Don’t need data? Remove it.
November 15th, 2007
I’m not sure if this is a mistake on AT&T’s part or not, but the option to remove your iPhone data plan is now available. Previously, this was something you could not change.
Benefits do doing something like this is that you wouldn’t pay $20 (or more) for data if you don’t enjoy EDGE or use it sparsely. Also, some refrain from using it because of the slow speeds.
This wouldn’t be great for someone who checks the weather on the go, or doesn’t use WiFi a lot.
So, if you just hate EDGE and have always wanted to get rid of it, now you can. Just go to your AT&T myAccount page and click “Add/Manage Features”.
Also, a note: this will additionally remove text messaging, you should add a text messaging plan if you don’t want to pay by the message.
Update: Something else I forgot to mention is that you will no longer have access to Visual Voicemail if data is removed. You’ll have to call for voicemail just like any other phone.
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I would be very careful with this. If you remove the plan, does it cut your access off or will it still allow you to access the Internet and charge you non-plan prices?
Unless your iPhone is jailbroken, there is no easy way to ensure that all EDGE activity is shut off and using data that is not included in a plan has been traditionally very expensive.
Make sure you have all the facts before doing this.
You can still access WiFi and such, but will receive exorbitant data charges. The data plan is necessary for any Internet activity on the iphone, to avoid these large data charges.
The new i phones have the feature to turn off edge data, while in Europe was apples thinking. apply that here and viola all set!
So is this still true? I have been looking into getting an iPhone and I just talked to an AT&T representative. They said that you couldn’t remove the data plan.
I have been considering re-virginizing my unlocked iPhone and sign up for the official iPhone plan, but only if I can remove the data plan from it. I have AT&T already, but does not need data outside of wifi areas. Can someone verify the information in this post?
i want an iphone but i dont want to sign up 2 the AT&T contract
is there anyways to get around this or prefrably not go on AT&T at all
I tried to remove the $20 charge on two of my three iPhones. It took me a long time to reach an AT&T rep. I was disconnected three times after hitting the button of the message to reach a person to cancel a feature. I changed my tactic and pushed the “add a feature” button. Got through right away!
During the conversation with the rep the ability to do “remove a feature”, was changed on the AT&T website right before my eyes. The rep said that if I removed internet access the phones would not work. I gave up for the time being. Any ideas?
Even though I never signed up for an iPhone plan, AT&T has detected that I have one, and they have now made it impossible to remove features online. Fortunately, I had just disabled the $20 dataplan I added for iPhone data use, a few days before, since I do not really need it.
And re-virginizing, and upgrading to 1.1.1 worked just fine.
Instructions and all you need here: http://iphone.unlock.no/
patrick, November 28th, 2007 at 9:34 am
i want an iphone but i dont want to sign up 2 the AT&T contract
is there anyways to get around this or prefrably not go on AT&T at all.
Maybe ,you can I was told from 2 people from at&t that if you got your phone from someone else you do not have to sign up for 2 years ,why would you ?Your not getting a rebate on the phone .If that were true that you had to then why would any used phone be worth anything ,you would not be able to sell it .I also have this recorded as everyone should do .You do not need the recording or tell them about it if you stay with them just use it if you not with them for 2 years ,because it will be them billing you and then you take them to court .I’m thinking of posting it on myspace because its so wrong what there doing .Apple should of never of gone with at&t .The best thing you can do is call all at&t stores and ask and record and email and write the global warming and the environment people about all the used phones being no good and put in the trash for no reason ,really these people have power .Tell them why use a used phone when you can get a new one free with 2 years .I have 3 att lines and 3 sprint lines I’m thinking for turning in my Iphone for a I touch because the att will not pickup at work or home.Any one need that recording just email me at badboychronic@gmail.com or call me on my iphone 540-314-8971 I only give that out online because I’m trying to change it but att says I have to call apple to do that .lol
AT&T is “protecting customers” from high data (per KB) charges by displaying an error on Add/Manage features:
F999: You can view your current features as an iPhone customer, but you are not able to add or remove features online at this time. If you would like to add or remove a feature, please contact customer service at 800-331-0500.
I spoke to an iPhone tech specialist and that says there is NO way to disable EDGE on a non-jail broken iPhone. Even under Wi-fi only, the iPhone chats with EDGE for visual voicemail and other features.
Unfortunately to change ANYTHING ELSE on the iPhone plan requires calling AT&T.
Unless you want HIGH per-KB charges don’t try to “save” $20.
So, if I buy an iphone and pay the $20/month for the duration of my 2 year contract and then decide I no longer want the data plan, can I cancel the data plan and still use the iphone as a phone, ipod, ipod video, camera? I just asked at an at&t store and they said that the iphone device would not even turn on at all without the plan! So does that mean that I couldn’t even use the iphone just as an ipod?
I was with Cingular when it changed to AT&T. I have a $20 a month which I obtained way back in 1999. You will never see this plan ever offered by a wireless company. However I still have it. I tried talking to a AT&T sales person of obtaining an IPhone and keeping my $20 a month plan. They say that is not possible because I had a very cheap plan. I really don’t give a damn about any features. I just want an iphone and thats it. How can a purchase an iphone and keep my $20 a month plan?
I just called Cingular to adjust something on my i phone package after previously asking AT&T to remove the data plan and they automatically added it back onto my account. The lady said something to the nature of AT&T has a contract with Apple in that all Iphone customers have to have a data plan or else they will suspend your account. Automatically she changed it saying it would be bad business ethic to allow the data packaged to remain off the account. Amazing as to the fact that someone at AT&T gave us the recommendation to remove it. Good luck guys. Maybe I’ll call someone else and see if they’ll remove it again.
Hello!!
I am not sure of this yet??
i have go phone plan with att i paying 39.99 right now… i recently bought i iphone but i don’t want data for extra 20 dollas..
Is this true for sure now u have the choice to add or remove Data??
thx
WHO ACTUALLY HAS AN iPHONE WITHOUT A DATA PLAN & HOW DID YOU DO IT?
Those of you against this, it will be saving $20/month which is $240/year. That’s a hell of a lot more than the interest people earn on an average savings account.
Beside this guy did it. I just don’t know how.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fE7d7ji7aAo
(Btw, his phone bill was high because he didn’t have a data plan BUT continued to use the internet.)
So i was asking me the same question about having a 39.99 plan but no dataplan. I called att and of course they were not consistent on they answers i was told “you cannot remove dataplan” and “yes sir, you do”.
So after talking and talking i made this att rep. contradict herself and she finally came up with what seems to be the truth… she said. Ok sir first of all:
“You need dataplan beacause you need to activate your iphone by going online using your iphone so you will need dataplan.”
- so i said: ok so that means i can have the dataplan just the first month to activate it and then remove the dataplan after. Right?
“Yes, but i wont recomend you to do so because we have NO WAY to block your phone from having internet access. Say someone uses your phone and goes online; you will be charge for every single kilobyte and i’ve seen phonebills of thousands of dollars due that problem.”
so that was it BUT there is a way around to all this. My roomate has an iphone, he bought it at an apple store but he didnt want to have ATT nor a 2yr plan, he wanted Verizon. So somehow he unlocked his phone and now it works with verizon and guess what??? he doesnt have a data plan and everytime he wants to go online his iphone shows an error message.
Um Oscar, there is no way your roomate has a GSM iPhone on Verizon’s CDMA network. Maybe T-mobile but definitely not Verizon.