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selowitch · Jun 9, 2009, 06:43 PM

Has anybody successfully bought one of the new iPhones, bypassed the expensive data plan, and gotten it to work as a prepaid GoPhone? Is this likely to be possible? I definitely can't afford and don't want the calling/data plan. Will the Wi-Fi work without a data plan, provided you can connect to an access point (e.g., via your home WLAN)?

turtle777 · Jun 9, 2009, 06:58 PM

Uhm, they're not even being sold yet...

07/19 is the magic date

-t

selowitch · Jun 9, 2009, 07:08 PM

Originally Posted by turtle777

Uhm, they're not even being sold yet...

07/19 is the magic date

-t

Bah! Details, details ... okay, how about some educated speculation then?

boy8cookie · Jun 9, 2009, 07:40 PM

I've been using the iPhone 2G as a GoPhone since I got it.

selowitch · Jun 9, 2009, 07:42 PM

Originally Posted by boy8cookie

I've been using the iPhone 2G as a GoPhone since I got it.

Yeah, so assuming nothing has changed, I can do that with the 3GS iPhone, too. Cool. I guess you just buy one and decline to activate it (or fail the activation by entering a phony SSN or something)?

boy8cookie · Jun 9, 2009, 07:44 PM

Originally Posted by selowitch

Yeah, so assuming nothing has changed, I can do that with the 3GS iPhone, too. Cool. I guess you just buy one and decline to activate it (or fail the activation by entering a phony SSN or something)?

I bought it from AT&T, and told them what I wanted. Wasn't an issue.

selowitch · Jun 9, 2009, 07:46 PM

Originally Posted by boy8cookie

I bought it from AT&T, and told them what I wanted. Wasn't an issue.

Great! Cheap iPhone, here I come! Can you access the Internet via Wi-Fi without paying for a "data plan" (assuming you already have, say, a DSL connection to your WLAN)?

turtle777 · Jun 9, 2009, 10:09 PM

Are you sure you can just buy it, and not activate the contract with AT&T ?

I can't believe Apple and AT&T would let you do this that easily. I would think you would have to jailbreak the phone first.

-t

The Godfather · Jun 9, 2009, 11:57 PM

Don't you need to buy an un-subsidized iPhone to avoid a 2 year contract?

An ATT customer support told me that only EDGE iPhones are GoPhone able. If anyone can correct me, I'll be checking this thread regularly.

Cold Warrior · Jun 10, 2009, 01:13 AM

Everything I've ever read on this is that the higher price just avoids a contract/commitment. One still must activate the phone on some kind of eligible at&t plan to use it (assuming you don't unlock it).

selowitch · Jun 10, 2009, 04:51 AM

Originally Posted by Cold Warrior

Everything I've ever read on this is that the higher price just avoids a contract/commitment. One still must activate the phone on some kind of eligible at&t plan to use it (assuming you don't unlock it).

Well, this is the essential question behind my original post.

boy8cookie · Jun 10, 2009, 03:45 PM

Originally Posted by selowitch

Great! Cheap iPhone, here I come! Can you access the Internet via Wi-Fi without paying for a "data plan" (assuming you already have, say, a DSL connection to your WLAN)?

I have a data plan as part of my GoPhone plan, but WiFi would work just fine without said data plan.

boy8cookie · Jun 15, 2009, 08:58 PM

Well, thanks AT&T, f**kers.

Gizmodo - AT&T to Prepaid iPhone Owners: F*&k You Very Much - iPhone OS 3.0

slugslugslug · Jun 15, 2009, 09:52 PM

Yuck.

For those of y'all who didn't read the link: If you have an original iPhone with a GoPhone data plan, and you upgrade it to firmware 3.0, the plan will die.

The Godfather · Jun 17, 2009, 01:18 AM

I thought that absolutely everyone who gets a 3GS will be in a 2 year contract, except the ones who like to pay $300 extra for a phone.