My iPad keeps asking me to set up a new cellular data plan

Just got off phone with Apple.. they asked me to try TWO things!

1. turn on airplane mode then turn ON wifi and bluetooth. This did work, but it is just a workaround.

2. TELL SIRI : TURN OFF CELLULAR DATA... so far this has seemed to work! Good luck!

My sister bought a new ipad air and she said she can only run it on wifi because it wants them to set up a data plan.. they have go phones and dont want a data plan and this ipad is worthless to them..can anyone tell me what to say to her to help so she can use it like a normal ipad?

Not sure I understand your question. Just because you have an iPad with cellular capabilities, doesn't mean you have to use it. She can simply use it on WIFI only. That would be using it as a normal iPad. Send more info is this doesn't solve your question.

There are 2 different settings on your WiFi + Cellular iPad model, one for wireless (or WiFi) and the other for Cellular data. If you don't have a cellular plan for the iPad, there's no reason to leave cellular radio ON all the time because it really does nothing without a data plan (and eats up battery too). Go to Settings - Cellular Data. Switch it OFF.

In order to be able to "get on" the internet you must use EITHER WIFI or CELLULAR DATA. If she doesn't want to buy a plan for the iPad, she can just use WIFI, but she must connect to a wifi or be in a wifi zone. The iPad by itself doesn't have internet access without one of these two things.

Just an update.. the solution asking Siri to "turn off cellular data" worked for us. However, if one is not connected to a wifi and you ask for service by opening a web browswer or other app that needs internet it still will ASK you to set up Cell plan.. BUT it won't pop up every 5- 10 mintues like it did before. In a 24 hour period it only popped up ONCE.... and that is a big improvement.

Okay.. so it didn't FULLY work for us either.. but it did DECREASE the amount of pop ups... so that is at least good. Here is what I am going to try next:

1. I am going to update to the latest iOS 8.1.3 (release yesterday 1/27/15

2. I am going to remove the sim card (Apple said to try that????)

I will report back later.. I know it is annoying.

Okay removing the SIM CARD seems to have worked after one notification that the sim card is missing, I didn't get another pop up.. UNLESS I shutdown the iPad, on restart it gave me one notificaiton pop up then not again. SO FAR!

Yup, this is a super annoyance.

On my iPad Air 2 this happened all the time and was helped somewhat by toggling off the "Cellular Data" under Settings > Celluar. But then, either through iOS 8.1.3 or the most recent iTunes(asaurus) update, not all my music would sync and my books were resyncing all the time. Blecch. Restore from backup did not help, so I restored as a new iPad, which cured the syncing problem . . .

but the cellular data plan querie now appears all the time, even with "Cellular Date" turned off.

Yikes.

What happened to "it just works"?

I recently picked up an Air 2 cellular because I do intend on adding it to my plan eventually, but have no need for it now. Experiencing the same annoyance constantly and I intend to use the work arounds, but come on Apple this is ridiculous. This is essentially a high end laptop considering the $900+ price tag and there hasn't been a fix or even an official response to this thread for 3 months? That's extremely disappointing.

Forty five minutes with AppleCare on this one:

[1] Remove sim card from ipad;

[2] Do a hard reboot of your iPad (push down off button and then home button both at same time until apple logo appears. Let it run its course, it will reboot; [3] Put your sim card back in. You're good to go.

Technician told me in several weeks from today (maybe during September 2015) Apple will do another update to the IOS, and he thinks this will be addressed. In the meantime, you do this sim card trick, and you should not see this ridiculous message again - and WITHOUT succumbing to paying money to your carrier or whatever.