPhone anymore at all other than to answer personal calls, we're looking to dump her data package from the plan. We see no reason to continue paying for something we don't use.



    Granted, we could just buy a cheap phone off ebay or something and go with that (which is what we'll end up doing if we can't disable the data package,) but if we can avaoid it, then we might as well at least try to keep the iPhone since it's nice to have as an extra Netflix portal for our toddlers when we're in a wifi area and they're bored. I have another old iPhone that we use specifically for this occasion, but the key is finding it and remembering to bring it with us when we think we'll need it. If she had her personal iPhone used just as a dumb phone (yet still able to use wifi when it's convenient,) it'd be kinda nice.
  • Reply 59 of 72
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by amerifolklegend View Post


    we're looking to dump her data package from the plan.



    You'll need to dump the entire plan, then.



    Quote:

    We see no reason to continue paying for something we don't use.



    They don't care about us and what we see.
  • Reply 60 of 72
    tallest skiltallest skil Posts: 43,388member
    Quote:
    Originally Posted by jonnymark View Post


    I found a good deal from a friend on a 3G Iphone and was wondering if it was possible to use the SIM from my AT&t Razr and unlock/jailbreak it to work with that,



    No.



    Quote:

    because I cant afford the data plan.



    They don't care.



    Quote:

    Is there any way of doing this? Basically just staying on AT&T and using my sim card, but having no data plan?



    Nope. If you try to do it, AT&T will add a data plan to your account.



    Quote:

    Im just confused because everyone says the 3G hasnt been unlocked-



    You're reading stuff from 2008, then.



    Quote:

    I dont know if it has to be in order to do this.



    Of course it does. But, again, it doesn't matter because you can't do this.



    Buy a first-gen iPhone from eBay or wherever. That's the only one AT&T will let you use without data.
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