Well, that didn't take long. Apple has pulled the iTether app from the App Store.
We told you about the $15 app last night that let anyone have unlimited tethering from their iPhone's 3G connection to a desktop computer. The app bypassed carrier data plans and let anyone with a simple connection tether for free.
We're not sure who dropped the ball on this one, but 9to5Mac is reporting that Apple has admitted a tethering application into its App Store. The $14.99 software promises unlimited (wired) tethering from your iPhone to your PC or Mac.
As most of you know, carriers typically charge a premium for smartphone tethering. And very few (if any) of them nowadays offer all-you-can eat plans. Given that knowledge, you can see why it's a bit strange that Apple approved iTether...
Jailbreak developers are beginning to update their tweaks and apps with iOS 5 compatibility. We told you about BiteSMS getting updated for iOS 5 yesterday, and now another staple jailbreak app has been updated for Apple's highly anticipated mobile software.
Popular tethering app MyWi has been updated by Intelliborn to version 5.0. With iOS 5 compatibility, this new version of MyWi also features some improvements and bug fixes...
TiPB passes on a report from Forbes that Verizon is rolling out a system to prevent jailbreak utilities like MyWi from working on its network. And according to the article, the free-tethering ban starts today.
This information correlates with previous reports that Big Red had started blocking rooted (same thing as jailbroken) Android users from tethering their devices, but we weren't sure when the 'official ban on unofficial tethering' would start...
A couple days ago, we reported that AT&T would automatically start moving jailbreakers using MyWi to an official tethering plan starting August 11.
It now seems that Verizon is following the same path, as it has started directing users who use unofficial tethering to this page, a kind warning that those users might want to get legit and start paying for the service...
AT&T got rid of their unlimited data plans quite some time ago. However, folks who had unlimited data before the plan was removed are likely still enjoying the all-you-can-eat option.
Thanks to the grandfather clause, customers should get to keep those unlimited plans until they sign another contract — unless their iPhone happens to be jailbroken and they're using an application like MyWi...
Here is a new iOS 5 feature that hasn't been documented yet, most likely because it's probably a bug that will be taken care of in the next beta release. If you own a Verizon iPhone (aka CDMA version of the iPhone) and you go to Settings > General > Network > Internet Tethering, and turn the toggle ON, you will be able to tether your device for free, turning it into a Wi-Fi hotspot at no charge.
I don't have a Verizon iPhone so I couldn't verify this myself but I asked several people on Twitter and they were all able to turn tethering ON, without having to pay anything to Verizon...
Another interesting tidbit was unveiled by AT&T Mobility CEO, Ralph de la Vega, concerning the company's future strategy for data plans. Instead of having to buy a separate data plan for each wireless device, such as an iPhone and iPad 3G, customers will be able to purchase a "shared data plan" that could be used across all registered devices.
After receiving a lot of criticism over the network's poor reliability and quality, AT&T is trying to adapt and build a better infrastructure for the largest group of smartphone customers in the U.S. These shared data plans look to be part of the plan for creating a better AT&T...
Ever thought the glowy status bar that shows up when tethering your iPhone was kind of dull? Want to spice things up a bit? Then Tetherize may be for you, assuming you use the native tethering capability, and not a jailbreak app like MyWi or PDAnet.
Tetherize is a new jailbreak application that allows you to slightly customize the tethering status bar by adding text to it, or by stopping the glossy bar from glowing. That's all there is to this app so far, although the dev promises "loads of new styles coming up"...
In case you didn't know, AT&T has started cracking down on unauthorized tethering, specifically for jailbroken iPhones on a grandfathered unlimited data plan.
If you've gotten AT&T's "text of death" relating to your tethering usage, you're probably utilizing free tethering through jailbreak apps like MyWi. Understandably, AT&T doesn't want its users to have a free broadband connection through tethering hacks, and the carrier has started moving users over to its DataPro plan for $45 a month.
So, how is AT&T targeting unauthorized tethering on its network?
Talk about good timing. Alex just shared his experience lamenting AT&T's strict tethering policies, and not so much as an hour later we learn that PdaNet has been updated to mask tethering.
While a lot of you may be more familiar with MyWi when it comes to tethering, PdaNet is the forerunner to MyWi, and still has quite the loyal following today.
Even if you are a MyWi user, this is wonderful news, because it means that the developers of MyWi shouldn't be too many steps behind when it comes to implementing similar features in their tethering app...
I recently got a text message from AT&T letting me know that I was "enjoying" free tethering with my iPhone, and that I would need to change my habits or be forced to upgrade to an official tethering plan. For all intents and purposes, I will refer to this as the "text of death."
This text of death from AT&T didn't surprise me. We reported awhile ago that AT&T was beginning to crack down on tethering that wasn't sanctioned through their official tethering plan.
What surprised me was that I thought I'd been careful, meaning, I thought I'd played it safe with how much I'd been tethering. After calling AT&T, I discovered some interesting information that might help those of you in a similar position.