HTC Hero - Problem with Data Costs - General Questions and Answers

I have just got an upgraded phone on Orange which is the HTC Hero, which I have given to my son on PAYG.
I put £10 credit on for him last Thursday - today it stands at £2, he hasn't made a phone call or sent any texts.
It seems that the phone is making data calls, he has had some Facebook messages and a few emails which shouldn't take alot of data usage, I have turned the weather updates off, email is now on manual send/receive as are Social networking etc.
Everytime the phone is on the credit is depleting at an alarming rate.
Can anyone offer any advice here or had a similar experience.
Thanks.

It's a data centric phone. Though you don't have to have data switched on all the time. See if Orange can provide some type of data bolt-on for a fixed fee.

Yeah... just create the data switch widget on the home screen and make sure it is off, unless needed. That's the first thing I do, since I don't have an unlimited data plan. Other than that, not much more you can do, unless you want to delete the data APN, in which case he will never have data connection.

Thanks for the info.
First I checked the account online - all GPRS data. I have disabled the app auto connection and left the mobile data on, touch wood its now okay it's not taken any more cash from his account for over 18hours now.
I've switched to Dolphin PAYG - should get free internet and 300 texts!
Thanks again

Related

Fuze Data Connection Option

Hey everyone. Today I got a deal with my local AT&T store for a Fuze for $250 without the rebate. I don't plan on buying the data plan, as I am surrounded by Wi-Fi and it would be a waste of $30 per month.
I know that AT&T likes to charge money for data connection for people without data plans, so I had some questions. If I were to to go to the Communication Manager and turn off the Data Connection, then will this stop ALL connection? For example, if it is turned off from there, then this should completely stop all of this connection and I shouldn't see a cent on my bill for data plan, right? Also, is there a risk of the data connection turning on when I start up certain programs, like Opera?
And if data connection is off, then does this mean I won't be able to use the Pop3 mail and the weather features? What other functionalities will I be missing out on without the data plan? Thanks!
Search for NOGPRS cab file. This allows you to turn off the media net connection that would incur a bill. With it off using this program, no programs can automatically turn it on. All the other programs should be functional if wifi is enabled and you are near a connection. This includes mail and waether. There really isnt any functionality that I can think of off the top of my head that would be missing, except that some IM clients only use gprs.

MMS with Data Off?

Hey,
I do not have a data plan with my carrier because virtually everywhere I go has WiFi, so I leach off of this. Because of this, I disabled the data connection so I don't wind up with any accidental charges. But, this leaves me unable to send or receive SMS messages. Has anyone found a good solution for this? Thanks!
If you cant send SMS thats not a data issue. If you mean MMS then:
Here (T-Mob UK) i have 2 connections, my internet connection & my MMS connection. If i receive a media message, the phone connects to the latter - free - and downloads the message.
If i send a mms, it connects again (still free for the data) and sends it. I get billed per mms sent, regardless of the ammount of data.
The internet connection isnt used for messages at all, but for everything else (and is billed per kb)
I'm talking about MMS, I mixed it up in the paragraph. I have to connections with AT&T: Media Net and ISP GRPS. So will just disabling the ISP GRPS connection allow me to send MMS without accidently connecting with Opera a day later on accident?
With AT&T, Data and Messaging are separate features. As long as you have a Messaging or Messaging Unlimited plan, you can send and receive text and MMS messages.
Yes I realize that, but my issue is accidental data usage after the message is sent. I have unlimited MMS and SMS but I dropped the data because most places I go has wi fi. The issue is that I might send a message and an hour later it downloads my email from the data connection either when there is wi fi or not.
I do the same thing with my Fuze, I also have AT&T and use NoData. I just tried to send a MMS and it wont even connect to send it. I even uninstalled NoData and it wouldnt connect. I have done a little looking aroud and with AT&T any smartphone you use has to have a data plan to send MMS, it is true that it doesnt need it but AT&T wont let you connect to media net with out it.
smokeydonuts said:
I do the same thing with my Fuze, I also have AT&T and use NoData. I just tried to send a MMS and it wont even connect to send it. I even uninstalled NoData and it wouldnt connect. I have done a little looking aroud and with AT&T any smartphone you use has to have a data plan to send MMS, it is true that it doesnt need it but AT&T wont let you connect to media net with out it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
This is correct. As far as I am aware there is no work around for it either. I used email for the longest time instead, but finally decided it was time to get a data plan. Its actually pretty nice.
I think this is very wrong of AT&T to do, I pay for unlimited text and MMS and I cant even use it. I have no need for the data plan, at home I have Wifi I also have it at work and my half hour drive I dont need to be connected to the internet. The only company I know that will let you do something like this is T-Mobile, I did it with them when I had my blackberry.
Yeah it is a little unfair, although really the end user is at fault too for disabling the data feature to avoid accidental charges.
Side note- I thought that with Blackberrys you had to have the BB Data service as it is something RIM mandates or because its a licensing/contractual thing between them and the carrier.
theonedub said:
Yeah it is a little unfair, although really the end user is at fault too for disabling the data feature to avoid accidental charges.
Side note- I thought that with Blackberrys you had to have the BB Data service as it is something RIM mandates or because its a licensing/contractual thing between them and the carrier.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You only need the service books for your carrier for mms to work on the Blackberry, t-mobile will give these out AT&T wont. For the Blackberry the work around is to put in a sim card that has a active BB data plan, it then downloads the service books and when you put your sim back in it will still connect with out charging you for it.
Can anyone tell me the settings to Connect to "Media Net" on AT&T? It would be really appreciated
gotwake424 said:
Can anyone tell me the settings to Connect to "Media Net" on AT&T? It would be really appreciated
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
have you tried at&t's support pages?

[Q] silly settings question for foreign travel

hi all
so I am going out of the country later this week and had a simple silly question. I want to be able to use wifi on my phone for late night email checks. I do not want to accept calls or send text or use any data over the network.
are these the settings I need:
wifi - on (duh!)
mobile network - off
data roaming - connect to data services when roaming - off
Is there a setting for roaming for regular calls? I do not see it. note this is with a rooted inspire using rcmixkingdom.
thanks
aeneas3 said:
hi all
so I am going out of the country later this week and had a simple silly question. I want to be able to use wifi on my phone for late night email checks. I do not want to accept calls or send text or use any data over the network.
are these the settings I need:
wifi - on (duh!)
mobile network - off
data roaming - connect to data services when roaming - off
Is there a setting for roaming for regular calls? I do not see it. note this is with a rooted inspire using rcmixkingdom.
thanks
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'll try and answer your questions, but I would still recommend you contact your mobile provider and confirm first. This is from my personal experience.
BE PREPARED ... THIS IS A LONG REPLY
Whenever you leave your service area, the area covered by your mobile provider's network, you enter what we call "roaming." Two things can now happen. Either your phone will not work at all in terms of calls or data, or everything will work. It depends on what agreement you have with your provider. With me, for example, I had long ago called my provider and asked them to NOT allow my phone to operate if I went "roaming." Then, suddenly, when I visited the U.S. last week, I realized that my phone wasn't working and remembered what I had told my provider. A quick phone call to them corrected the issue.
All that being said, if you are set up to roam with your provider, you need to consider a few of things.
One, you need consider where you're going. If you're in Canada, and you're traveling to the U.S., roaming charges may be somewhat expensive. If you're doing the reverse, visiting Canada from the U.S., the same would probably apply. However, if you're going overseas, your roaming charges could be quite expensive, as much as several dollars per minute, depending on the country. Data can also be expensive. For example, with my provider (Rogers - Canada), I have 500MB of data with my monthly plan; however, when I visited the U.S., my plan no longer applied, and I would be charged 3-cents per KB, or a whopping $3.00 per MB. I ended up buying a 10MB extra service fee for $10.00.
Okay, let's consider what you want to do.
If you only want to use WiFi, it will work perfectly if you have the WiFi name and password (if applicable). If you do NOT want to be able to take calls, send texts, or use data, you MUST TURN THEM OFF. Keep in mind, too, that certain programs may automatically access Data for up-dating, such as weather, stocks, sports scores, currency exchange rates, etc. You can turn off this automatic function, which I would suggest. I don't know exactly where this function is on your phone, but you'll have to check it out. This applies to the SYNC function as well. Turn OFF sync to make sure it doesn't accidentally access Data.
Now, for your other question re local phone calls. Once you leave your service area, your phone either works, or it doesn't. There is no other choice. If you don't want to accept calls from home, or make long distance calls, then you have to turn off roaming. If roaming is off, you cannot make local calls either.
Also, keep in mind that if you did make local calls, they would all be considered long distance because, as far as your provider is concerned, your phone's area code is static. If you leave your area code, ALL calls become long distance even though, if you're in another country, and you only want to make a phone call across the street, it will still be a long distance call. Think of it this way, billing begins the moment you press call on your phone, yet in this case, that call effectively begins from you home area code. Therefore, to make a call across the street, it would be identical to making the same call from you home, plus roaming charges.
There is one work-around for the local call issue. You could buy time from a local provider in the country where you will be travelling. This may end up being quite inexpensive. Think of it as a pay-as-you-go plan, if they offer it. So, you would simply remove your existing SIM card and replace it with a new one from the provider in the new country. Use it for local stuff. It may even include data, who knows?
When I visit China, which is rather often, I have a "pay-as-you-go" SIM card which I have with me when I visit. I always keep a balance on the account so they don't cancel it. Then, when I arrive, I make the SIM switch, and voila! Cheap local calls.
Peter
If ALL you want is data for email and internet, turn airplane mode ON (I use a power widget to have this close at my fingers, but you can long push the power button and the option is there as well as in menu>settings>wireless & networks) then turn wifi back on.
Airplane kills all radios, then you have the option to turn wifi only on (specifically for those airlines that provide wifi).
thanks guys! I figured I was going to call AT&T today to make sure but stealthpsycho - airplane + wifi will work wonders. I just tested it out at home and it is beautiful I am going to turn off roaming by calling just to make sure as well. In case I need to reboot and forget that airplane mode is not on.
thanks again!
Went to Vietnam a few weeks ago. Turning on airplane mode and then turning wifi back on does the trick you want.
Sent from my MB860 using Tapatalk
W00t! I gots a thx!!!
You're very welcome. I use this trick a lot at the school where I work, b/c I have no cell signal and I want to prevent cell searching. It's also a useful trick if you want to install market apps that AT&T blocks (I.E. PDAnet)
Easy way I go to Japan all I do is take out the sim. Wifi on.
Sent from my Inspire 4G using XDA Premium App

Can apps bypass disabled Data Transmission?

Is it possible for applications to bypass Data Transmission switch and Roaming block?
I have been traveling abroad recently and even though I have Roaming Data disabled and Data Transmission disabled in the system I still got charged for data transmission.
I have travelled with it before last two trips and have not seen the problem.
Since I had similar situation last time I was traveling, I made sure that those settings are off couple of times over the course of the trip.
When I check data usage (Settings -> Data Usage) for that period is practically zero, but there are some Google apps listed for that period: Internet, Kids Mode, Youtube, Smart Remote, and Google Movies BUT they all list 0kB for usage and I'm not using neither KidsMode nor Smart Remote.
It does not look like operator related since I got charges from several countries.
Any ideas what might be going on? I will file a complaint for the charges with my operator (not counting on positive response there), but I still would like to use my phone when travelling, but if blocking data transmission is not enough to prevent roaming charges - what is?
For reference my phone is European Galaxy S5, running Stock, not rooted, 4.4.2 Android
thanks in advance,
Kubak
Data off from settings will surely off any transmission. No app is allowed to bypass that setting. Dont know if you are talking about check on data roaming, you should just off the data.
There could some problem with the data switching. Since your phone is not rooted it shoudn't happen but some apps may be doing this. Try flight mode/airplane mode. If problem still does not go OR if you want your data on Try the app permission management.
Settings-->Security-->App permission management.
Thanks for the replies guys!
To clarify - I have been always using the Roaming data off setting when traveling. And it worked until my last two trips.
On previous one I did not disable data since the setting always worked before. When I got charged for data, I made sure I additionally switch off the Data and keep it off during my trip.
The data usage meter on the phone shows 0.0 kB with several Google apps listed (as mentioned initially) they are all set to restricted mode - no background data.
It looks that IF there was any transmission it was small - one of the operators on route charged just 1kB, but ATT was happy to charge me 50kB up and down every time this happened?
The Airplane mode can be a solution but will pretty much "kill" the phone - I would still like to be able to be reachable under that number.
I was a bit suspicious of Llama app fiddling with data, but even that should not bypass the Roaming setting (and there would be a lot of data being transferred)
And the problematic part is I don't think I can check data usage with my operator in real time - I just learn from my monthly bill...
So it looks like "something" is bypassing the "no data in roaming setting" - but what?
Any suggestions are welcome
I had the same experience recently and I've figured it out. Even if your roaming function is turned off there are VOIP apps that can bypass your roaming and you will get charged for data. Facebook calls, Whatsapp calls and IMO calls are a few. I noticed the last time when I was travelling through the States (with my roaming off) that when a fb call rang my phone (I did not answer), every frickin' fb notification for the week came through during the duration of the ringing (remember ... I did not answer / connect to call), and I got dinged for 4 bucks for every one. The only way to get around it is to have phone on airplane mode or delete / uninstall the apps while you are away.

can a phone be hacked by cellular provider?

Could it be possible for a nefarious cellular provider to access client cellphones, quietly disable the Wi-Fi connection then trigger updates or data usage of applications installed on said cellphone?
Here's my story:
Two days ago, I renewed my monthly ‘pay per month / pay as you go’ cellular service. I am a relatively new client with this provider and usually pay just the package fee and no more. I have only been with this provider for 5 months and for the first time I paid more than the monthly fee owing leaving a balance. I believed that the balance would remain until the next month when I would renew the service using the balance as immediate payment.
Overnight, after the above payment, the Wi-Fi connection on my Moto E LTE (2nd Gen. with Android 6.0 Marshmallow) disconnected and my cellular data connection automatically activated. My monthly data limit is only 250 MB and somehow 255 MB’s were downloaded over the cellular data connection – creating an overage. I was promptly charged an overage fee and it was removed from the balance I had just deliberately created. I find this highly suspicious as it has never happened before.
I do not use this phone very much. The monthly renewal date had expired by only one day. I forgot to renew it, hence the reason why I put more money on this account than I usually do. How is it possible that during that one day (actually only 8 hours) that my phone was 'inactive' it suddenly starts updating and generating data usage over the cellular data connection. ???
I do not have many applications running on this cellphone. Facebook, gmail, outlook, Cortana, hangouts and that's about it. No new app activity was performed. Many months ago, I had configured my Moto E such that cellular data connections would not occur unless I physically activated them via settings. I also made sure that the apps could not perform updates unless I activate them. Since August, this was working just fine. Until I added a balance to my cellphone provider account, that is.
Here's another coincidence: for the first time in 5 months, the provider made a cold call to my cellphone. I was unable to answer the call and did not recognize the number. If I don't know the number I don't answer immediately. I searched the white pages and indeed it was the cellular provider. The next day, I received a SMS message from said provider asking me if I want to move to a monthly bill (tab) account.
Now, before I contact the provider and confront them with my suspicions, I thought I'd come here and find out if any of this is possible. Has this happened to anyone else? Is this something that is quietly happening everywhere? Think of the money it could generate ...
I just installed an app that ensures the Wi-Fi always remains on (Wifi No Doze). It is just off-putting that I have to do that to ensure no app can disable my Wi-Fi. What other steps can I take?
I'm not a conspiracy nut but this is very, very strange.
John

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