Apple Event: May 7th at 7 am PT
I'm not giving up my iPhone, and I don't mean to sound angry. But ATT pushed me over the edge. Would love to hear who others use for their iphone carrier and what options are out there. Could this be any more complicated or more of a racket? All I want to do is use the phone the way it was intended.
iMessage uses a tiny amount of data, so, yes, technically it counts against your data plan, if you're using 3G at the time. But the amount of data it uses is very very small. And there is no "per text" charge to use it, unlike regular SMS charges.
Matt
I just got off a long and convuluted call with ATT. Apparently I was set up for a pay-per-use charge. I've had the phone since mid July and this is the first time I received a warning that I'd gone over $20. I supposed I've been going over some each month and didn't realize it.
She basically told me that, now that I've turned off the pay-per-use text option, I will no longer receive or send imessage texts either unless I'm in a WiFi spot. Maybe ATT could use some training on how this works.
Honestly, I just don't understand how we all keep allowing the cell phone companies to take such great advantage of us. This should be so simple.
When I went from an old blackberry to an iPhone, ATT wouldn't allow my texting to carry over. My husband's phone (since it was not a smartphone), they combined his texting into the $30 data plan. But not mine. I had to pay the $30 data plan AND pay $10/mo for texting. I opted not to. Now it is $20 seven months later.
If I didn't need it for my work, I'd can cell phones all together! I now pay ATT for internet, home phone, cell phone, ipad. Somthing's got to give!
I am totally lost myself after reading your posts.
If your husband came from some old special plan on his old phone to the iPhone and AT&T honored his old plan this is not a bad thing, it is a good thing for you. On the other hand you were coming from a previous plan that was billed in a different manner. All carriers work that way as do most electric companies now.
You do realize that iMessage ONLY works with other iDevices that are running iOS 5? That would be the messages you send that the bubble and send button are blue. All other texts you are sending that the bubble is green, and the send button is green, are SMS and you were paying a per text charge. Sounds like you were sending quite a few of them. Not hard to check your account online to get a count. Also, if the iMessage server is not available and you have the option turned on then any iMessage you send will be converted to SMS.
This has nothing to do if you are in a WiFi spot as SMS uses the voice side of your cell plan.
Sorry my post was confusing.
Yes, my husband went from a regular phone to an iPhone when he changed. I went from a Blackberry to an iPhone. We both have to pay the $30 fee to have a smartphone. We both were able to text before. However, because mine was a Blackberry, ATT doesn't allow the text option to come across w/o paying additional (on top of the $30). They just upped that unlimited texting fee to $20/month (from $10/month).
And yes, after my phone call this morning, that is the first time anyone pointed out to me that "green = imessage" and "blue = all other texts". Sorry. I'm just not that in tune with texting to realize that on my own.
And yes, I was really excited when I updated my firmware to iOS 5 because many of the folks I texted also updated and I could finally text a few customers again.
However, the whole issue about being in a WiFi spot in order for iMessage to really be free... no, I had no clue about that, nor have I ever heard anyone say that until ATT told me today.
Part of this is because I just don't make the connection between being able to use my phone in this spot or that spot. I, very naively, thought that when I paid for service it was available.
Again, this could not possibly be any more complicated to the average user. I thought I was an above-average user but I realize I am very low on the list of knowing how to manage a smartphone effectively.
I'm just very frustrated that it takes so much time to be able to effectively use a smartphone and so much money to try to have one. It's just very very frustrating.
And yes, my husband has been the one monitoring the account. He just didn't mention that I'd been going over on previous months. Apparently it hasn't been much. Just frustrated about the entire issue, all the way around.
It's actually the opposite way to what you are saying:
Blue = iMessage
Green = SMS
Maybe that's why you're going over your spend limit, because you think you're sending an iMessage when it is actually a SMS.
Are you and your husband on a family plan? If yes, and both of you are texting frequently to a number of people who do not have iDevices then you should be on an unlimited texting family plan, which is $30 per month.
On a family plan voice minutes can be shared and AT&T will look at your usage and try to match you with the plan that suits your usage.
Data plans on smart phones cannot be shared at this time. If you are paying $30 per month it sounds like they have grandfathered your old unlimited data plan. This is a good thing they did for you as they no longer offer this plan. I am not aware of any inlcuded text plan that was ever available for the BB (other than BB Messenger, which is similar to iMessage but not available except on BB devices). Since you don't handle the account you probably also did not understand that.
All of the above is easily understood by the person actually managing the account and does not take rocket science abilities. Sounds to me like AT&T was actually trying to help you but you should have deferred to your husband since he handles the account.
You're right, blue = imessage, green = non-free. Sorry, I got that backwards.
And no, I don't think my husband understood all the nuances of the data plan, what works with only WiFi and when extra charges actually kick in. He was really upset also that my texting didn't carry over, since I am the one who uses it for work-related things.
We'll explore our options. I do hope in the future, however, that phone companies and phone makers can find a way to keep the whole industry more simplified. I understand the goal is to make money, but when someone who uses the products all the time finally hits the limit of patience, it's not a sign that the industry is progressing.
I love my iPhone. But I did function without it for several years. And I can again. But I don't want to and I don't plan to give it up.
I'll shop around and go in person to talk to ATT and see where it goes. It's obvious I should have signed on with their $10/mo messaging in Aug. At the time, I couldn't keep bleeding out more money every month to them.
Thank you all for your help. It's stlll very muddled, in my opinion, but I'll accept that it's just the way the industry is run and I either have to bite the bullet and pay for it or stop using a smartphone.
Now I'm trying to make sure that my phone is set up so I don't start accidentally receiving text messages. I have turned off SMS and MMS in my Messages settings, and only have imessage turned on.
Will this affect me being able to email an image to someone or upload an image to the internet?
kfrissell wrote:
Now I'm trying to make sure that my phone is set up so I don't start accidentally receiving text messages. I have turned off SMS and MMS in my Messages settings, and only have imessage turned on.
Will this affect me being able to email an image to someone or upload an image to the internet?
No, these activities only involve data usage, not SMS or MMS.
FYI: iMessage is only free if you are in a WiFi setting. Otherwise, you pay per text. And ATT will charge a minimum of $20/month for texting, in addition to your data charge and rest of bill.
