Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with Ipad and att

Are AT&T data plans for iPad still month to month, or is it a contract?

ridogi — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 17:47:20 -0800

The original promise of the data plans for an iPad was that they were not a long term contract, but rather something you could use for a month or two, disable / cancel for a few months and then activate again as you needed it. You also would not have overage charges as running into the limit would just disable your account until you upped the plan. Is that still the case? I've been hearing that they now have termination fees, and after you cancel and try to add service again a few months down the road that problems reactivating the account are typical and require many trips to AT&T store or or call to their support number.

I am not talking about a shared data plan with other devices, but rather the option of signing up directly on the device (in settings --> cellular data).

I'm wondering what your experiences have been if you are someone who cancels and reactivates the data plan as needed.

How much could go wrong by letting some random guy try to unlock my AT&T iphone for use with Tmobile?

victoriab — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:50:24 -0800

Could I potentially ruin my Iphone (which I love) if I take it to some guy suggested by T-Mobile to get it unlocked because AT&T won't give me the unlock code. I've had an ATT Iphone 3G (or maybe 3GS) for the last 4+ years work. My job has paid the $100 @ month (900 minutes + unlimited data) and I've loved everything about the phone except for the crappy phone reception. Now I've left my job and don't want to pay the $100 bucks a month considering I never come close to using up the minutes and the phone reception is so lame. I hate to give up the unlimited data but I never stream movies or do anything serious on my phone so I don't know how much value that really has for me.

So, I've been thinking about getting an Ipad (with no data plan) for the fun stuff and dropping my phone plan down to a bare minimum. I'd assumed my current ATT Iphone would become a glorified Ipod touch and I'd get a new phone through whatever non-ATT provider I chose.

T-mobile seemed to have the cheapest monthly rates and so I'm looking at the T-mobile pre-paid plan for $30 @ month that gives you 1,500 minutes/texts + 30 MB of super slow data. Since I'd primarily be using it to check email I don't think it would be a major issue. I was about to get the LG Optimus T phone when I asked if I could use my Iphone on their network. She said I could if it was unlocked and that I should call ATT customer care first and then she suggested this guy "Manny, who unlocks phones" if the ATT approach didn't work.

So, ATT won't unlock the phone because of "contract issues". My modem firmware is 05.16.02 so I can't use that ultrasn0w software that was mentioned in the Iphone thread from a few days ago. I'm not super technical so was hoping to get some guidance from Mefites
* Is it possible to unlock my ATT Iphone without too much risk?
* Is T-mobile going to be an improvement over ATT?
* Should I just buy the LG Optimus and let my Iphone revert to an Ipod Touch?
* Am I crazy to give up the unlimited AT&T data just as I'm about to get an Ipad? I would like to about $50 a month total and right now I can only get it down to $80 if I stay with AT&T.

I'm open to all scenarios or suggestions on how to cobble together the best system.

Now iPhone, iPad, can you two play nice or do I have to have you separated?

Rewind — Tue, 27 Dec 2011 17:51:48 -0800

Can I use the same Macbook Pro (and iTunes account) to sync up both an AT&T iPhone AND a Verizon iPad? I currently have an AT&T iPhone which I sync with my Macbook Pro. My lovely wife currently has a Verizon iPhone which she syncs with her own Windows machine (separate Apple store account as well.) She very generously bought me a Verizon iPad2 for Christmas thinking that she would just add the iPad data plan to her existing Verizon account. However, I'm wondering if I'll be able to do this since the iTunes on my Macbook Pro still "thinks" I have a data plan with AT&T (via my existing iPhone.) Is iTunes smart enough to recognize that the iPhone and iPad are using two different data carriers but the same Apple store account, or is my best bet to return the Verizon iPad and just get an AT&T version?

Note: I also realize that I could create my own Verizon account just for the iPad and pay month to month, and I'm willing to do that, but it seems a little cumbersome for both my wife and I to have two separate accounts with Verizon. I've yet to open the iPad and just connect it and see what happens in case I end up needing to exchange it. Thanks in advance.

iPad data plan + At&t compatible android + prepaid voice = ?

tropikal — Mon, 18 Oct 2010 08:52:15 -0800

I hardly talk on the phone any more, when I do it's usually only a few minutes (last bill I used 60 of an available 500). So I could probably make do with a prepaid plan. However, I use data all the time; email, Google calendar, etc. Now many people out there have put the iPad data plan to use in assorted Android phones, granted that was before the AT&T unlimited cutoff. But has anyone done it after? Split voice and data to two devices? Is the slight hassle worth it? I'd use google voice to direct calls and such, wifi at work, home, many places I frequent so I'm not to worried about going over the 2 GB limit. Anyone out there with first hand experience?

Bye-bye data plan! (Lisa needs braces!)

Wild_Eep — Wed, 23 Jun 2010 12:39:53 -0800

Where can I find documentation of Apple's and AT&T's offers related to iPad data plans before they were recently changed? Are they archived anywhere? AT&T changed their data plan offerings recently, but grandfathered-in people whose iPads were ordered before a certain date. I want to find out what AT&T was offering (and what Apple said AT&T was offering) before the change.

What to do about AT&T data plan changes?

Joleta — Wed, 02 Jun 2010 07:49:49 -0800

Should I switch to one of the new AT&T data plans for my iPhone? AT&T has announced the end of unlimited data plans for smartphones, including the iPhone. I currently have the $30 unlimited data plan and can keep this as long as I have my current iPhone, if I'm reading the news correctly. I also just bought a wifi-only iPad and am trying to figure out if switching to one of the new data plans on my iPhone would be beneficial.

I used just under 800 MB since 3/1, averaging 266 MB a month. On the new Data Plus plan (200 MB for $15, with an additional 200 MB for $15 if you go over) this would cost me the same $30 as I'm currently paying for unlimited data, but save me $15 in any month I don't go over 200MB. On the $25 Data Pro plan, I'd get 2 GB of data and save $5 a month. I could also tack on another $20 to tether my iPad for a net increase of $15 per month over my current plan. But that's basically the same $15 per month that I would have paid for the smaller of the former iPad 3G plans (had I bought an iPad 3G), but I will have saved the $130 extra cost of the 3G iPad.

I don't plan on doing a lot of streaming on my iPad if I tether it, so I shouldn't overrun the 2 GB plan. It would just be nice to have the option to read e-mail, look up restaurant reviews, use Google maps, etc. when I'm out of wifi range. I realize I can do all that now on my iPhone, but it's just easier to do some things on the iPad.

Am I missing anything here? Should I switch to the Data Pro plan on my iPhone and add the tethering for a net $15 increase per month? I'm nervous about doing this because I won't be able to go back to the unlimited data plan.

Can I use Google Voice for voicemail without a real phone number?

lizzicide — Sat, 01 May 2010 10:03:22 -0800

Another ditch-the-cell-phone-bill/Google Voice question: Google Voice made me give them my cell phone number (800-OLD-CELL) when I signed up, and then assigned me a new number (800-GGL-VOIC). However, I don't have calls forwarded from the Google Voice number to my actual cell phone - Instead, everything goes to voicemail. What happens if I cancel my old cell phone number? I'm about ready to ditch my iPhone and go all iPad. I never make calls, I do all my texting through Google Voice, and I've never exceeded the 250mb of data that would cost $15/month on the iPad. So we're talking about a difference between paying $86/month for the iPhone and paying $15/month for the iPad.

Only one or two calls come in each month, so I want to give out my Google Voice number and set all calls to forward directly to Google Voicemail. Callers would leave me a message, I'd be alerted of the new message by email either on my iPad or on my computer, and if the situation required an actual call back, I could call them from Skype (which I've never used) or someone else's phone.

My question is, what happens to Google Voice if I call AT&T and have them shut off my original phone number, 800-OLD-CELL? Will people still be able to call 800-GGL-VOIC and leave me a message?

If this isn't feasible, can anyone recommend the best way I can make this work? My requirements are:
- Phone number I can hand out that redirects to voicemail
- Email alerts of new voicemail
- Ability to send and receive SMS.