Using a smartphone without att's data plan

Sheikh2 posted on 25 Sep 2012, 15:09 0 0

My mom has a 20$/m att line within the family plan and we want her to be able to take pictures when ever she wants and be able to text easier, and also deposit checks using a phone rather then sending us out to the bank and also for her to use apps like craigslist notifica

any tips or even other solutions will be considered.

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1. SolidSnakeCG posted on 07 Oct 2012, 11:54 0

But you want to be able to have said smartphone on her line, but without the data plan? good luck with that since the system auto detects smartphones and will automatically add the data plan.

2. melissa4992 posted on 09 Oct 2012, 10:46 0

sorry wont happen like solid snakecg stated above. i work for att and like he stated the system does detect when you are using a smartphone without a data package.

3. SolidSnakeCG posted on 11 Oct 2012, 10:16 0

Retail?

4. mickeyspal44 posted on 12 Oct 2012, 17:00 0

I have been told by one than one person they kept talking with AT&T until they disabled the data on the smartphone. It can be done, but companies do not want to not make the extra bucks!!! They do not make good phones which will connect unless it is a smart phone or prepaid. I have had 3 phones in 3 years which constantly dropped calls or did not have a signal. I purchased a cheap, cheap, prepaid gophone and have 3 bars or more all the time. Yes, it is $50. a month, but for unlimited everything. They can stop the data on individual phones just like they do texting if you do not want people to have it. People have found they can get around it using wi-fi so therefore they do not want to block it. It is called GREED! I have contacted the FCC regarding this and will do so again after my experiement with gophone. Until citizens starting writing and complaining to the FCC in mass nothing will probably be done.

6. SolidSnakeCG posted on 12 Oct 2012, 18:10 0

by talking you mean hassling? that's a ridiculous ignorant thing to do buying a smartphone but not have a data plan if you dont want a data plan on a phone that's made to surf the web don't get the damn thing. i swear people get more ignorant by the hour. smartphones or cell phones in general are still considered a "luxury" item and therefore taxed as so by the government, if you can't afford it, suck it up and don't purchase it and FCC won't do much on it due to the fact phones are luxury items and would take more than just a mass of customers to do so

14. BadAssAbe posted on 04 Mar 2013, 11:59 0

So by that logic, I really hope you are paying for all of ATTs services, The rich become rich because they know when to spend money and when not to waste money.

5. mickeyspal44 posted on 12 Oct 2012, 17:07 0

I just read where T-mobile does not advertise it but they will not make you purchase data plan if you do not want one. I am thinking of taking my business to them after using AT&T for about 12 years or more. Good luck.

13. DevonJames posted on 31 Dec 2012, 00:10 0

How did this work for you? I can't imagine you heard right... ?? I'm a graphic designer in Atlanta, and I have never relied on a phone so much for work as i do now. I've got AT&T's 4G LTE (sorry Verizon, I want Android 4.1) network and it genuinely makes my life easier. I wouldn't risk it.

7. Sheikh2 posted on 18 Oct 2012, 06:51 0

@SolidSnakeCG , you have said NOTHING to contribute to this discussion.. lets see
1st you say "good luck" in a useless sarcastic way
2nd you say "retail?" w/e the f that has to do with this topic
3rd you argue againts a valid point. which is

why should a consumer be forced to pay extra for a service that does NOT need to be used 24/7 ( wifi is a good enough sub.)

Thats like saying I want to buy a Ferrari but the people who sell me gas tell me I have to buy 91oct instead of 87octane. or some other stupid s**t like i have to go 200 MPH if i want gas... why cant i just drive the ferrarri they way i want it..

what i am pretty disappointed about is that you have really irritated me.

please if anyone has anything useful to say, if anyone knows how the system works. do they search imei's? if so, is there a way i can root/jailbreak my phone to change the imei to look like a dumbphone? these are the Q&A... not some negative prick saying good luck.

12. networkdood posted on 03 Nov 2012, 10:45 0

The network sees your IMEI, so I suppose if the phone can be seen as a generic IMEI then it could work. The problem is that your data speeds will not be there if you have a 4G, 4G LTE phone - even with a Blackberry from another carrier, it will not work as good.

15. hepresearch (unregistered) posted on 04 Mar 2013, 12:40 0

If the said smartphone is unlocked and old enough, and therefore not in AT&T's database, they will not grouse about it. Just make sure that you disable all of your internet via cellular radio settings, and use the internet on WiFi only from then on. Who cares about data speeds when you are just doing simple things from home... and WiFi isn't all that bad, anyway?

8. DeVianTiCoN posted on 23 Oct 2012, 08:15 0

If you dont want a data package dont buy the phone. if you think another company can offer it to you w/o a package go there..

9. Sheikh2 posted on 24 Oct 2012, 13:31 0

Thats a great "other solution" and i have looked into it, a company called simple mobile can offer everything unlimited except data for 25/m and she can use a smartphone, but unfortunately she is stuck with att for 2 years.

so i need like genius who knows how to trick the system, and every system can be tricked.

10. appleID posted on 28 Oct 2012, 10:43 0

AT&T iPhone factory unlock atwww.iphonesfactoryunlocks.com get your AT&T iphone unlocked now!!

11. networkdood posted on 03 Nov 2012, 10:44 0

If you had the original iphone 2G, or can get an IMEI, then have customer care change your IMEI and data feature, then a few days later 'upgrade' and get unlimited data for the phone you are really using. I have friends who do this quite a bit.

16. hepresearch (unregistered) posted on 04 Mar 2013, 13:04 0

Having a "smartphone" on AT&T without the data plan... I have been doing this successfully for quite some time. I had shared some tips and tools for those seeking to do the same in a post on my own business website (during the times when I was still in business for myself), and although not all of them apply, the principles involved remain unchanged. The central concept is essentially this: you must make sure that the cellular radios on the phone are never used to pass data (this prevents them from taking serious notice of your IMEI if it pops up, and also prevents your IMEI from even being saved to their database if your phone did not come from them), that any data you DO pass wirelessly is restricted to WiFi or Bluetooth, and that your phone OS and settings are as isolated as possible from AT&T's network. I have done this with phones like the Nokia N75, the Nokia 9300, the Nokia E75 (newer, and definitely on their list if you are not careful), some Windows Mobile models from back in the day, and a Palm Treo or two. I have never seen this done successfully with an iPhone, BlackBerry, or Android device, and most certainly not with a Windows Phone model.

Here is an article I wrote about it a long time ago:

http://waltersconsultation.wordpress.com/2010/02/25/smartphones-without-data-on-att-flying-under-the-radar/

Obviously, if you plan on using WiFi for internet or email, then I wouldn't recommend getting rid of your internet settings and applications altogether, but the use of SIM-less offline/flight-mode in order to pre-condition your device, whatever you try out, is the best way to mess with the settings while the phone is isolated from AT&T's network. It is also possible to remove any internet settings that work with the cellular side of the device, and leave just the WiFi port settings in place, so as to prevent a user from accidentally accessing the internet via cellular. AT&T's SIM will try to automatically provision your device for IP, but you can reject any further attempts after removing those settings the first time thorugh. Like I said, I've even done this with an E75, which has WiFi, and I have scoured the internet on that thing for a long time without AT&T ever noticing that it was a "smartphone" and trying to whack us with the data plan charges, unlike many other users of the SAME UNLOCKED UNBRANDED DEVICE on AT&T who have reported that happening to them nearly immediately.

18. Pewterl31 posted on 30 Mar 2013, 12:26 0

just a heads up mms will not working if network data is turned off.

19. andrewdoes posted on 03 Apr 2013, 21:53 1

I've had AT&T for several years now and have always had a smartphone on a data plan. After seeing the $230 bills for three iPhones I decided something needed to change. 95% of the time, I am in a wifi hotspot. So, I changed all phone imei's on the account to "basic/feature" phones, leaving the SIM cards as-is. My plan is now $130 a month with unlimited talk & text. We do not have network access to the Internet, but wifi works great. Yes, you lose MMS (unless on wifi and sent through iMessage), but you can easily email those pictures and you won't lose the quality. Eventually, I plan on switching to Net10 ($130 for three smartphones) once my contract expires.

To answer your question, it can be done. Walk into a RadioShack as give them the IMEI of the basic phone and they will put it on your account ad can change your plan. No cost. No hassle. No problem.

I know you posted a long time ago, but hopefully this helps.