AT&T

How to Check Your AT&T Data Usage

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated November 12, 2019

Yesterday I told you about AT&T's new data plans. While these plans will benefit a large majority of iPhone owners, there is still a few of us who'll have to closely monitor our data usage to make sure we don't go over board.

Checking your data usage on the AT&T network is pretty easy and straightforward and will prevent you from having bad surprises when the bill comes.

Checking Your AT&T Data Usage

How to check your data usage on AT&T's website

I think the best and most comprehensive way to check your data usage for your iPhone is to do so directly from AT&T's website. This will give you a nice graph showing the last 6 months of data activity, making it clear for you to see what you used through your 3G or EDGE data connection.

This graph excludes all data transferred over wifi network connections because this is not part of your AT&T data plan. That means you can download/upload as much as you want from your iPhone over wifi, you will never be charged for that.

How to check your data usage with AT&T's myWireless app

AT&T has a free application in the App Store called myWireless. On top of giving you important information such as how many voice minutes or SMS you've used, the app will also show you how much data you've used for the current billing period. That's a great way to monitor your data usage on the go directly from your iPhone.

I really like the myWireless app. It is clean and simple and it also allows you to pay your bill from your iPhone. I consider it a must-have.

That's it, now you should be able to manage and monitor your data usage efficiently. For those of you who decide to stay on the unlimited plan, that shouldn't be an issue at all.

If you have more tips and tips like this, please feel free to share them in the comment. [Credit images: TiPB - MacObserver]

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AT&T Announces New Data Plans & Tethering for iPhone

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 23, 2016

Better late than never! AT&T finally announced an official tethering plan for its wireless customers, including iPhone customers. The long-awaited new tethering option comes with the variable pricing plans AT&T CEO had pre-announced a few months ago. These new data plans will replace the "unlimited data plan" that current iPhone owners in the US are on.

All these new plans will be available on June 7. Does this date ring a bell? Yes, it's the opening day of the WWDC where Steve Jobs will announce the new iPhone.

You will now have the choice between 2 data plans. Tethering will be an additional option. Here is the details about each plan.

DataPlus

This is the basic entry plan. It provides 200 MB of data for $15/month. According to AT&T, 65% of their customers will fall under this plan.

If you choose to go with DataPlus and you go over your 200 MB, you will be charged another $15 for another 200 MB of data. Sounds pretty fair to me.

DataPro

The name says it all. This plan is for the data hungry users. It comes with 2 GB of data for $25/month. According to  AT&T, only 2% of their customers will fall into this category.

Should you go over your 2 GB, you will be charged an extra $10 for another GB of data. Again, that is very fair.

Tethering

Tethering on your iPhone will come at a hefty price of $20/month, on top of your DataPro plan. What does this mean? It means that in order to get tethering on your iPhone, you will have to sign up for the $25 2 GB DataPro plan plus pay an additional $20 to "activate" the tethering option.

Signing up for tethering doesn't entitle you to more data usage. Every byte of data used under tethering will be directly taken from you DataPro plan.

Tethering will be available when iPhone OS 4 comes out.

I don't think that's a very fair deal and I'll most likely stick to MyWi for my tethering needs.

What happens to your old unlimited data plan?

The good news for those of you who use more data than these plans can offer is that you can keep your unlimited data plan. But if you want to use the official tethering option, you'll have to give it up for the DataPro plan.

I don't use much data so I know I'll be switching to the DataPlus plan and save myself $15/month.

What about iPad data plans?

According to AT&T, "for new iPad customers, the $25 per month 2 GB plan will replace the existing $29.99 unlimited plan. iPad customers will continue to pre-pay for their wireless data plan and no contract is required. Existing iPad customers who have the $29.99 per month unlimited plan can keep that plan or switch to the new $25 per month plan with 2 GB of data."

Free wifi at 20,000 AT&T hotspots

AT&T wireless customers will still get access to their network of over 20,000 wifi hotspots. That means that as long as you're paying a data plan, you can get free unlimited access to any AT&T wifi hotspots in the US (good deal for you if you live close to one of these hotspots and get signal in your home).

Monitoring and managing data usage

Since there won't be unlimited plans anymore (except for those who choose to stay on them), you will now have to closely monitor your data usage.

AT&T will help you by sending you text message and email alerts. You will get an alert after you reach 65%, 90%, and 100% of the treshold.

Additionally, you can download the free AT&T myWireless application from the App Store that allows you to keep an eye on your voice and data usage.

Conclusion

All in all, I think it is a great move from AT&T. Sure there will be the few usual customers that get pissed at the pricing plan changes but the majority of AT&T customers should find these new plans to their liking as most of us will get to save a few bucks each month.

As for tethering though, I think AT&T should have offered a little extra to those who choose to activate the option. With an additional $20/month for tethering, I would have hoped to be offered an extra 2 GB of data. As I said above though, that doesn't bother me too much as I'll stick to the "unofficial" tethering with MyWi.

What do you think?

Now that I gave you the details of the new data pricing plans, I would like to hear your thoughts about them. Are you one of those customers that will save money each month? Or are you one of the very very few that will have to pay more?

I look forward to reading what you think.

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AT&T Internet Tethering Coming With iPhone OS 4?

Sébastien Page ∙ May 19, 2010

That's an interesting find that the guys over at MacRumors made earlier today... Apparently the latest iPhone 4.0 beta hides a new configuration page for Internet tethering.

When you try to activate the new feature, you get an error message asking you to call AT&T or visit their website in order to enable tethering. Is AT&T finally ready to offer the long-awaited tethering option to its iPhone customers?

You may remember that AT&T has been supposed to offer tethering for almost a year now but is worried that doing so might increase strain on their network. That's why they've been "actively working on it" for the last few months. Lame!

If like me you can't wait for AT&T, you may consider enabling tethering on your iPhone the other way...

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iPhone + Verizon Really Coming in June?

Cody Lee ∙ Updated March 27, 2018

While we, here at the blog, don't typically chime in on the endless next-gen iPhone rumors, I felt compelled to do so on this particular piece of gossip. Talk about an Apple iPhone on the nation's largest network dates back to, well, the origination of the iPhone.

In fact, legend has it that Apple had originally approached 'Big Red', with the iPhone, exclusivity and all, and they turned it down. Now why exactly a cell phone carrier would want to turn down the opportunity to add 4% of their competition's customers to their network is up for speculation. Reported reasons have ranged from Apple's phones not having a removable battery to the lengthy warranty process for malfunctioning devices.

Fast forward to 2009. The iPhone had sold in record numbers, but Verizon definitely didn't go home and eat Ben and Jerry's and watch chick flicks. With a struggling smart phone line up consisting of aging Blackberrys and Windows mobile devices, they struck up a friendship with search engine and now mobile giant Google. Interesting.

Interesting because today they now carry 5 Android handsets with more promised later this year, as well as confirmed reports that the two are collaborating on a tablet device. Throwing an iPhone and other Apple products (iPad?) into the mix will be like putting a scorpion and brown recluse in a glass jar together and watching them fight. Giving customers freedom of choice between the 2 would produce interesting results.

Another fact to consider is that we have all seen the photos of at least a prototype of the next iPhone and the device appears to have a front facing camera. Before you go and dismiss this as a 'for self portraits' kind of camera, better check your tech blogs a little closer, tons of developers and home brewers have already discovered tons of evidence in the code of the new iPhone 4.0 software pointing to video chat.

Nationwide video calling would be pretty sketchy on a 3G network, no matter how fast or reliable. But Verizon is definitely making noise with its LTE network it plans on rolling out in a handful of markets later this year. Still sounds like we are a year or 2 away from it being anywhere close to nationwide, would Apple waste time making a CDMA handset available this summer with LTE on the horizon? I suppose theres a possibility of a dual band 3G/LTE  iPhone.

But none the less all of my  skepticism get sidetracked by all the latest gossip that streams through my RSS Feed reader. CrunchGear is reporting that they have received tips that an advertising agency is working on an advertising campaign for Verizon and new iPhone HD. Not to mention numerous Verizon Wireless employees reporting that they are blocking out vacation dates around Father's Day weekend but their not saying why.

If you're asking yourself "Cody, what do I make of all of this information?" You're asking the wrong person, I'm about as on the fence on this one as they come. Unless you've been hiding under rock for the last year, you are aware that AT&T has been reporting customer complaints in all of its larger markets for dropped calls, no service, and slow data speeds.

They have been long since criticized for their older network infrastructure  not being able to handle the millions of new iPhone customers they have added. You should also know that the original 5 year contract AT&T and Apple signed in 2007 has been publicly reported to have been renegotiated to expire this summer, June 2010 to be exact.

Putting their phones in front of  an industry leading 90,000,000 wireless customers would seemingly be a smart business move for Apple. But only time will tell, and the clock couldn't possibly tick any slowly on our count down to Apple's June event. In the meantime, post some comments, I will try to put any updates I find on this topic in the comments section!

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Apple Starts Selling Contract Free iPhones

Sébastien Page ∙ March 23, 2010

Gizmodo got their hands on a leaked Apple internal documentation that says that they are now selling iPhones without a contract.

Until now, if you wanted to buy an iPhone from Apple, you had to show proof that you were an AT&T customer. This policy is a thing of the past and you can now go to the Apple Store and buy one iPhone a day at full price without a contract.

Why is Apple doing this? Probably to make some room in their inventory for new iPads, but most likely to start getting rid of these "old" iPhones, since they will be refreshed in just a few months now.

If you were thinking about buying one of these babies, keep in mind that you will not be able to jailbreak and unlock for a while as these iPhones are locked on firmware 3.1.3 with baseband 05.12.07.

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AT&T Confirms Move to A “Variable Pricing Model”

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated January 23, 2016

A few months ago I wrote an article showing how AT&T was going to move to a pay-per-byte model on its 3G plans. Recently, AT&T CEO Randall L. Stephenson confirmed this move in an interview for the WSJ.

He said that AT&T is carrying half of the nation's wireless data traffic. He said that carriers will eventually move to a "variable pricing model," and that it was inevitable that heavy users should pay more than low users.

I think it's a big move that makes sense for both AT&T and its users. Of course, these new "variable pricing models" will start with the iPad which offers 250MB plan at $15/month and an unlimited plan at $30. It's just a way to get us used to it.

What do you think? Do you welcome this move to introduce various plans depending on your data consumption?

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Is The iPhone Coming To Verizon In 2010?

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated May 16, 2016

AT&T has been under fire lately for many reasons, but mostly because their network can't really handle the data monster that is the iPhone. A couple weeks ago, AT&T even went as far as mentioning that it may charge iPhone users on a per-byte basis in the near future. I predict that this will happen sooner than later.

In the meantime, Verizon seems to prepping up its network for the iPhone. According to BusinessWeek:

Verizon Wireless has even made upgrades that would make its network more capable of handling extra traffic that would be generated by the iPhone, Verizon Wireless Chief Technology Officer Anthony Melone says in an interview.

"We have put things in place already," Melone tells Bloomberg BusinessWeek. "We are prepared to support that traffic."

It's interesting to note that a few weeks ago, Verizon ridiculized AT&T andApple's iPhone with their ad campaign called "there's a map for that", but now they expect to get the iPhone...

Even though Verizon appears to be a more reliable network than AT&T, I really doubt the iPhone will go to them next year. The main reason is that Verizon is a CDMA network while pretty much the rest of the world operates on the GSM network. This is just a hardware issue but I don't think Apple will make the necessary changes just to catter to Verizon specifications.

Besides, Apple has a 5 year exclusive agreement with AT&T and this contract is supposed to expire in 2012. Now of course they could cancel this agreement but I believe it would cost Apple lots of this money it makes from the iPhone.

If anything, I think the iPhone would go to T-Mobile, but this is pure speculation and I don't have any proof to back this up. It's just a gut feeling.

Do you think the iPhone will go to Verizon next year? Would you make the switch from AT&T to Verizon if that was the case?

Image: Momentum Of Failure

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How Quickly Apple and AT&T Are Making $2 Billion off the iPhone

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated April 18, 2018

I found this interesting piece on GigaOm and thought I'd share it with you. It doesn't say how much money Apple is making off the iPhone though a quick math can give us a vague idea.

If it costs $180 to build an iPhone and Apple sells each unit to AT&T (or other carriers) at $550, then it makes a profit of $370 per unit sold.

$370 times 5.2 million iPhones sold in the third quarter of 2009 makes Apple a profit of $1,924,000,000 (for quarter 3 only). That's almost 2 billion dollars in profits!!! To this, you have to subtract costs such as marketing, salaries, etc... but still, that's a hell lot of money.

These are obviously rough numbers but they shouldn't be too far from reality.

As you can see on the image below, it takes AT&T 2 years to make these $2 billion (in revenue, not profit). Apple is definitely cashing in...

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AT&T to Charge iPhone Users On A Pay-Per-Byte Model?

Sébastien Page ∙ December 10, 2009

In an article in the Wall Street Journal yesterday, AT&T Mobility CEO Ralph de la Vega talked about the crappy 3G coverage in key areas such as New York and San Francisco, which he admitted are "performing at levels below our standards."

According to de la Vega, the good news is AT&T is working on it. I don't know if we should hold our breath on this because AT&T has been working on this issue for over a year now...

What I found more interesting in this WSJ article is the fact that AT&T might start charging iPhone users on a per-byte basis, as I kinda predicted in an article last month:

With about 3% of smart-phone customers driving 40% of data traffic, AT&T is considering incentives to keep those subscribers from hampering the experience for everyone else, he said. “You can rest assured that we’re very sure we can address it in a way that’s consistent with net-neutrality and FCC regulations.”

Many customers don’t know how much bandwidth they’re consuming, Mr. de la Vega added. When AT&T conducted a broadband test, customers often reduced their data use. Longer-term, he said, a pricing scheme based on usage is likely, though it will be determined by industry competition and regulatory guidelines.

This news comes at the right time as I was going to write an article on how I think it would make sense for AT&T to charge per usage.

As the WSJ says, 3% of users are responsible for 40% of the Internet consumption and it's not fair for a "little user" to pay the same price as a "power user".

I came to this conclusion as I am traveling around the world and using pay-as-you-go plans. I realized that I don't nearly use as much data (aka Internet) on my iPhone as I thought I did. On a pay-as-you-go plan, if I use less, I pay less, which makes sense.

In short, I think it's a good idea because it benefits me. But what about you? Does such a pricing scheme would benefit you? Are you willing to be charged on a pay-per-byte model?

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AT&T on the iPhone Doesn’t Sound That Bad Anymore

Sébastien Page ∙ Updated November 12, 2018

I was with T-Mobile before getting an iPhone and I was very satisfied. I've never really complained about AT&T. The only problem I have with them is the cost of the service.

I pay roughly $80/month including $30/month for unlimited data. Until now I was really pissed about the $30 which I thought were a complete rip off.

Things have changed since I started traveling overseas... Here in Australia, I pay $50 for 250 minutes of communication and 500MB of data with Optus, and that is where it hurts.

3G in Australia sucks! Internet in general sucks in Australia but 3G is worth than you might even expect. First it is not cheap, but I'm ok with it. It's pre-paid so I don't expect a cheap price. What I'm really disappointed in is the slow 3G network. I feel like I'm back on Edge.

I was able to try it in several places in Eastern Australia, including larger cities like Brisbane and Sydney, but no matter where I am, it still is painfully slow.

Yesterday night, as I was refreshing my email inbox, I started feeling nostalgic of the good old AT&T network. Sure I had a few dropped calls here and there but the 3G coverage is pretty good and most importantly, it is pretty fast.

I miss you AT&T! I miss how fast you can update Twitter. I miss how quickly you load my news feed on Facebook. I miss how fast you download email attachments. Most importantly, I miss the safety of unlimited data download and upload.

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AT&T Loophole + Google Voice = Free Calls On Your iPhone

Guest Author ∙ October 2, 2009

You may have heard of the new AT&T add-on called A-List that gives you unlimited calls to and from 5 numbers of your choice. Thanks to a little bit of thinking outside the box, and mostly thanks to Google Voice, you can actually get unlimited calling to any numbers in the US.

For those of you who don't know how Google Voice works, let me explain briefly. Google Voice gives you a free phone number that entitles you to free calls in the US (and very cheap calls overseas). If you try to make a call from the Google Voice app on your iPhone (or the web-based version), Google Voice will call you at your number and connect you to the number you dialed. I'm not sure if that makes sense but basically, when you use Google Voice for calls, you don't get free calls, minutes are taken off your plan, which kinda defeats the whole purpose.

Here is how the loophole works. Simply add your Google Voice number to your A-List. Now every time Google Voice calls you to connect the call with the dialed number, it will be free of charge and you'll be able to call anyone in the US for free (really free).

I'm not sure this is very clear but Google Voice users will surely understand and see the benefits of this little trick. Let's just hope AT&T doesn't figure this one out and puts an end to it.

Do you use Google Voice? If so, you should definitely look into it...

Thanks kper for sending us this tip.

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