The iPhone 5 uses Cellular Data over WiFi?

deggie,

I don't think anyone has suggested that it is currently possible to send MMS on an iPhone if the iOS Settings "Cell Data" switch is turned off.

A user on this thread was complaining that he could not use MMS when the iOS Settings "Cell Data" switch is turned off.

The initial discussion was showing that MMS does not impact your AT&T cell-data charges. I think everyone agrees that is true. MMS is "free" and cell-data is $15 per GB.

I agreed with the user's complaint and suggested that Apple should change iOS so that cell-data and MMS could be turned off and on independently from each other. The reason for doing this is because AT&T provides unlimited MMS for "free" but charges $15 per GB for cell-data.

In my mind the issue being discussed here is if it is possible for Apple to change iOS and the iPhone so that cell-data and MMS could be turned off and on independently from each other by a user.

The last thing I noted was that all of the 2G and 3G voice and data radios have been consolidated onto a single physical chip in the iPhone and that separate physical radios are no longer used to perform those functions (as best as I have been able to determine). Granted, LTE is a separate chip - but, the trend in cell-network design is to blur the separation of voice and data.

Thus, I still continue to suggest that Apple should modify iOS and the iPhone so that cell-data and MMS could be turned off and on independently from each other by a user.

I probably should have never started posting thoughts on how MMS and cell-data are provided in the iPhone and iOS. It is too technical and too involved and I haven't found a definitive source to quote from. I'll admit I have not been able to prove whether it is possible for Apple to change iOS and the iPhone so that cell-data and MMS could be turned off and on independently from each other by a user.

Thus, I still continue to suggest that Apple should modify iOS and the iPhone so that cell-data and MMS could be turned off and on independently from each other by a user.

Since MMS uses cell data, you can't turn off cell data without turning off MMS.

If a user wants to send MMS to users with iMessage enabled, turn off iMessage.

Chris CA,

That might be true - but, I doubt it.

I'm guessing it would be possible for Apple to modify iOS so that cell-data and MMS could be turned off and on independently from each other by a user.

So you are saying that cell providers are now routing their MMS over their cell voice network rather than their cell data network? That isn't within the latest MMS version (1.2) and would probably wreak havoc on the cell voice network in some cities during various times. I wouldn't look for that to ever happen and until it did Apple and all others will have to have an open cell data network to use MMS.

Cell carriers can differentiate what is being used on their data network.

As Chris already said if a user just wants to send media files via their cell provider plan then turn off iMessage. But if you are exchanging pictures with someone who doesn't have unlimited text you will run their bill up. But you really need to be sending thousands of pictures to require this. Andrea said she was sending 2- 8 per day. No way that is causing 1GB of data usage in one day.

deggie,

Sending MMS or iMessage pictures is not the problem The problem is that you can't stop using cell-data and use MMS instead. With cell data turned on unexplained and/or unexpected cell-data usage might occur.

In regard to the possibility of Apple making a change to iOS so that MMS and cell-data can be independently turned on and off...

It's just my opinion - but, it seems very reasonable to me.

I'll try explaining it this way...

Note how you can turn off LTE in iOS settings. This is a way to provide a method to save battery supply by turning off a radio. Note, you can no longer turn off the 3G radio to save battery like you could before LTE was provided in an iPhone. This is because all of the 2G and 3G voice and data radios have been consolidated to a single chip. My understanding is that chip powers all of the 2G and 3G voice and data radios with one (1) signal processor. This is done because

1. It is possible with newer more powerful cell phone technology

2. It is cheaper.

It is no longer necessary to have separate voice and data chips - it is all one chip.

Thus, when you use iOS settings to set "Cellular Data" to "off", you are not electrically powering off that multi-function voice/data chip. It is still electrically powered on. To me that would make it feasible to "stop using cell-data" (because the multi-function chip is not physically turned off) while continuing to use MMS.

MMS is not free. You pay some amount of money for it in your plan. For some people they do not have an unlimited Plan with SMS and MMS. For those that do they can turn off iMessage if they wish.

None of this has anything to do with consolidation of radios on the Broadcom chip in the iPhone. Apple has only supplied the ability to turn off one of the data bands and fall back to another one (there are a number of posts on this by people who want to turn off multiple bands, something else Apple will probably never do). Or you can turn off cell data. Or the entire radio.

But none of that is pertinent here. you can access two distinct public networks that your cell carrier supports, cell voice and cell data. A user, or a phone manufacturer cannot decide what kind of service runs under which network, the cell provider sets that. For SMS it runs over cell voice while MMS is routed through cell data. If you can talk cell providers into routing both SMS and MMS over cell voice then Apple could implement your data switch. But first you will have to get carriers worldwide to change this.

Keep us us informed as to how that goes.

deggie,

OK think of it this way...

As a laborious alternative, you could turn off cell-data usage for all individual iOS application in iOS Settings/Cellular.

That is iOS has the ability to turn off cell-data usage for part of iOS but leave on MMS in that way.

So, I see no reason that Apple could not take it down an additional level in iOS and just stop all cell-data access accept for MMS.

Why?

truerock wrote:

So, I see no reason that Apple could not take it down an additional level in iOS and just stop all cell-data access accept for MMS.

Why have an iPhone if you don't want to use cell data?

Just get a non-smartphone.

deggie,

If your objective is to stop cell-data usage but allow MMS (so as to avoid accidental cell-data usage) this is essentially what Apple would need to do in iOS.

That isn't my objective at all.

As Chris said if you can't afford a data plan there really is no reason to have an iPhone (or any smartphone). I doubt there are many people asking for such a switch.

Well... we kind of have 75 pages in this thread where people are trying to control their cell data usage. It's primarily because of an AT&T rip-off ploy involving overcharges for cell data usage. AT&T previously used the same schemes for voice and text messages. It makes a lot of people justifiably angry. I'm guessing some of it is because some people are somewhat economically challenged... but, I think a lot of it is because people do not like to get ripped off.

I think I'm in the same category as you in regard to my personal situation. I spend over $500 per month with AT&T... so I'm not too concerned about me personally. I know people who can't afford a smart phone and/or a cell-data-plan and use cheap burner, pay-as-you-go flip phones. I guess it makes me a little upset when I see the economically challenged individuals get ripped off by banks, airlines, grocery stores, cell phone companies, etc. Unfortunately its those people who fall for the rip-off schemes.

And nothing in the 75 pages show that AT&T is ripping people off with cell data charges. In fact it started out because of a Verizon glitch regarding data usage when the iPhone 5 was released that was fixed by Verizon. Others are a variety of data problems that people usually solved eventually. With iOS 8 users will be able to see how much data each app is using.

Your campaign to fight for the little people is unwarranted.

Has this bug been fixed yet?

It started happening to one of my iPhones about 3 months ago, out of the blue.

Itsmethebee,

There isn't a "bug" regarding use of cell data on an iPhone per se.

I suppose some individuals might think it is difficult to control the use of the cellular versus the wifi radio in an iPhone.

It has been suggested that when an iPhone "goes to sleep" that the wifi radio turns off - but, I have not been able to reproduce that behavior.