iPhone Usable After Phone Plan Expiration

The only time you will have an issue is if you cancel your contract. If you do after the 2 years, then your phone will become an ibrick as I think it has to be activated and on ATT to work. It doesn't revert to a fancy iTouch should you cancel your contract, or service after 2 years. After the 2 year contract is done the phone will still be usable as a phone, so long as you stay with ATT. So don't worry your phone isn't only good while it's on the original 2 year contract. That's just the amount of time you have to stay with ATT when you get the phone.

If you have a new phone with AT&T you should be able to take the SIM out of the new phone and place it in the iPhone and use that with your service. It's the SIM that has the service, not the phone. This is one of the advantages of the GSM standard.

When I got my iPhone (Australia) all they did was update the plan on my existing SIM and I then inserted it into the iPhone, but I was still able to put that SIM back into my old phone and use it if I wanted.

usually once your contract is up, you can still use your phone. Usually if you want to terminate your contract before the 2 year contract is up, then you ahve to pay the termniation fee. If you terminate after the 2 year contract, you can terminate whenever you want without a termination fee. Technically you can still use your phone even when the 2 year contract is up. I had my razr and the contract was 2 years, but after the contract was over, i could still use my phone. It's not like once your 2 year contract is finished that you can't use it. You can still use it.

What all can you use it as. I just activated a Crackberry Storm on Verizon because, while AT&T may work in ChiLondoScow, it does not work at all in my living room, my bedroom, or at my job. So...I now have a first gen iPhone that I don't need. I want to use it as an iPod touch, but I have been told by everyone from AT&T to Best Buy that it won't work. I want to keep it as a music player, and still have access to the app store, because there are some great apps out there. Will I be able to do that, or will I have to download any app I want before deactivating my service? (I would ask apple, but they are closed for thanksgiving)

Yes, but you will not be able to update the iphone's software after the service is stopped.

You can indeed use wi-fi and other features once your contract is up. You just can't update the firmware.

But would the old phone be functional as an iPod without the sim card?

Take your SIM out and see.

It should work except anything that requires to use the GSM/3G capabilities. You also can't upgrade the iPhone firmware without an activated SIM in the device.

It does not become an iBrick if you cancel service. It basically works as an iPod Touch but you cannot apply updates to it without service.

I use my first generation iPhone as an iPod touch since getting the 3G. The SIMM card is dead and the firmware updates just fine. All I need to do is ignore the activation nag and I am good to go.