How does the iPhone 4's ‘Personal Hotspot’ feature get switched on and off?
March 12, 2011 5:21 PM Subscribe
Does anyone definitively know how the iPhone 4's ‘Personal Hotspot’ feature is enabled by mobile network providers?
I'm curious whether anyone knows how the new ‘Personal Hotspot’ (formerly tethering) feature on the iPhone 4 is enabled and disabled by the carriers. I'm on the O2 network in the UK, which currently requires an additional monthly fee to use tethering (though apparently they're going to change their tariffs soon to include some amount as standard). I've also read that some networks allow it by default, while others don't permit it at all. What I'm curious to know, and haven't been able to determine so far, is how this is actually executed on the network provider's end. Is there some kind of a live list of iPhone serial numbers at Apple HQ that O2, AT&T and etc add and remove from as and when people pay up, or is it cruder than that?
I'm not asking because I want to subvert the system — that's what jailbreaking is for, after all! — but because I was surprised not to find a technical explanation for how the whole shebang is administered. So, if anyone can enlighten me, I'd appreciate it!
I'm curious whether anyone knows how the new ‘Personal Hotspot’ (formerly tethering) feature on the iPhone 4 is enabled and disabled by the carriers. I'm on the O2 network in the UK, which currently requires an additional monthly fee to use tethering (though apparently they're going to change their tariffs soon to include some amount as standard). I've also read that some networks allow it by default, while others don't permit it at all. What I'm curious to know, and haven't been able to determine so far, is how this is actually executed on the network provider's end. Is there some kind of a live list of iPhone serial numbers at Apple HQ that O2, AT&T and etc add and remove from as and when people pay up, or is it cruder than that?
I'm not asking because I want to subvert the system — that's what jailbreaking is for, after all! — but because I was surprised not to find a technical explanation for how the whole shebang is administered. So, if anyone can enlighten me, I'd appreciate it!
I think it's just an on/off feature on your account that the phone checks in with. Same things as call forwarding, hiding your caller id, and all those other features that you can access with a * function. The phone checks in with the carrier and says "This is my SIM # or IMEI #, what features are on/off at this moment."
posted by msbutah at 5:45 PM on March 12, 2011
posted by msbutah at 5:45 PM on March 12, 2011
In Settings>General>About, you'll see a Carrier Profile version. That's a file from the carrier that sets options like that.
posted by Mad_Carew at 6:37 PM on March 12, 2011
posted by Mad_Carew at 6:37 PM on March 12, 2011
This thread is closed to new comments.
posted by spikeleemajortomdickandharryconnickjrmints at 5:27 PM on March 12, 2011