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I'm sure there's been plenty of posts regarding this (and I'll probably get some flack from moderators), but I thought I should revisit this issue and get everyone's thoughts before I jump on the bandwagon.
Anyone here got the dreaded text, automatically switched, or loss data services altogether simply because you were using the AT&T $15 MediaNet plan? Or better yet, the $10 family plan?
I'm on the $15 plan that was originally used by a lowly 3G featurephone, and have never upgraded to a branded smartphone with AT&T. Just wondering if there are folks with my same situation who've taken the plunge into Nexus One waters. So...are you still swimming?
I've had the $4.99 T-Zones plan since 2008 and it still is going strong. I've never bought a subsidized phone. Not one single complaint. Not on AT&T obviously. Oops.
jacka$$1 said:
I'm sure there's been plenty of posts regarding this (and I'll probably get some flack from moderators), but I thought I should revisit this issue and get everyone's thoughts before I jump on the bandwagon.
Anyone here got the dreaded text, automatically switched, or loss data services altogether simply because you were using the AT&T $15 MediaNet plan? Or better yet, the $10 family plan?
I'm on the $15 plan that was originally used by a lowly 3G featurephone, and have never upgraded to a branded smartphone with AT&T. Just wondering if there are folks with my same situation who've taken the plunge into Nexus One waters. So...are you still swimming?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
In short, your account needs to have smartphone exclusion on it to prevent your data plan from jumping to the $30 smartphone data plan. If it doesn't have this rare SOC code, it's difficult to get, and you won't be able to do much of anything to stop the change from happening.
j.bruha said:
In short, your account needs to have smartphone exclusion on it to prevent your data plan from jumping to the $30 smartphone data plan. If it doesn't have this rare SOC code, it's difficult to get, and you won't be able to do much of anything to stop the change from happening.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm aware of the smartphone exclusion status. But no one seems to have a clear answer as to "how" to get that status. Multiple stories abound: I've heard that you have to have had a smartphone with no data prior to Sept '09. I've also heard that folks who have a dumbphone (featurephone) with a 3G data plan ($15) are also excluded because they've never upgraded to a branded smartphone thru ATT. I'm on the latter situation. Does anyone here used to be on the $15 MediaNet+dumbphone combo and are now using a Nexus One?
jacka$$1 said:
I'm aware of the smartphone exclusion status. But no one seems to have a clear answer as to "how" to get that status. Multiple stories abound: I've heard that you have to have had a smartphone with no data prior to Sept '09. I've also heard that folks who have a dumbphone (featurephone) with a 3G data plan ($15) are also excluded because they've never upgraded to a branded smartphone thru ATT. I'm on the latter situation. Does anyone here used to be on the $15 MediaNet+dumbphone combo and are now using a Nexus One?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If it helps, I never purchased ANY phone through AT&T since I started service with them in mid-2008 since I always used unlocked phones and I still got hit with the text. The only reason I have the smartphone exclusion is because I called AT&T when they switched my data plan automatically and pitched a huge fit. I still can't get them to add it to the other line on my account.
So I guess try to talk to the customer "solutions" team about canceling your service and see if they'll add it for you?
I am using AT&T Nexus One from the day they were out (about 3 weeks now), I am still on $10 family MediaNet plan.
I have never bought smartphone from AT&T, perhaps that is the reason, or they haven't done their sweep yet.
j.bruha said:
If it helps, I never purchased ANY phone through AT&T since I started service with them in mid-2008 since I always used unlocked phones and I still got hit with the text. The only reason I have the smartphone exclusion is because I called AT&T when they switched my data plan automatically and pitched a huge fit. I still can't get them to add it to the other line on my account.
So I guess try to talk to the customer "solutions" team about canceling your service and see if they'll add it for you?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That makes sense. But have you, or ever, upgraded your plan from a $15 to a $30 plan, and then back down to $15? (Or something to that effect.) I'm just wondering that since you never bought a device from them, a change in your data plan might also trigger the auto-switch? Just covering all bases how an auto-switch (or change in the smartphone exclusion status) can be triggered by either device upgrade or data plan upgrade thru AT&T.
rome425 said:
I am using AT&T Nexus One from the day they were out (about 3 weeks now), I am still on $10 family MediaNet plan.
I have never bought smartphone from AT&T, perhaps that is the reason, or they haven't done their sweep yet.
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Click to collapse
Excellent! Good luck on that. Please keep us posted if the status on your data ever changes. I'm gonna try using the N1 under the $15 MediaNet and see how much mileage I can get out of it.
Well; I have some bad news for you guys that think your getting lucky by tricking them.
At&t does not have this phone registered in their system. So if you call them and have them change the IMEI number to reflect this phone, it will come up as unknown. So the only option they have for a data plan is the $15 plan ($10 if you have a family plan).
The only reason why I know this: I came from an iPhone to this, so I had to call them and change the IMEI number.
Sorry to rain on your parade, but as long as At&t does not register this in their system, we will get the cheaper plan.
And usually, unless they sell it, they won't register it. So we are good to go for the life of this phone.
Squeaky369 said:
Well; I have some bad news for you guys that think your getting lucky by tricking them.
At&t does not have this phone registered in their system. So if you call them and have them change the IMEI number to reflect this phone, it will come up as unknown. So the only option they have for a data plan is the $15 plan ($10 if you have a family plan).
The only reason why I know this: I came from an iPhone to this, so I had to call them and change the IMEI number.
Sorry to rain on your parade, but as long as At&t does not register this in their system, we will get the cheaper plan.
And usually, unless they sell it, they won't register it. So we are good to go for the life of this phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You should have a look at: AT&T automatically addining $30 Smartphone Data plan to the unbranded Nexus 1!?
jacka$$1 said:
That makes sense. But have you, or ever, upgraded your plan from a $15 to a $30 plan, and then back down to $15? (Or something to that effect.) I'm just wondering that since you never bought a device from them, a change in your data plan might also trigger the auto-switch? Just covering all bases how an auto-switch (or change in the smartphone exclusion status) can be triggered by either device upgrade or data plan upgrade thru AT&T.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I'm glad you asked because I did buy two 3GS's from them and flipped them on eBay for a ridiculous profit. I had to call AT&T right after I bought them to have them remove the smartphone data plan since I wasn't using the iPhones anymore.
This could be part of the reason why my account triggered the change.
I have been on a grandfathered-in mediaworks package for ~8 years now ($20 for unlimited data, 1500sms and 200mms). AT&T has never once changed my plan on me and they never will. I'm out of contact
I had the T-Mobile version on ATT shortly after the tmobile versions launch. I was using the 10$ medianet plan for about a week until I got the dreaded text. I thought it was a glitch so I went online and changed it back. A few minutes later, I got the text again. I sold my nexus and bought a milestone until the ATT version came out. I came to the conclusion that I would pay for the 30$ smartphone plan if I was using the ATT version because I would be getting 3G. I just got the ATT version in today and havnt switched plans yet. My buddy works for ATT and asked for my IMEI number to get credit for the switch from medianet to smartphone plan. He called me back saying that my new ATT nexus' IMEI number wasn't registering meaning I could use the media net plan. There have been some rumors that ATT put a cap on the speeds of the media net plan, so he asked me to run a speed test. My speeds show that I was getting normal 3g speeds for my area(786 dl). Ill post again if ATT gets ahold of this batch of IMEI numbers and auto adds the smartphone plan.
nephroid said:
I've had the $4.99 T-Zones plan since 2008 and it still is going strong. I've never bought a subsidized phone. Not one single complaint. Not on AT&T obviously. Oops.
Click to expand...
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Do you get 3G with t-zones?
superninjaquan said:
I had the T-Mobile version on ATT shortly after the tmobile versions launch. I was using the 10$ medianet plan for about a week until I got the dreaded text. I thought it was a glitch so I went online and changed it back. A few minutes later, I got the text again. I sold my nexus and bought a milestone until the ATT version came out. I came to the conclusion that I would pay for the 30$ smartphone plan if I was using the ATT version because I would be getting 3G. I just got the ATT version in today and havnt switched plans yet. My buddy works for ATT and asked for my IMEI number to get credit for the switch from medianet to smartphone plan. He called me back saying that my new ATT nexus' IMEI number wasn't registering meaning I could use the media net plan. There have been some rumors that ATT put a cap on the speeds of the media net plan, so he asked me to run a speed test. My speeds show that I was getting normal 3g speeds for my area(786 dl). Ill post again if ATT gets ahold of this batch of IMEI numbers and auto adds the smartphone plan.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Excellent! That definitely got me on the bandwagon. Just ordered the N1 and should be getting it Wednesday. I'll keep ya'll posted with the hopes that the IMEI batch for these new N1's will be kept hidden from ATT. Good luck to all!
GldRush98 said:
I have been on a grandfathered-in mediaworks package for ~8 years now ($20 for unlimited data, 1500sms and 200mms). AT&T has never once changed my plan on me and they never will. I'm out of contact
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Incredible! Grandfathered plans are always the best. How long have you had your N1?
I'm confused... Why were you guys giving att the imei #s? I bought my tmobile version unlocked through google and never had to let tmo know... I just dropped my SIM card in from my G1 and went on my way.
So how much data do you guys get for $15?
liam.lah said:
So how much data do you guys get for $15?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
UNLIMITED*
Spoiler
*5 gigs
liam.lah said:
So how much data do you guys get for $15?
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Click to collapse
Tons. Lotsa lotsa tons.
I'm currently in a AT&T Family Plan and my line has the old unlimited data plan. While my wife was in the local AT&T store buying a new Blackberry Torch, I was checking out the Captivate and really loved what I saw.
So I started talking to the AT&T guy, asking about data plans and such if I was to update my phone now. He stated that if I bought the Captivate I wouldn't be able to keep my old unlimited data plan, and that I'd have to either change to the 200MB or 2GB data plan. Is this really true, or is the rep just trying to get me into one of the new plans?
Also, I'm curious about the Captivate's GPS - the box states it's aGPS. Now I know this can mean a few things, but I'm curious if the Captivate has a "real" GPS chip in it, or does the Captivate's aGPS just use cell tower triangulation for navigation purposes?
I thought I'd get other's opinions before actually getting the phone - which I really do want!
Rambler358 said:
I'm currently in a AT&T Family Plan and my line has the old unlimited data plan. While my wife was in the local AT&T store buying a new Blackberry Torch, I was checking out the Captivate and really loved what I saw.
So I started talking to the AT&T guy, asking about data plans and such if I was to update my phone now. He stated that if I bought the Captivate I wouldn't be able to keep my old unlimited data plan, and that I'd have to either change to the 200MB or 2GB data plan. Is this really true, or is the rep just trying to get me into one of the new plans?
Also, I'm curious about the Captivate's GPS - the box states it's aGPS. Now I know this can mean a few things, but I'm curious if the Captivate has a "real" GPS chip in it, or does the Captivate's aGPS just use cell tower triangulation for navigation purposes?
I thought I'd get other's opinions before actually getting the phone - which I really do want!
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think either the rep is trying to trick you, or he may just not know. When I bought my Captivate I was able to keep my existing unlimited plan, so I'd assume it'd apply to you as well. And yes the GPS receiver is actual GPS, however there are some issues with it at the moment (problems with holding a lock and tracking, etc.), and Samsung is trying to fix them.
KCutrer1 said:
I think either the rep is trying to trick you, or he may just not know. When I bought my Captivate I was able to keep my existing unlimited plan, so I'd assume it'd apply to you as well. And yes the GPS receiver is actual GPS, however there are some issues with it at the moment (problems with holding a lock and tracking, etc.), and Samsung is trying to fix them.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Thanks - maybe I can just go to another AT&T store, as there's a few around me and see if the reps give me the same "you must change data plan" story.
I've read about the GPS issues, and it seems some have them and some don't. I also see there's a couple fixes for the Captivate's GPS issue, but do they really work? The GPS feature is something I really want/need, as I'm not planning on buying a standalone GPS as well.
That's a lie. When i purchased my Captivate on my renewal, i ended up having to call AT&T directly as they wouldn't give me the deal price in the store and when the representative on the phone tried to sell me on one of their new plans, i immediately said, "No.. i want the unlimited plan transferred to the Captivate from my iPhone." It took him a few minutes of putting on hold to talk to his supervisor to come back and tell me it was done. So don't believe the AT&T rep in the store, they're probably told to tell you it's not possible. I'm telling you it is.
Remember.. once the unlimited plan is gone.. you can't get it back.
terrigan said:
That's a lie. When i purchased my Captivate on my renewal, i ended up having to call AT&T directly as they wouldn't give me the deal price in the store and when the representative on the phone tried to sell me on one of their new plans, i immediately said, "No.. i want the unlimited plan transferred to the Captivate from my iPhone."
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Okay, this jogs my memory a bit now. The rep did say that if I was coming from an iPhone that I could keep my unlimited plan, otherwise I'd need to get one of the new plans. I currently have a HTC Advantage, but a Motorola Razr is showing up on my account as my current phone - which I was using until I got the Advantage, but obviously not from AT&T.
So even with the above would I still be able to retain my current unlimited data plan? I just want to have my ducks in a row before going back to the AT&T store.
I would call AT&T on the phone and inquire. I don't know about that, I had an iPhone and they didn't give me a hard time at all.
terrigan said:
I would call AT&T on the phone and inquire. I don't know about that, I had an iPhone and they didn't give me a hard time at all.
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Click to collapse
Okay, just got off the phone with AT&T. According to the rep, if I previously had a "smartphone" with the unlimited data plan then I could keep that plan. But unfortunately my old Motorola Razr was not classified as a smartphone, and I'd need to choose one of the 2 new data plans available if I got the Captivate. And they're not able to back-date the IMEI number of the HTC Advantage.
So do you guys with the 2GB data plans come close to exceeding that at all? I'm now beginning to wonder if I should drop AT&T and go with another carrier for unlimited data.
Depends on how you use the phone
If you are jumping ship for a different carrier do it soon. I know for a fact Verizon will be doing that soon from a friend that works there. T-Mobile doesn't have a "cap" but they may as well, you get throttled after you use so much bandwidth. I don't know about Sprint, but if you are in a 4G Sprint area, that may be your best bet. The Epic is supposed to be the best Galaxy S phone.
Over the past 10 months, I have only had one month less than 2GB, at 1.4GB. My max was 4.8GB, and it appears I average about 3GB. My wife on the other hand, ranged from 90MB to 550MB, with most months at around 250MB. We both use our phones a lot. We both had iPhones until the Captivate came out. Once we switched to the Captivate both our data usages spiked. The difference is HOW we use our phones. We both use the web, a lot. But I stream Pandora almost daily for hours at work, and I download a lot of Podcasts. Sometimes I download podcasts on my phone when I am home even though I have WiFi just so I feel like I am getting my $$ from AT&T.
Sure you can survive on the new $15 data plan, but I wouldn't do it.
quarlow said:
Sure you can survive on the new $15 data plan, but I wouldn't do it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If I was to stick with AT&T I'd definately get the $25 2GB data plan. Unfortunately AT&T isn't offering any higher data plans - even for business users!
If I did drop AT&T, I was thinking about Sprint and the HTC EVO (for the larger screen). But I just checked Sprint's 4G coverage for the west coast, and it's very slim. So Verizon would be my other option. I'll talk to the wife and see what she thinks. I'd definately be paying more for service by leaving my current AT&T Family Plan though, so that's something I need to consider as well.
Rambler358 said:
Okay, just got off the phone with AT&T. According to the rep, if I previously had a "smartphone" with the unlimited data plan then I could keep that plan. But unfortunately my old Motorola Razr was not classified as a smartphone, and I'd need to choose one of the 2 new data plans available if I got the Captivate. And they're not able to back-date the IMEI number of the HTC Advantage.
So do you guys with the 2GB data plans come close to exceeding that at all? I'm now beginning to wonder if I should drop AT&T and go with another carrier for unlimited data.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I am in a similar predicament as I have an unlimited non-smartphone data plan that I am still using. Recently I put my sim into my friends Captivate to see if it would still work. I lose internet on some programs will retain it on others. For example, Google Maps works and connects fine, but FriendsStream does not, and most if not all widgets. The Android browser also doesnt work, but there is a workaround (Opera Mini). I'm always surfing the web, and like someone said earlier I stream music from Pandora about 6 hours a day, and I feel bad for my friends who have the capped plan when I see them run like roaches when we are at a WiFi available restaurant. I dont know if the 2GB plan will be enough for me.
I currently have my non-smartphone plan on my blackberry, and although I cant use BB apps like BBM, or the BB Browser... Opera Mini does the job, and 3rd Party apps including Google maps and Pandora work fine. I miss out on not being able to use some cool apps because of this, but the Captivate for sure is an internet-friendly phone.
quarlow said:
If you are jumping ship for a different carrier do it soon. I know for a fact Verizon will be doing that soon from a friend that works there. T-Mobile doesn't have a "cap" but they may as well, you get throttled after you use so much bandwidth. I don't know about Sprint, but if you are in a 4G Sprint area, that may be your best bet. The Epic is supposed to be the best Galaxy S phone.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Funny part is, AT&T is the only carrier with a truly unlimited data plan. (If you still have the unlimited data plan that is) Verizon, T-mobile, Sprint, all of their "unlimited" data plans are capped at 5gb.
I just got my captivate a week ago. They never said i had to change my data plan if upgrading. My unlimited plan just carried over. I switched from the htc pure.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I897 using XDA App
nuwayman said:
I just got my captivate a week ago. They never said i had to change my data plan if upgrading. My unlimited plan just carried over. I switched from the htc pure.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If AT&T had your HTC Pure indicated on your account previously, then you're good to go. Unfortunately when I got my HTC Advantage, I never called in to get the IMEI switched over. Now that's hurting me because I want to upgrade and keep the unlimited plan.
I had a Samsung A-737 (not a smart phone) and the $15 unlimited data plan. When I upgraded at an AT&T store, I was not allowed to keep that plan; I decided to go with the 2 gb, $25 plan. Additional usage is charged at $10/gb.
Though I'm sure I went over in the first month, for some reason AT&T was not able to track my usage. This second month, I'm approaching my limit; I've downloaded a lot of apps and other files, watched quite a number of youtube videos, surfed a lot, but I never stream audio, preferring to play from my own collection.
Regardless of whether 2gb is enough, having to watch data usage is a hassle... If, somehow, you can keep your unlimited plan as others have, that would be preferable. My counsel is to not give in so easy as I did. Perhaps, try upgrading by phone, direct to AT&T.
gary_lankford said:
I decided to go with the 2 gb, $25 plan. Additional usage is charged at $10/gb.
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Click to collapse
The bad part is anything over 2GB is charged the extra $10, even a byte over will be charged extra.
Perhaps, try upgrading by phone, direct to AT&T.
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Click to collapse
Yeah, I tried this as well to no avail.
Though what's interesting is that I've been using my phone's SIM card in my Alienware M11x laptop (with the Gobi WWAN card) for data when WiFi isn't available. And it doesn't seem like the laptop's data usage is being recorded by AT&T for some reason. If that's the case, then maybe the 2GB plan just for the Captivate won't be an issue.
This is my second month with the Captivate on the 2gig plan. The first billing cycle was only 2 weeks and I totaled 465mb. Not bad, I though; I figured I could keep it under 2 gigs. However, two weeks into this billing cycle I got a warning message from att that I was nearly at my limit. I have no idea how I could have used 2000mb in two weeks. I don't stream anything and I kill tasks that might use background data. Even so, 2gigs is a lot.
This was my first smartphone. I truly regret signing on with ATT for two years. If I could do it again, I'd go with T-Mobile for the Vibrant or Sprint with the Epic (which wasn't out yet when I got my phone).
ATT's plan is a rip-off.
DemonWav said:
Funny part is, AT&T is the only carrier with a truly unlimited data plan. (If you still have the unlimited data plan that is) Verizon, T-mobile, Sprint, all of their "unlimited" data plans are capped at 5gb.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Still better than AT&T's 2GB data plan, for not much more money.
Ordered ours over the phone (after lots of hassle to get them to cave and allow an early upgrade from the 3GS) and it seems our unlimited data carried over. However, I didn't put in the new SIM they sent or "activate" it as they say to do... was worried it would require changing the data plan.
A couple months ago my iPhone 3gs got stolen and I had to use a razr as a backup phone for a couple weeks. They removed my unlimited data and changed me to unlimited Media Net... When I called to inquire and be sure I could change back over to unlimited smart phone data with no problem, they assured me there would be no hassle and they'd note the account. When I did get another iPhone, it actually ended up taking me about an hour on the phone with several reps that went through a few managers to get them to put my unlimited smart phone data package back on. They argued over whether they should be allowed to do it or not :-/ So I'm worried about losing it again, even though I actually don't even use much data at all in reality (I don't have 3g in my area, just EDGE, and I'm often around wifi... but just never know when I may need that unlimited )
Keeping Your Unlimited Data Plan
I was able to keep my unlimited data plan on AT&T. I had an iPhone which i gave to my wife when her Blackberry broke. I acquired an old Blackberry Bold 8800 from work to use until I got ready to upgrade. I moved jobs and had to return the phone. Stuck my SIM card in an old LG flip phone for the weekend until i was able to get to a store to upgrade. The rep switched me over to a 200 MB plan without saying anything. When I checked my features online the next day as I never trust the sells reps, I found the change. I immediately called AT&T. The cust. serv. rep began to explain that since I had switched from a smartphone to a non-smartphone I was no longer eligible to continue my Unlimited Data plan. I immediately asked for a manager. Within a few short mins I had my Unlimited Data Plan restored. I believe if you press them hard enough they will give in. It may take a call to AT&T customer service waiting for a manager and making your case, but he seemed ready to help and didn't want to lose a customer.
natedog75 said:
I was able to keep my unlimited data plan on AT&T. I had an iPhone which i gave to my wife when her Blackberry broke. I acquired an old Blackberry Bold 8800 from work to use until I got ready to upgrade. I moved jobs and had to return the phone. Stuck my SIM card in an old LG flip phone for the weekend until i was able to get to a store to upgrade. The rep switched me over to a 200 MB plan without saying anything. When I checked my features online the next day as I never trust the sells reps, I found the change. I immediately called AT&T. The cust. serv. rep began to explain that since I had switched from a smartphone to a non-smartphone I was no longer eligible to continue my Unlimited Data plan. I immediately asked for a manager. Within a few short mins I had my Unlimited Data Plan restored. I believe if you press them hard enough they will give in. It may take a call to AT&T customer service waiting for a manager and making your case, but he seemed ready to help and didn't want to lose a customer.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I've spoke to 2 different reps and each time they spoke to their managers. Unless your unlimited data plan was previously on a iPhone, then they won't (they specifically said can't) switch you over.
This is the main reason I think I'm going over to Sprint, as well as moving the wife over once her contract is up this December. Oh well, it's AT&T's loss not mine.
So T-Mobile's 50MB hard cap on data roaming with the unlimited data plan is seriously cramping my style. Knowing that whenever I'm out of T-Mobile coverage area, my phone roams on AT&T, today I picked up a prepaid SIM on AT&T. I went with the $65 smartphone plan, just so I could try it for a month and see if I might want to switch from T-Mobile.
For those who don't know, it includes unlimited talk and text, plus 1GB of data. After using it tonight, I'm quite aghast at some of the restrictions AT&T places on these prepaid plans.
First off, prepaid accounts don't get access to MyAT&T, neither on the web nor the Android app. This means that the only way you can check your data usage is to dial *777*3# every time. To add insult, it only tells you the amount of data you have remaining, not how much you've used. Its easy to do simple arithmetic, but couldn't they show data usage in the same manner everyone else does? I've never seen anyone show data remaining in lieu of data used.
Next, it appears, for prepaid users anyway, that speedtest.net is blocked somehow. When opening the app, it finds a server, does the ping test, then hangs, unable to start a download. Trying it over WiFi works fine, so it would seem to be an AT&T issue.
Next, they do not offer any prepaid plan with more than 1GB of data. The guy at the store said that it will just cut off after you reach the 1GB cap, but the info sheet I got says they would bill $0.05 per megabyte, deducted from my prepaid account. This would NEVER work for me if using AT&T as my daily carrier. 1GB is child's play for me. I'd burn through that in a week.
Because of all this, I'm kinda faced with a predicament. I will either need to switch to an AT&T individual postpaid month-to-month plan with 450 minutes, unlimited texting, and 5 GB of data for $110/mo and get the vast coverage, or I can stick with my T-Mobile Simple Choice plan where I get unlimited talk, text, and data for $70/mo, but am limited to 50MB of data roaming. And before anyone mentions an AT&T MVNO like Straight Talk, it's not an option for me. I have friends that use Straight Talk with an AT&T SIM, and I can tell you horror story after horror story of data throttling headaches. In addition, most of them have had issues with traffic prioritization. It can be a real problem during heavy use times in this market.
So I'm going to go straight to the source and either stay with T-Mobile or go to AT&T. Any thoughts or suggestions? I'm really torn.
Sent from my Nexus 10 using Tapatalk HD
You should check out AT&T's $50 pre-paid go-phone plan. If they don't recognize your IMEI, then you essentially have unlimited data (HSPA+ included), voice, and text for $50 a month.
dsass600 said:
You should check out AT&T's $50 pre-paid go-phone plan. If they don't recognize your IMEI, then you essentially have unlimited data (HSPA+ included), voice, and text for $50 a month.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I assume you mean if they don't recognize the IMEI as a smartphone?
Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk HD
oldblue910 said:
I assume you mean if they don't recognize the IMEI as a smartphone?
Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk HD
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Exactly.
dsass600 said:
Exactly.
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Click to collapse
Interesting. That may definitely be worth checking out. The bigger question would be, how long until that IMEI *IS* recognized as a smartphone? haha
Sent from my Xoom using Tapatalk HD
I recently switched to AT&T prepaid too so maybe I can help
oldblue910 said:
First off, prepaid accounts don't get access to MyAT&T, neither on the web nor the Android app. This means that the only way you can check your data usage is to dial *777*3# every time. To add insult, it only tells you the amount of data you have remaining, not how much you've used. Its easy to do simple arithmetic, but couldn't they show data usage in the same manner everyone else does? I've never seen anyone show data remaining in lieu of data used.
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While I agree it's kind of weird that they do that, I can kind of see why. With prepaid, you buy it, then drain it. This way, you can see how much you have left before you need to reload. I'm not disagreeing with you and saying it's good that they do it this way, I'm just saying that maybe I can see why.
oldblue910 said:
Next, it appears, for prepaid users anyway, that speedtest.net is blocked somehow. When opening the app, it finds a server, does the ping test, then hangs, unable to start a download. Trying it over WiFi works fine, so it would seem to be an AT&T issue.
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I've noticed this too. I can't get speedtest to work. However, I know that I am getting HSPA+ 15 when using data. I don't know how fast it is, but I am getting HSPA+ 15.
oldblue910 said:
Next, they do not offer any prepaid plan with more than 1GB of data. The guy at the store said that it will just cut off after you reach the 1GB cap, but the info sheet I got says they would bill $0.05 per megabyte, deducted from my prepaid account. This would NEVER work for me if using AT&T as my daily carrier. 1GB is child's play for me. I'd burn through that in a week.
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While one gig is enough for me, I can see if you use more. Technically, you can buy data in increments, at $25/gb. This can get expensive basically after the first gb. My solution? In your next paragraph.
oldblue910 said:
Because of all this, I'm kinda faced with a predicament. I will either need to switch to an AT&T individual postpaid month-to-month plan with 450 minutes, unlimited texting, and 5 GB of data for $110/mo and get the vast coverage
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Right here. If I found that I used more than one gb a month, I would go month-to-month post-paid, get better coverage (coverage isn't a deal for me, but whatever), get way more data, and get more options from AT&T, all for cheaper than prepaid. Basically, I'm paying $50/month for prepaid and getting 1 gb a month and 250 minutes (I barely ever talk on the phone, that's plenty). To add another gb would hike the price another $25 up to $75. For post-paid, I got quoted by a salesperson at my local store 450 minutes, 3gb, and unlimited texting for $70/month.
So basically, if I found myself using more than one gb a month of data, I would go post-paid, and that's what I suggest you do. That's my two cents, anyway.
**EDIT**
As for that $50 unlimited everything plan that was posted earlier: I've heard of people getting their Nexus 4 working on it, but that plan is for feature phones. Why does that matter? Since the plan is for feature phones, the data is throttled at 2G speeds. I can't remember using 2G, but I'm pretty sure even web-browsing would be painful at that speed. That's just what I've heard, anyway.
If you're having problems with speedtest go into apn and clear our everything but apn, mmsc, mms proxy
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
Wow, in Canada people complain about 3 year contracts (I never sign them myself thank god), but our monthly prices are not this insane!
For $50/month postpaid I'm getting 500 minutes, unlimited incoming, unlimited calling between 6 pm and 7 am and on weekends, unlimited SMS, and 1 GB of LTE data. And that's on a subsidiary of Rogers which is Canada's AT&T pretty much.
jlear3 said:
If you're having problems with speedtest go into apn and clear our everything but apn, mmsc, mms proxy
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
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That worked! I'm getting about 6 megs down and one meg up inside my apartment. That's about what I get with T-Mobile. I'll see what it's like outside with a good strong signal tomorrow.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
jlear3 said:
If you're having problems with speedtest go into apn and clear our everything but apn, mmsc, mms proxy
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 2
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oldblue910 said:
That worked! I'm getting about 6 megs down and one meg up inside my apartment. That's about what I get with T-Mobile. I'll see what it's like outside with a good strong signal tomorrow.
Sent from my Nexus 4 using Tapatalk 4 Beta
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Worked here, too. Now my only question is this: should I permanently keep my APN with just those 3 settings or does that lag only apply to the speedtest? FYI: I'm only pulling 3.6mbps down and 1mbps up with that APN on that test.
dsass600 said:
You should check out AT&T's $50 pre-paid go-phone plan. If they don't recognize your IMEI, then you essentially have unlimited data (HSPA+ included), voice, and text for $50 a month.
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The $65 plan the OP is on is a GoPhone plan. I also don't see your reasoning about the IMEI. Even if they don't have the IMEI in their database they can still see your data use and there is a 1GB cap regardless of type of data used (2G, 3G or 4G). The OP obviously needs a plan with more data and the only way to get it reliably is to pay for it.
kzoodroid said:
I also don't see your reasoning about the IMEI. Even if they don't have the IMEI in their database they can still see your data use and there is a 1GB cap regardless of type of data used (2G, 3G or 4G).
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Not sure if I fully understood your post. Are you certain that on the $50 Unlimited Call, Text, & Data GoPhone Plan that there is a 1GB cap even though it states it is unlimited on the AT&T website? If so, is that from experience?
a63548 said:
Not sure if I fully understood your post. Are you certain that on the $50 Unlimited Call, Text, & Data GoPhone Plan that there is a 1GB cap even though it states it is unlimited on the AT&T website? If so, is that from experience?
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The $50 unlimited plan only has unlimited data for basic phones, smartphones have to add a data package to this plan. Which now I think I understand the other persons post, he's claiming that since the IMEI is not registered it shows up as a dumbphone and he's able to use the $50 unlimited plan as is. I didn't even think of going with that option and paid for a separate 1 GB data plan with the $25 monthly calling plan. After I use up the 1 GB of data, which I never have, I should get charged the per KB fee. Of course once AT&T adds the IMEI to their database, if they haven't already, they will tell you you need a data plan to keep that service.
So as an update, I went to an AT&T store today and signed up for a postpaid account. 450 minutes, unlimited texting, 5GB data. Unfortunately I canceled the service 2 hours later. First, I get MyAT&T set up only to discover that the app has no widget and getting to your data usage requires 3 or 4 taps. Strike one. Both Verizon and T-Mobile have data widgets so you can check your usage at a glance or one tap at max.
Strike two was visual voicemail. After sideloading AT&T's visual voicemail app, it wouldn't work. I called AT&T's customer service and after looking, the rep (who was very helpful) said that he couldn't provision visual voicemail on my account because it's only included on LTE accounts. Unless the SIM was tied to an IMEI of an LTE device, visual voicemail on the N4 is a lost cause. I need visual voicemail because navigating past voicemail messages via the system prompts over the phone is a deal breaker. If you get a lot of phone calls and messages, visual voicemail is the greatest thing ever.
Strike three was the data speeds. I drove to five different areas of town doing speed tests and never got more than 2.6mbps down. At these same sites, I would always try the T-Mobile SIM and never got below 9mbps down. The other night at my apartment, I was getting about 6mbps down on AT&T prepaid, but it was late at night on a weekday. Clearly the network is going to be busier at mid morning on a Saturday and it showed.
Luckily, since I canceled within 3 days, I wasn't liable for any charges and basically we just called it a wash.
For now I'll stick with T-Mobile since they give me the stuff I've grown accustomed to, plus truly unlimited data. I'll just learn to live with the 50MB data roaming cap.
Sent from my Nexus 7 using Tapatalk HD
I am currently using the One on ST. I know this question has been asked a bunch of times, but has anyone else recently received a call from ST about their data use? I got one yesterday saying they now are enforcing the 1.5gb cap. The ridiculous part is, I have only used 400mb TOTAL. Lmao, I have been on wifi pretty much everywhere I have been. It's just annoying having to worry about "what is the magical daily limit"? Anyone else received a call recently?
I can't wait for Att's new prepaid "All In One" brand to launch next month, which is hopefully, here is how much data you get, use it how you want.
I am on ST with an att one, and haven't gotten any calls from ST.
Sent from my HTC One using xda app-developers app
I am curious, since I have been throttled many times, and sometimes only for using a couple hundred megs a month, and threatened to have my internet cut off, how would you direct the reps to their own blog? http://www.straighttalkblog.com/2013/04/straight-talk-data-clarification.html
Which states they do not have a hard cap of 1.5? Can they say they don't if they just throttle you but you still have an internet connection?
Quote from their blog:
"You may have heard rumors online that there is a hard cap of 1.5GB for data on Straight Talk. We want to clear this up for you right away: We are NOT cutting off data at 1.5GB on Straight Talk. The data limit in reference only applies to Bring Your Own Phone (BYOP™) AT&T-compatible SIMs on our sister brand, NET10. In fact, most of our customers enjoy their unlimited data plans with no issues or complaints regarding their data speeds or service."
I have been in tmobile unlimited everything including data for such a long time and my data usage never reached 50GB. However, this month I may go over 50GB because my billing cycle on 4/17 and I've just got a text message from TMobile that I'm reaching 48gb now, when I reached 50GB, my data will be throttled. I think TMobile should remove the word "unlimited data" instead 50GB fast data/month. Lol
What's your point, in relation to Note 8 in this thread?
luckyfate said:
I have been in tmobile unlimited everything including data for such a long time and my data usage never reached 50GB. However, this month I may go over 50GB because my billing cycle on 4/17 and I've just got a text message from TMobile that I'm reaching 48gb now, when I reached 50GB, my data will be throttled. I think TMobile should remove the word "unlimited data" instead 50GB fast data/month. Lol
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Considered unlimited because you still receive data (after 50gb) just throttled, and you don't get charged for going over.
I see your point that in 2018 it could be worded better, but the model is based on separating themselves from the "standard" carrier plans and charges of old. Some carriers still charge people for overages which is barbaric.
Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk
Me and my brother go over 50gb every month consistently and never had an issue. We both work in Atlanta and live outside perimeter. Probably only have issue during peak time in super congested areas.
But at the end of the day it's worded unlimited data not u limited 4g lte 100mb download.
The average user probably don't come close to 5gb. Be grateful.
You may want to try This forum.
I think that ranting here about any carrier is like a dog barking to the moon..
luckyfate said:
I have been in tmobile unlimited everything including data for such a long time and my data usage never reached 50GB. However, this month I may go over 50GB because my billing cycle on 4/17 and I've just got a text message from TMobile that I'm reaching 48gb now, when I reached 50GB, my data will be throttled. I think TMobile should remove the word "unlimited data" instead 50GB fast data/month. Lol
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If it wasn't for tmobile we would still being capped and bent over backwards for overages. Things could of changed, but I believe tmobile the only 1s who offer 50GBs before throttled down on congestion times. 50GB more than enough for most. I can understand your frustration. They could word it better. But they actually fine print at the bottom of advertising. Just get internet if possible.
Nick216ohio said:
If it wasn't for tmobile we would still being capped and bent over backwards for overages. Things could of changed, but I believe tmobile the only 1s who offer 50GBs before throttled down on congestion times. 50GB more than enough for most. I can understand your frustration. They could word it better. But they actually fine print at the bottom of advertising. Just get internet if possible.
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BS. Sprint used to have unlimited and I abused it. Back in the SERO days. It took a lot more time to use, but I hit 50GB on multiple occasions. I've used 500GB on a Cricket 3Mb unlimited plan. Verizon also used to have a truly unlimited plan too and many people held on to them for years.
People act like T-Mobile is out to help consumers. The truth is, they have been fighting Sprint for being the 3rd carrier for years. These things they do for customers are because they can't get market share without giving things away.
I don't understand what this thread has anything to do with the Note 8. I use about 1GB a day myself, but I turned off WiFi when I get an unlimited plan.