Non-Smart Phone? - General Questions and Answers

I am getting my son a phone here soon. I don't want to get him a smart phone because of the extra data plan. So I am wondering what is the best non-smart phone with AT&T.

You don't have to get the data plan if you buy a smartphone
pew pew
Posted using Samsung Captivate

My wife and I both have inspires. So we have an unlimited data plan. But the att reps that we talked to said, we can add an extra line with a non-smart phone for 9.99. If we add a smart phone than we have to add an extra data plan onto it for 9.99 and 25.00. I talked to 2 different reps in the store and 2 different reps on the phone. They all said the same thing.

Then they are lying to you. Data plans are optional for any phone. And i am sure your son would be much much happier with a smartphone.

Dude. Smartphone are better and data is optional. These reps are just playing you
pew pew
XDA app - Samsung Captivate

He currently has my old iphone and they keep turning the data on. They said there is nothing they can do about it. They take the plan off and I verify that it is off from my online statement, but when the techs do a "sweep" they see that it is an iphone and a data plan is automatically added. Been going on for about 3 months now.

Any other ideas? Anyone have similar experience?

digi-t said:
He currently has my old iphone and they keep turning the data on. They said there is nothing they can do about it. They take the plan off and I verify that it is off from my online statement, but when the techs do a "sweep" they see that it is an iphone and a data plan is automatically added. Been going on for about 3 months now.
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Click to collapse
This is way late but may be good for others so I'll add anyway.
I had an iPhone 3g that I bought from a friend, I had the phone for 1 & 1/2 years before it broke and never had data added. The trick is to turn ALL data (edge, 2g/3g) OFF and keep it off and use only WIFI.
Unfortunately the same trick didn't work as well for my Captivate (Bought from same friend), I only made it a month or so (even with data disabled) and I'm now having to get a non-Smartphone to avoid data plans I can't afford. Guess I have the Android equivalent of an iPod Touch now.

Related

[Q] captivate and AT&T's basic phone unlimited data plan

Hey guys, my 1st post here.
i am on AT&T and i am going for galaxy s device, obvious choice being captivate, but i want to know if i have basic unlimited data plan (the one for my current SE w760, $15/month) will continue to work? i am going to buy captivate from ebay, not directly from AT&T, so can i still use non-smartphone data plan for captivate? cuz if im not getting unlimited data, i will prefer going to Vibrant.
It will work fine, but AT&T will eventually notice and switch you to an "appropriate" plan.
thank you for the reply, but then what if i go for Vibrant instead of captivate? that way AT&T cant change my plan to smartphone plan right?
It depends on whether they have the Vibrant's IMEIs in their database. It's possible they don't, but it's possible they do.
But then you would have to get an unlocked Vibrant, and would you even be able to use the 200MB on the smartphone $15 plan since you'd be using EDGE (I'm assuming the Vibrant doesn't have AT&T 3G).
I'm good friends with a manager from an AT&T store, and yes, it will change, unfortunately, even if you got the Vibrant... Had to ask him pretty much the same question for a friend of mine, and they manage to see that you have a data/smart phone pretty quick.
yeah that is true, clocking 200MB on EDGE is not that probable, but that is my deciding factor. if i can get unlimited 3G on captivate (i guess AT&T no longer has an unlimited plan) then i would go for captivate else i would go for Vibrant, as vibrant is better in many aspects than captivate, especially less bloatware and more useful apps pre-loaded.
And you can get an unlocked Vibrant?
thats a shame, but then in that case Vibrant is better choice, as having a limited 3G is a pain, and that was the only reason i was going for captivate over vibrant.
and yes there are lots of unlocked vibrants on ebay from pretty reputed sellers.
xargs1 said:
It will work fine, but AT&T will eventually notice and switch you to an "appropriate" plan.
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Click to collapse
In my case they didn't. I used my at&t Tilt (Kaiser) on MEdia Net Unlimited for the last two years. I never got switched back to the smartphone data plan or got any sort of nasty note about using too much data.
I had a unlocked G1 on At&t and after configuring the APNs I had unlimited data for $15 a month. Needless to say there was no 3g but it still worked with no issues.
If you have an old unlimited data plan, its called grandfathered I think. Anyways, if you have an old smartphone plan it should just stay the same as long its the smartphone, I still had my unlimited plan when I switch from iPhone 3GS to SGS. But I don't know if you have the smartphone unlimited data plan since you mention the 15 dollars one. I would go directly to AT&T cooperate store and speak in person cuz representative on the phone are just dumb! LOL so yeah meeting in person would be good.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
mlb1988 said:
If you have an old unlimited data plan, its called grandfathered I think. Anyways, if you have an old smartphone plan it should just stay the same as long its the smartphone, I still had my unlimited plan when I switch from iPhone 3GS to SGS. But I don't know if you have the smartphone unlimited data plan since you mention the 15 dollars one. I would go directly to AT&T cooperate store and speak in person cuz representative on the phone are just dumb! LOL so yeah meeting in person would be good.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OP doesn't have any smartphone plan to be grandfathered in.
chirantan.f said:
yeah that is true, clocking 200MB on EDGE is not that probable, but that is my deciding factor. if i can get unlimited 3G on captivate (i guess AT&T no longer has an unlimited plan) then i would go for captivate else i would go for Vibrant, as vibrant is better in many aspects than captivate, especially less bloatware and more useful apps pre-loaded.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
200 MB on EDGE is easy to do on the Captivate. I'm already past that point and I do use Wifi at home.
so from all the posts, i think getting a captivate means i have to pay for smartphone plan, even though i should have an option to cancel the data plans totally (while some forums say that i cant cancel a data plan, but i dont believe thats the case if i have bought the phone at full price and not subsidized).
Now i am interested in seeing what will AT&T do if i go for Vibrant (instead of Captivate) and use the non-smartphone data plan on it. I doubt they will know what is connected as they wont have IMEI for Vibrant (some forums said that AT&T does differentiate their smartphones based on the list of IMEIs) so with Vibrant i should be able to use non-smartphone data-plan, what do you guys think about that?
chirantan.f said:
so from all the posts, i think getting a captivate means i have to pay for smartphone plan, even though i should have an option to cancel the data plans totally (while some forums say that i cant cancel a data plan, but i dont believe thats the case if i have bought the phone at full price and not subsidized).
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
AT&T requires ALL smartphones to have data plan regardless how you purchased it. Just ask any Nexus One owners.
Now i am interested in seeing what will AT&T do if i go for Vibrant (instead of Captivate) and use the non-smartphone data plan on it. I doubt they will know what is connected as they wont have IMEI for Vibrant (some forums said that AT&T does differentiate their smartphones based on the list of IMEIs) so with Vibrant i should be able to use non-smartphone data-plan, what do you guys think about that?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Personally, if I'm only getting EDGE speed, I'll not pay any data plan for it. It's like you buy a top of line PC today and put a dialup networking for internet connection.

[Q] Do i really need a data plan

Hey guys I just wanted to ask one question before I actually buy the desire hd. When i got my Tilt 2 one year ago, I told them I didnt want a data plan and they told me it was ok because i have been a customer for 5 years. So question is are they going to force me to get a data plan when i get the desire hd. thanks in advance.
you cannot get it without the data plan, this is ATT's policy now. that said, android OS works much differently, and not having a data plan would probably not work simply because of the way android OS works. you can try it though, curious to hear results...
from what i was told in the past, if you get a cool rep at the store, which i have come across in my area.
You can get them to cancel the data plan after the first month.
epicKA8 said:
from what i was told in the past, if you get a cool rep at the store, which i have come across in my area.
You can get them to cancel the data plan after the first month.
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Click to collapse
This is NOT the case anymore. If you get a smartphone on AT&T, you are required to get a dataplan. End Of Story.
If you don't want a data plan, the question you should ask yourself is (unless you have WiFi to connect to all the time) do you really need a smartphone?
epicKA8 said:
from what i was told in the past, if you get a cool rep at the store, which i have come across in my area.
You can get them to cancel the data plan after the first month.
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Click to collapse
Once that person makes their first phone call with their phone, the network registers their IMEI and puts them on the correct data plan.
Nice try though.
The ATT policy aside, because android uses data for so much, I doubt you could even set up the phone unless near WiFi. When out and about away from WiFi, so many parts of the OS reach out for data that it would be very different than what one might realize. It's not like the old windows mobile days where data can just be shut off. But this is why I'm curious to see the results though.
I called att support and they can block data on your line so you never get any data ever, you could turn off data plan that way
Hypnopottamus said:
This is NOT the case anymore. If you get a smartphone on AT&T, you are required to get a dataplan. End Of Story.
If you don't want a data plan, the question you should ask yourself is (unless you have WiFi to connect to all the time) do you really need a smartphone?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
really? i was told this when i got my phone from my guy who works at the store. you sign up, the must, but after teh first month they can remove it.
Sportsguy15 said:
Once that person makes their first phone call with their phone, the network registers their IMEI and puts them on the correct data plan.
Nice try though.
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Click to collapse
only if you don't unlock it
epicKA8 said:
really? i was told this when i got my phone from my guy who works at the store. you sign up, the must, but after teh first month they can remove it.
only if you don't unlock it
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you unlock it, what trick is there to fake the imei? I haven't heard of any yet on android and I looked thru the source code and all to try compiling a kernel to do so. Curious what method you know of!
2 things, you can't drop a data plan as far as i know with at&t, they are changing stuff every week right now however trying to get some sort of edge it seems.
I turned on an old tilt this past week for my kid and they no longer require a data plan it seems on older PDA's. It was a ridiculous rule. So i have data blocked on it and he uses the wifi. Finally one tiny issue solved.
More good news.. (remember you get a different answer with every rep)
I was able to turn on the 2gig plan for 25 instead of the normal $30 its been.
And i was told i can turn on a 4 gig plan now for 40 with 250mb roll overs @ 15$ per.
This is news to me ive only seen the 200mb and the 2 gb plan up till now. Tmobi is like 5 gb a month (unlimited) so its nice to see this (since i swear the 4g is eating up data on me)
I've heard from my aunt, who "worked" for att, that if you were grandfathered in, since the old days where you didn't need a Data plan for a Smartphone, you can still get one without a plan. (I remember my first WM Smartphone was bought this way)
You just have to be sure to specify this point, that you are Grandfathered in.
Since she knows this, Her Son, bought a BlackBerry for his daughter, and insisted on no Data plan, the Rep. allowed it because he was Grandfathered in.
I intend to Buy an Inspire, later this week, using my Mom's upgrade; she actually uses a Blackberry, without a Data Plan too! ;D
It should work the same, my dad says we should be Great-Grandfathered in, cause we were there when it was still Cingular and the First $10.00 Unlimited Data Plans came out.
As far as I know it doesn't work that way. You are already grandfathered in because they are allowing you to use a smart phone without data. But as soon as you get a new phone you will automatically be forced to upgrade to a data plan. My wife tried the same thing, she had a blackberry with no data but when she got a new phone they automatically gave her a data plan.
Sent from my Desire HD using XDA App
freekquency said:
2 things, you can't drop a data plan as far as i know with at&t, they are changing stuff every week right now however trying to get some sort of edge it seems.
I turned on an old tilt this past week for my kid and they no longer require a data plan it seems on older PDA's. It was a ridiculous rule. So i have data blocked on it and he uses the wifi. Finally one tiny issue solved.
More good news.. (remember you get a different answer with every rep)
I was able to turn on the 2gig plan for 25 instead of the normal $30 its been.
And i was told i can turn on a 4 gig plan now for 40 with 250mb roll overs @ 15$ per.
This is news to me ive only seen the 200mb and the 2 gb plan up till now. Tmobi is like 5 gb a month (unlimited) so its nice to see this (since i swear the 4g is eating up data on me)
Click to expand...
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where were you able to do this?
aeneas3 said:
where were you able to do this?
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Click to collapse
The 2GB data plan has always been $25. The unlimited data plan is $30.

Infuse 4G Data Plan Question

Background:
* I have 2 lines on Family Plan, both with "smartphone exclusion"
* On 1st line, I had Samsung Jack with Medianet Unlimited Plan for 2 years without any problems. Loved the unlimited data for $15 bucks w/ light WIFI and USB tethering, never exceeded 2-3 GB/month.
* On 2nd line, I had a dumb phone
Recently, I upgraded the dumb-phone to Infuse 4G at Best Buy, came home and switched the SIM back into a dumb-phone, called ATT, and had them take the data plan off. I understand that at this point I have lost "smartphone exclusion" on this line because I have upgraded.
Now I took the SIM from my 1st phone (Samsung Jack) and inserted in my Infuse. I used it for happy 3 weeks, no sms from ATT, unlimited data plan stayed on just fine. My billing cycle starts on the 4th; so, today I can see that my unlimited medianet data has been removed, but no data plan has been added (I think smartphone exclusion saved me), but when I look under usage, I can see
Data
GPRS MB WAP/BBRY/ISP 2GB DOM $10.00/1GB ADDL - HSSMTD4O
and then for my data usage, I see:
11.62 MB of 2048 MB
My interpretation is that technically if I wanted to, I could just disable data on my phone, and I wouldn't be forced into a data plan, but they are making sure I can't take advantage of the MediaNet plan either. Any thoughts?
I'm thinking of selling the Infuse and getting a non-ATT smartphone.
Any insightful comments would be appreciated. Please don't bother posting if you don't know what 'smartphone exclusion" is. Or, please don't make a reference to ATT TOC. Thanks!
sumeet909 said:
Background:
* I have 2 lines on Family Plan, both with "smartphone exclusion"
* On 1st line, I had Samsung Jack with Medianet Unlimited Plan for 2 years without any problems. Loved the unlimited data for $15 bucks w/ light WIFI and USB tethering, never exceeded 2-3 GB/month.
* On 2nd line, I had a dumb phone
Recently, I upgraded the dumb-phone to Infuse 4G at Best Buy, came home and switched the SIM back into a dumb-phone, called ATT, and had them take the data plan off. I understand that at this point I have lost "smartphone exclusion" on this line because I have upgraded.
Now I took the SIM from my 1st phone (Samsung Jack) and inserted in my Infuse. I used it for happy 3 weeks, no sms from ATT, unlimited data plan stayed on just fine. My billing cycle starts on the 4th; so, today I can see that my unlimited medianet data has been removed, but no data plan has been added (I think smartphone exclusion saved me), but when I look under usage, I can see
Data
GPRS MB WAP/BBRY/ISP 2GB DOM $10.00/1GB ADDL - HSSMTD4O
and then for my data usage, I see:
11.62 MB of 2048 MB
My interpretation is that technically if I wanted to, I could just disable data on my phone, and I wouldn't be forced into a data plan, but they are making sure I can't take advantage of the MediaNet plan either. Any thoughts?
I'm thinking of selling the Infuse and getting a non-ATT smartphone.
Any insightful comments would be appreciated. Please don't bother posting if you don't know what 'smartphone exclusion" is. Or, please don't make a reference to ATT TOC. Thanks!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
More than likely eventually they will get you on the Infuse for the regular Smartphone data plan when the system realized the IMEI is from an Infuse.
MisterEdF said:
More than likely eventually they will get you on the Infuse for the regular Smartphone data plan when the system realized the IMEI is from an Infuse.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
OK, then the remaining option is to get unlimited plan via iPhone 2g route, correct?
I think they could not put me on data plan, but they've put me on some kind of "pay per use" data plan with 2GB/$25 to start of. If I don't use any data, I don't pay anything, but if I use even just 1MB, they charge me $25 that month. Smart move by ATT. So, the medianet option is over.
Unlimited Data Grandfathered
AT&Ts Policy is ,"If they squal loud enough,let them keep their data" I have an Inspire & an Iphone 4 both with 30.00 per month Unlimited Data,Rooted for no Additional Cost for Internet Tethering & Hotspot Use, I came from Blackjack and Palm SMartphones ,said I was leaving for another carrier after I was told I could have a 200mb or 2 gig Data Plan with Overage fees after my Limits were reached,Supervisor was questioned by AT&T Operator and Data was Grandfathered,I have since added a 3rd Line with the Infuse and have Unlimited on that and never even had a 3rd line on the old Plan. SQUEAL LIKE A PIG!!
don't know what smartphone exclusion is but i'm still going to post and ask what is it?
and to my knowledge, when you bought the infuse 4g, the data plan is bounded by the contract for 2 years, how did you tell them to take it off?
Want an unreasonable request granted write the oop.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using XDA App
seeing how i am a sales rep with at&t i will chime in with some thoughts to your question... your old medianet plan isn't compatible with the 4g phone vs wap.cingular apn the new 4G android phones use. So for starters with out modification your internet never would have worked without adding new apn's to the phone.
What happened was, you were correct when your said, your line was grandfathered with smartphone exclusion but that was only for the IMEI of the device that code was added to your account with. The second you changed that data device on that line to another data device, I am willing to bet that code was removed from your line as you lost your grandfather clause by changing device type / IMEI. Thus your plan was changed.
What happened was now since you put your other lines sim card in the phone, it also saw the IMEI didn't match the data plan you had. Removed it, and added the standard 2GB 4G phone data plan to your line. It is not pay per use, you are now most likely being charged $25/month for 2GB of data, the next plan down is $15 for 200MB of data per month, the next plan up is $45 for 4GB of data w/mobile hotspot feature.
Unless you go back to your old phone you can not get your old plan back, that is if you can even get that old plan back as it isn't in the system anymore to my knowledge unless you get a rep with grandfathered plan access over the phone.
You maybe able to call and get a lucky rep to get you on a $30 unlimited plan as you had unlimited before, but they will most likely reject it as it was a different phone/data plan type, otherwise it would have carried over as a $30 unlimited plan automatically when the system changed it.
This is just my 2 cents. I hoped this answered your question without getting in to the TOS as you stated lol
Disclaimer: These thoughts are my own, and don't represent those of at&t.
sumeet909 said:
OK, then the remaining option is to get unlimited plan via iPhone 2g route, correct?
I think they could not put me on data plan, but they've put me on some kind of "pay per use" data plan with 2GB/$25 to start of. If I don't use any data, I don't pay anything, but if I use even just 1MB, they charge me $25 that month. Smart move by ATT. So, the medianet option is over.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You're not on "pay Per Use" you are on the $25/month 2gig plan unless this is some new secret plan they have. Yes, you probably could do the "iPhone 2G trick
and get unlimited for $30/month.
Hate to be blunt, but you fubared it. The only way to do what you want to is buy an unlocked non att phone with the right gsm radio, and use a feature phone, get the ten dollar unlimited plan, then switch sim to unbranded phone setup apn for att. Not That I've ever done it but a lot of people do. There is also straight talk. 50$a month unlimited everything, but only two of Their phones have the necessary unlocked sim at200$.
CM7, Nightly. Captivate
Vegaslightsss said:
AT&Ts Policy is ,"If they squal loud enough,let them keep their data" I have an Inspire & an Iphone 4 both with 30.00 per month Unlimited Data,Rooted for no Additional Cost for Internet Tethering & Hotspot Use, I came from Blackjack and Palm SMartphones ,said I was leaving for another carrier after I was told I could have a 200mb or 2 gig Data Plan with Overage fees after my Limits were reached,Supervisor was questioned by AT&T Operator and Data was Grandfathered,I have since added a 3rd Line with the Infuse and have Unlimited on that and never even had a 3rd line on the old Plan. SQUEAL LIKE A PIG!!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks! I can do this since I am well within the return policy and other 2 lines have no contract.
shadow65781 said:
Hate to be blunt, but you fubared it. The only way to do what you want to is buy an unlocked non att phone with the right gsm radio, and use a feature phone, get the ten dollar unlimited plan, then switch sim to unbranded phone setup apn for att. Not That I've ever done it but a lot of people do. There is also straight talk. 50$a month unlimited everything, but only two of Their phones have the necessary unlocked sim at200$.
CM7, Nightly. Captivate
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Agreed. Let me ask you another question then, could I ebay the Infuse, buy an unlocked Galaxy S2 (International version), call them and give them IMEI of dumb phone and get the $15 plan? I did mess it up, but I'm within the 30 day return policy window to fix it; just need to find best way out.
AEDan1977 said:
seeing how i am a sales rep with at&t i will chime in with some thoughts to your question... your old medianet plan isn't compatible with the 4g phone vs wap.cingular apn the new 4G android phones use. So for starters with out modification your internet never would have worked without adding new apn's to the phone.
What happened was, you were correct when your said, your line was grandfathered with smartphone exclusion but that was only for the IMEI of the device that code was added to your account with. The second you changed that data device on that line to another data device, I am willing to bet that code was removed from your line as you lost your grandfather clause by changing device type / IMEI. Thus your plan was changed.
What happened was now since you put your other lines sim card in the phone, it also saw the IMEI didn't match the data plan you had. Removed it, and added the standard 2GB 4G phone data plan to your line. It is not pay per use, you are now most likely being charged $25/month for 2GB of data, the next plan down is $15 for 200MB of data per month, the next plan up is $45 for 4GB of data w/mobile hotspot feature.
Unless you go back to your old phone you can not get your old plan back, that is if you can even get that old plan back as it isn't in the system anymore to my knowledge unless you get a rep with grandfathered plan access over the phone.
You maybe able to call and get a lucky rep to get you on a $30 unlimited plan as you had unlimited before, but they will most likely reject it as it was a different phone/data plan type, otherwise it would have carried over as a $30 unlimited plan automatically when the system changed it.
This is just my 2 cents. I hoped this answered your question without getting in to the TOS as you stated lol
Disclaimer: These thoughts are my own, and don't represent those of at&t.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Before I started using Infuse, I did Google this APN thingy and I had setup a new APN for Infuse rather than using the default one.
2nd: Actually, "smartphone exclusion" is still there. That is the strange part, but yes, to your point, it doesn't apply after equipment change - this has been mentioned by your co-workers and I understand it now.
I just need to call them and start yelling. Technically I'm within the 30 day return policy (or is it 14?). Plus, other 2 lines are not in contract. Otherwise, T-Mobile, here we come.....
tjy8tim said:
don't know what smartphone exclusion is but i'm still going to post and ask what is it?
and to my knowledge, when you bought the infuse 4g, the data plan is bounded by the contract for 2 years, how did you tell them to take it off?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Before Sept 2009, AT&T didn't require data plans w/ smartphones. So, After Sept 4, 2009 they required everyone to buy a data plan w/ smartphone. Customers who owned a smartphone prior to that date, were not required to purchase a smartphone and a feature was added to their accounts called "smartphone exclusion". I owned a Samsung Jack prior to that data. After I got "smartphone exclusion", I added $15 media-net and had it for about 2 years. To preserve that feature, I never upgraded my line; I actually upgraded my sister's line to get a new phone and then switched the SIM cards. Alas, that loophole has been shut. AT&T has a crawler in place that checks this and adds data plans unless you have the same equipment IMEI that you got the smartphone with.
I might need to research if IMEI spoofing is possible/legal. Otherwise, might just buy an unlocked non-ATT smartphone.
Do you have a recommendation for non-ATT smartphone that measures up to Infuse?
sumeet909 said:
Do you have a recommendation for non-ATT smartphone that measures up to Infuse?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Galaxy s2 from Europe. Amazon carries it 600 bones and its yours, or you could get a nexus one with att radio, not sure about it but the nexus s might be unbranded.
Read something last night, after nexus s released on att they caught people who bought it prior to release. Forced them to “rip off" data plan.
CM7, Nightly. Captivate
shadow65781 said:
Galaxy s2 from Europe. Amazon carries it 600 bones and its yours, or you could get a nexus one with att radio, not sure about it but the nexus s might be unbranded.
CM7, Nightly. Captivate
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm getting ready to bail out Europe by approx 600. That's quite an amount, but ATT is despicable - the lag and bloatware on Infuse is unacceptable and the data restrictions just kill the experience. God save the Euro, USD are on their way.
sumeet909 said:
I'm getting ready to bail out Europe by approx 600. That's quite an amount, but ATT is despicable - the lag and bloatware on Infuse is unacceptable and the data restrictions just kill the experience. God save the Euro, USD are on their way.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Any updates on what you did? Did you just buy the GSII and use your old $15 unlimited plan?
Infuse is on sale on Craigslist. As soon as it is sold, I will use those proceeds to order a European GS2. Strange, it is so difficult to get rid off Android products compared to Apple Snapple. If I don't get good price, I might just end up returning it since I am within 30 day return period. I was hoping to subsidize the GSII cost.
oofie said:
Any updates on what you did? Did you just buy the GSII and use your old $15 unlimited plan?
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[Q] AT& T require 4G data plan!

Hi Forum,
My wife bought a Iphone 4 last year with a 200MG/ month data plan. She gave her Iphone to her nephew. She told AT&T that her Iphone was broken. She has been using my old Samsung Vibrant with no issue from AT&T, for several months now. I got her a used Infuse yesterday and was using data. AT&T sniffed it and sent a text message.
( Did you know an eligible data plan is required for your 4G Smartphone? Pls call 611 to select a plan and establish your 4G data connection today.)
Do any one know what AT&T will do if she continue to use the Infuse?
Thank you in advance for your opinions, and knowledge!
They are going to add the data plan to your account. You have a choice currentley between 200mb/$15 @ overage rate of 200mb/$15, or 2gb/$25 @ overage rate 1gb/$10. if you dont call and choose a plan they will stick you with the 2gb/$25 rate.
Thanks!
So the options are pay more for data or back to the Vibrant! Do you think calling them and explain the situation would change anything?
Romeo20 said:
So the options are pay more for data or back to the Vibrant! Do you think calling them and explain the situation would change anything?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Call them until you get a rep that does what you want. That usually does it, haha. I'm sure this situation could be no exception.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using xda premium
You can try calling and yelling all you want, theres always that small chance you may get sombody to bend a rule for you. However it is at&t's policy that with all smartphones you are required to have a data plan, so understand you are on the losing side of the battle and can only HOPE sombody bends the rule for you to allow you to continue with no data plan.
She has data plan, 200 mg/ per month for $15. AT&T want her to have 4G data plan.
Romeo20 said:
She has data plan, 200 mg/ per month for $15. AT&T want her to have 4G data plan.
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well than your just on the wrong 200mb/$15 plan, pricing is same for 3g/4g devcies the feature code is just different. call and get it fixed so they dont change you to the $25 plan or somthing stupid
Thank you all!
I resolve the issue with AT&T. After over 30 minutes on the phone, AT&T rep said that I need to provide the SIM and IME number of the Infuse. The data plan is still the same which is 200 Mg/ month for $15. As first, AT&T tried to hook a new 2G data plan. I did not complaint or yell; in fact, I was very polite. I stated that the Vibrant was not getting Voice mail notification, and that my wife hardly use the 200 MG that she has per month. Anyhow, a bit of patience and gratitude seem to do it, this time!
Tomdg07 said:
You can try calling and yelling all you want, theres always that small chance you may get sombody to bend a rule for you. However it is at&t's policy that with all smartphones you are required to have a data plan, so understand you are on the losing side of the battle and can only HOPE sombody bends the rule for you to allow you to continue with no data plan.
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Click to collapse
Back when I got my HTC Tilt I had a very annoying situation with them. At the time of contract signing I was told I had to have a data plan. 3 months later on a night I was not even around my phone I had a $200 data charge for megabytes upon megabytes of transfer charges. Complained to high heaven, and had ALL data service cut to my line.
Fast forward to this past Sept, got online to upgrade our two phones. Well it seems I got lucky and got an Infuse WITHOUT any data plan. Kind of annoying I have someone trying to text my photos...wink wink, that I can not receive. However our other phone AT&T was kind enough to automatically add the data plan (most expensive one of course) without indicating this. Only when we got the October bill that I saw this. *** I just hate these mobile carriers with a passion. Been years of bend over and take it up the arse with this fools. Actually had AT&T try to change terms AFTER a contract was signed.
Honestly folks, with these phones how having Google Voice, we have actually talked about saying FU to ALL carriers and just using the internet. Yeah, so I cant call when I am driving...dont want to talk then anyways. Just anything I could do to give these **** the finger.
i wouldn't imagine they can do anything if you didnt buy the phone on contract. but if you are on an iphone unlimited plan they might try like hell to get you off of it.
ssa2204 said:
Actually had AT&T try to change terms AFTER a contract was signed.
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Are you referring to the terms and cinditions YOU signed, which actually state subject to change at any time without giving notice?
I also want to remind you, you can also leave att at any time
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using xda premium
If you buy your smartphone outright, paid full price, they can not make you buy a data plan.
But, you then "can not" use your phone to access the internet or e-mail unless on WiFi. Or they can/will force a data plan on you.
Texting and MMS are part of the Phone plan not data.
Truckerglenn said:
If you buy your smartphone outright, paid full price, they can not make you buy a data plan.
But, you then "can not" use your phone to access the internet or e-mail unless on WiFi. Or they can/will force a data plan on you.
Texting and MMS are part of the Phone plan not data.
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unless you have smartphone exclusion, get a dumb phone, put the infuse on that sim card and turn off data.
If u are in contract with att and you buy a phone out of contract u are still required to have a data plan as long as its on an active acct.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using xda premium
FIX !!!
1. Get a.dummy phone put sim card in it and have att put your number on that phone
2. Have them remove data on that phone
3. Hang up with att
4. turn OFF DATA on the infuse(long press power button and turn mobile data off)
also delete att APN
5 enjoy your phone with out att adding data plan on your phone and still use wifi
Ive been using this method for years. Cheers
Justinfedor said:
If u are in contract with att and you buy a phone out of contract u are still required to have a data plan as long as its on an active acct.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using xda premium
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not if you have smart phone exclusion. my brother uses my old captivate without mms or data on att. only if you lose smart phone exclusion do they force it on you, so if you have a number that never had a data plan you are good, if you had a data plan and got rid of it and bought another phone you need to change phone numbers and sign a new contract to get smartphone exclusion. also how many people are using iphone unlimited plans and arent forced to upgrade to a 4g plan? only people who are suspected of tethering are forced to change.
Dani897 said:
not if you have smart phone exclusion. my brother uses my old captivate without mms or data on att. only if you lose smart phone exclusion do they force it on you, so if you have a number that never had a data plan you are good, if you had a data plan and got rid of it and bought another phone you need to change phone numbers and sign a new contract to get smartphone exclusion. also how many people are using iphone unlimited plans and arent forced to upgrade to a 4g plan? only people who are suspected of tethering are forced to change.
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Click to collapse
The smartphone exclusion is being removed if someone has it on the acct and upgrades to a diff phone and data plan. So make sure he doesnt get data added on it
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I997 using xda premium
I tryed to change the 3G to a 4G plan (switch from Captivate to Infuse) online.
This did not work right away and so I started a chat with an ATT representative and it was taken care of in no time!
I am jsut wondering, if ya'll ain't got no datat plan. What do you use your smartphone for?
timf79 said:
I tryed to change the 3G to a 4G plan (switch from Captivate to Infuse) online.
This did not work right away and so I started a chat with an ATT representative and it was taken care of in no time!
I am jsut wondering, if ya'll ain't got no datat plan. What do you use your smartphone for?
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Media player and phone. Before I got my unlimited data plan, I didn't have much of a need for a data plan as I was always on campus using their wifi.
Romeo20 said:
I resolve the issue with AT&T. After over 30 minutes on the phone, AT&T rep said that I need to provide the SIM and IME number of the Infuse. The data plan is still the same which is 200 Mg/ month for $15. As first, AT&T tried to hook a new 2G data plan. I did not complaint or yell; in fact, I was very polite. I stated that the Vibrant was not getting Voice mail notification, and that my wife hardly use the 200 MG that she has per month. Anyhow, a bit of patience and gratitude seem to do it, this time!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In case anyone comes here with the same question.. I started off with the 2 gig plan a year and a half after they canceled the unlimited plan. Popped my SIM card into the original iPhone set it up in iTunes and 20 minutes later had the unlimited data plan. Popped my SIM card in later that day and get that text every month. Just don't call or mention it. Hint: They don't really care.

Android on AT&T without data

Looking for an android phone to use on ATT that does not require a data plan.
Until recently i was using the HTC Amaze 4g ( a Tmobile phone) on ATT. For a few months i had no data, no problem. Then i started using the gps a bit, so i got the data, but it was data unlimited for $10/month since the phone was unidentified. That lasted for 3 months or so, then i got the dreadful text saying i need to add data to my line cause its a smartphone.. I then read online, that the Original Nexus, not the 4, was unidentified by AT&T, and that it could be used without data. So i got that, but within 12hrs was forced onto a data plan.
NOW, i am looking for any help or advice on finding a smartphone, preferably android, to use on ATT without data. I almost always have wifi, and really just cant pay $30 extra a month for data that i wont use.
Want a phone that i can check my gmail on, gchat, and have my calendar and music handy, without having multiple devices...
I know this has been discussed in the past, but the threads i came across are outdated, and with new policies and new phones, i was hoping for an update.
Thank you in advance for any help.
I considered putting a pre-paid SIM for minutes in my smartphone - but that would really be NO DATA.
You could probably pretty easily do that - it would just be no data at all.
They might not let you do it on a contract on ATT. T-Mobile doesn't care if you're on a pre-paid plan, but it would depend on if they had good coverage in your area (I am on the $30/mo plan 100min/unlimited text/5Gb data - they have one that focuses on minutes, too). There are also other pre-paid services that use various towers that offer competitive prices.
I guess it really depends on what you need from the service.
Pop your sim into a dumb phone, call them and tell them you want a data block, after they do their thing put the sim back into the smartphone. I've had it like that for 2 years, then I got data, and after a month I had to bock it again, so I put the sim into a dumb phone again and called them to put a block. It always works.
jaszek said:
Pop your sim into a dumb phone, call them and tell them you want a data block, after they do their thing put the sim back into the smartphone. I've had it like that for 2 years, then I got data, and after a month I had to bock it again, so I put the sim into a dumb phone again and called them to put a block. It always works.
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Click to collapse
Thats what ive done... but within a day or two, the data plan gets forced back on again... I even tried blocking data on the line, not using any at all, just wifi, and still they force it on. The rep says that the system scans for smartphones, and when it detects one it auto adds the data on.
atat sucks
cant do **** with **** t
faraband said:
Thats what ive done... but within a day or two, the data plan gets forced back on again... I even tried blocking data on the line, not using any at all, just wifi, and still they force it on. The rep says that the system scans for smartphones, and when it detects one it auto adds the data on.
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Click to collapse
Weird. Did you tell them to put a data block specifically? Did you give them your IMEI? Also, is the phone you're using an AT&T phone? I had my data blocked while going through 6 different smartphones, in a mix of windows mobile and Android. But non of them were AT&T branded.
Edit. Just reread the OP. All my phones were international except my G2 which was T-Mobile branded. And try to work with them over live chat. It's what I used and it always worked.
My last device with AT&T was an LG Thrive ( P506 ). I had no issues using it with AT&T and no data plan. Bear in mind that the P506 is a bottom end Android device. I was on the $25 month prepaid package for well over a year. In fact, I switched to Simple Mobile, only about 4 months ago.
shinobisoft said:
My last device with AT&T was an LG Thrive ( P506 ). I had no issues using it with AT&T and no data plan. Bear in mind that the P506 is a bottom end Android device. I was on the $25 month prepaid package for well over a year. In fact, I switched to Simple Mobile, only about 4 months ago.
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Click to collapse
Prepaid works differently in this type of situation
jaszek said:
Prepaid works differently in this type of situation
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That may be. OP asked for suggestions, thats what I gave. OP didnt specify prepaid or contract.
+1 for pre-paid. Gave my mom my old phone on a month to month contract. took them 4-5 months to actually detect her using the phone but they get pretty butt mad about it and start charging her some rediculous data plan.

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