AT&T Cracking Down on iPhone 3G Users who aren’t on iPhone data plans
Thanks to one of our readers, we’re finding out that some iPhone 3G users have somehow managed to get on data plans that aren’t intended for the iPhone 3G. The following is an e-mail that AT&T sent out to this customer regarding usage:
Subject: Important information regarding your iPhone 3G
The new AT&T – Your world. Delivered.
Our service records indicate that you are using an iPhone 3G with a data plan designed for other devices.
To avoid unexpected data overage charges and enable Visual Voicemail, please contact your telecom manager, or an AT&T representative at 1-800-331-0500.
Thank you for choosing wireless from AT&T. We appreciate your business.
Sincerely,
AT&T Customer Service
So, if you were enjoying paying only $15 for AT&T’s MEdia Net Unlimited, enjoy it while you can! Pretty soon, AT&T will be making sure that you’ll all be paying twice that amount for their sub-par 3G service for the iPhone. And speaking of which, after 2.1 we’ve noticed improved reception, or at least “improved signal accuracy” (according to Apple and AT&T) on our iPhone 3Gs, but the data speed still remains disappointingly slow. Have any of you noticed significant gains in data speed?
Thanks, Loyal BG Reader!
Any GSM phone that transmits over the network broadcasts its IMEI so the operator always knows what device you’re using. The IMEI is for each individual phone so AT&T can just match up the IMEI with the phone and account and cello or viola you have what they’re doing on the network!
OR…would could just get the program that changes your IMEI for the IPHONE and make it a razor or such…..
Sara Said:
“This is just starting with the iphone, soon it should spread out to all users who are using a media net plan with a smartphone. We have a new department that is analyzing data usage.”
You AT&T people have been saying that “we have a new department enforcing data plans” for about 3-4 years now. I have no doubt that AT&T has tightened up with iPhone 3G with near immediate enforcement, but enforcement on other PDAs for Media Net will remain spotty and random at best.
@MadMike – Nice! I just transferred to a family plan a couple of months ago from t-mobile to att and I had an unlocked iPhone. I left the media net alone and such, along with leaving the texting alone. I called them one day and the person was talking to me and she was telling me that if I keep the iPhone, i will start getting charged by each kb, as well as getting charged for each text because i was in the wrong plan. I promptly sold the iPhone for a nokia because i didn’t want to deal with any of their stuff. I enjoy the 3g. I am not complaining about any of the 3g i have with att. i get anywhere from .7 – 1.1 or so when i run the test. A lot faster than t-mobile, and only media net internet plans for my smart phone!
@Steallz
Changing IMEI is illegal.
I live in the Pittsburgh area and 3g data coverage has always been good (not so much for phone service though). After 2.1 I might have dropped one call, so I am happy with that but GPS is terrible. I want to throw the damn phone into a toliet and piss on it. Why can’t everything work the way it should AT THE SAME time? One update gives you App Store + keyboard lag, next update fixes keyboard lag and kills GPS? I waited seven months before I bought my first iPhone, should have done the same for the new one.
ahhh… AT&T and their craptacular 3G service ….
If you are using any iPhone without the iPhone data plan,
the iPhone, itself, will use data without your control,
to the tune of up to $700 a month.
The iPhone is very aggressive about trying to contact
various services such as the weather, stocks, setting the
time, etc.
Even with an unlocked iPhone, as long as you have an AT&T
SIM card in the iPhone, you will be charged for the
iPhone’s data use if you don’t have an iPhone DATA account.
AND IT IS NOT PRETTY.
@ Perspective – I think he meant the fact that they advertised the new iphone as being twice as fast (which was the exact tagline of the commercial and that is why they claimed it was better than the original iphone) and it’s still the same old crappy nonsense as the 2G…no receptions/slow data plans.
I don’t know why you guys sit here and complain. I know you want to have the phone that everyone else has and be like EVERYONE ELSE but if the phone sucks get rid of it and if the network sucks switch, pretty simple to me.
well put DingoBerry and NtroP you can’t defend AT&T by saying that the sales of the iphone and it’s internet usage took them by storm. That doesn’t even make sense as you can clearly see that the first iphone sold out in a matter of minutes so if they did not learn and prepare better then it’s their fault. The iphone as the best UI of all the phones but for practical uses it really sucks and AT&T is a big part of the reason why
I had to pay for data plan with my blackberry and when I switched to the iPhone it costs the same amount so no complaining there.. I live in west texas and just now got 3G out here 2 weeks ago.. It works great, it’s fast and I don’t have any problems making phone calls. The only problem I have with the iPhone is the lagging when switching applications and an occasional freezing..
I’m definitely getting more bars since the upgrade. At home when in the bathroom – not that I really make calls from the bathroom – but I was only getting 1 bar, now I get 4 or 5. I’ve also had less “dropped” calls. Although they weren’t so much dropping more so never connecting in the first place.
Folks, you really need to step back and stop complaining about the data fee. ATT and Apple has been very clear since the iphone 3g was released what the data plan fee cost. I and many others accepted this fee and have paid it. You really shouldn’t complain because ATT has caught you essentially stealing service at a reduced rate. You folks can complain about the quality of the service all you want, however the fact is you are stealing if you are not paying the $30.
I have my 3G iPhone on my 1st gen iPhone sim card. So what if I just never use the 3G features and turn it off(EDGE was slow, but it still worked)? Should I still be charged? I already have an unlimited data plan and here is what AT&T says it is: “iPhone Data Plan + 200 Text includes unlimited data for internet and email, Visual Voicemail, and 200 messages which can be SMS or IM. Add’l messages are $0.05″. Plainly, it says “includes unlimited data for internet and email”. It doesn’t say anything about 3G service. Plus, I paid good money to get a previously activated 3G iPhone, so as far as i’m concerned, AT&T already got their money from the dummy that sold me their phone, either in cancelling or continuing to pay the iPhone charges. I think AT&T has a big fight on their hands here. I can understand concern over the prepaids and others, but what about those who are actually paying an iPhone unlimited data package already? What happens when I break or drop my 1st Gen iPhone? I go to my 3g motorola Razr backup phone. Am I going to be charged for using 3G on it? How can AT&T charge me for using a “interum” phone while i’m repairing my iPhone? There are too many blurred lines here. I can rack up data just as much or more on a “dumbphone” if I tried hard enough or created some sort of open tethering to a laptop or something. To be continued i’m sure…
and by the way…got my text at 2:53AM, yes AM! I’m staring to wonder if its a hoax. Since when does AT&T send texts at ungodly hours of the morning…
…as i’m reading these over, i’m seeing it says 2:04&2:07AM, but i’m PST, so its only 11 here….thanks for waking me up AT&T
The part left out by all the people defending AT&T from “theft” of service is that this differentiation is justified by the subsidized price of the iPhone 3G. If you have an unlocked device and live without visual voicemail — just like any random unlocked, arbitrarily dumb-or-smart imported phone — how do they justify forcing you to pay down a subsidy you never actually got from them? When you buy a subsidized iPhone 3G, you’re contractually obligated to the higher price. The same is true for the aggressive subsidized prices on Windows Mobile devices, etc. When you have an open line with no subsidized hardware, how are you suddenly contractually obligated to pay this, purely depending on what device *you* paid for?
(And as for Blackberry pricing, there they clearly offer additional service — they pay RIM the $10-15/mo difference from standard to “Blackberry” pricing to run the servers that proxy ALL web and email traffic on the device. With an unlocked iPhone with no visual voicemail, they literally provide identical service to the $15 data plans, no hardware subsidy, or anything.)
And no, the “they’re a business so they need to make money” argument doesn’t hold water. Taken to a logical extreme, all that says is we should have no right to complain when they take our houses and retirement funds in exchange for a single month’s service, “because they’re a business and need to make money.” There are two sides to the contract: what they offer you, and what you agree to pay for it. If they offer you a subsidized device with more expensive data service, fine. But if they offer generic data service with no subsidy, and you pay for it (while *taking* no subsidy), they can’t suddenly decide to charge you 2X as much just because they feel like it.
Has anyone using a 3G on a 1st gen sim card been having issues the past month with service? I have noticed that on occasion, I lose signal completely even when on EDGE only on the 3G version phone. Usually after a little while, i’ll get service again. I have still gotten texts from AT&T regarding uprgrading. I’ve had to rely on my EDGE iphone to continue to have service. How can AT&T do this? If i’m using my 3G phone on EDGE, they can’t do anything to me. Also, if I were to use the 3G feature, then they should charge me accordingly. I’d much rather have the phone with GPS. I’d like to know if I’m the only one with these problems of service drop outs for no reason. Just to clarify, its only on my 3G phone. If I pop the sim card back and forth, the EDGE phone has service everytime, whereas the 3G phone does not. Its very strange. I’ll have to see if an alternate 3G phone will also not have service during these times.
You can’t tether your iPhone ?
*cough* Cydia *cough* PdaNet
I dont understand why att has to charge. There really is no point. If a customer wants to purchase an iphone that runs on wifi only then the customer should. If you don’t purchase the data plan then you wont have visual voicemail and you wont be able to use the internet out of your home or in certain wifi hotspots. If somebody wants his or her phone to run that way then they should be able to. And if they want 3g connectivity then they can call att and buy the plan. But the way apple and att are handling the iphone is bull. Not just this. For example: Where’s multimedia messaging? Where’s video recording? Where’s customizing your iphone? Apple and Att are obviously being stupid because they aren’t adding features that would attract more customers.