“If you want to set up your iPhone as a prepaid account, do not–no that’s not emphatic enough–do NOT, DO NOT attempt to set up the account in advance with AT&T,” Erica Sadun reports for TUAW.
“Just don’t. Trust me. Here’s how you should do it: Buy the iPhone. Connect it to iTunes. Sign up using 999-99-9999 as your social security number. After failing the credit check, select a GoPhone plan. After signing up for a GoPhone plan and being assigned a number and passcode, connect to the AT&T GoPhone funding page as prompted, enter your credit card or debit card information and you’re good to go. DO NOT attempt to fund your iPhone over the phone with AT&T. DO NOT set up your iPhone prepaid account in advance with AT&T,” Sadun reports.
Full article here.
can you transfer your current number over to a “Go Phone” account?
Does the plan include the same 20 dollar iphone data plan. if so this rocks. Too bad i already signed a 2 year agreement
Can I do this over the phone with AT&T?
This will be made impossible in a update to iTunes.
Better do while you can because this time next week you wont be able to!
Hillbilly,
Yeah, sure. Just remember to do it in advance.
Hope this helps.
does this works in europe ?
Just remember, though, after that iTunes Update, your iPhone will be snappier!
I tried doing this in advance over the phone with AT&T and it dodn’t work.
If you do AT&T and Apple will sue you for giving wrong info about yourself. At least I hope they do so!
If you don’t accept their conditions buy another phone…
It’s something similar to me wanting a Ferrari. I can’t afford it but there are solutions around for this: steal it, buy a stolen one, clone a credit card…
It’s really stupid. You can’t afford an iPhone under given conditions? Buy some chinese crap-phone.
Don’t you just love this stuff!!!
What about those of us that are US residents which do business outside the AT&T service area the majority of the time? I work abroad 95% of the time and currently use a quad band phone and pay-as-you go plan from Cingular for the times when I am back in the States. The phone (Moto RAZR) which I currently use was unlocked by Cingular (now AT&T) to allow me to use any SIM card I wanted while overseas. To be honest, the phone sucks but it was the only one at the time of purchase which allowed me this flexibilty.
I seems a little unreasonable to expect anyone in this situation to pay a “full-time” service contract to AT&T to enable any of the iPhone’s functionality. I can understand for actual calling, but why disable all the other functions as well? I would buy the phone in a heartbeat for the non-phone functions (i.e. contact organizer, web browser, audio and video iPod, photo organizer, etc).
Please understand that there are situations when certain efforts or requests appear to be for “unethical” reasons, but in fact turn out to be something quite reasonable.
A friend of mine activated his iPhone this way. He is working in the US but will be heading back to Canada at the end of the year and just wanted to try out the iPhone without tying himself into a 2 year contract.
If you screw up the registration AT&T support can delete your account. Originally he screwed up this way by entering all 0’s instead of 9’s. He told AT&T support that the Apple store had told him to register this way and they deleted the account with no fuss. After using all 9’s the activation went smoothly.
tried doing this in advance over the phone with AT&T and it dodn’t work. —bluefine
Duh… Isn’t this why the article specfically stated: ” DO NOT attempt to set up the account in advance with AT&T”???
AT&T has an iPhone data plan??!!! since when? that would be awesome for us deafies!
It’s something similar to me wanting a Ferrari. I can’t afford it but there are solutions around for this: steal it, buy a stolen one, clone a credit card…
Yes, because this is exactly like grand theft auto or credit fraud. Idiot.
>@summix wrote: Please understand that there are situations when certain efforts or requests appear to be for “unethical” reasons, but in fact turn out to be something quite reasonable.
There is nothing unethical about having requirements that fall outside of what Apple is providing. The shady part of licenses is the amount of control companies exert over how you use their products.
You bought it. You own it. You should be able to use it the way you like.
I passed along several articles detailing this information to MacDailyNews about a couple of weeks ago via their contact page. What does one have to do around here to get a recognized “heads up”?
MW: love, as in “not feeling very much love” but also as in “I love this site anyway.”
@simmux
Your argument holds no water. Activating an iPhone utilizing one of AT&T’s goPhone plans will acutally cost the user approximately $10 more per month. The positive incentive to save $120 per annum should motivate the average person to sign a contract considering the device is useless on other networks and the early termination fee of $175 equates to 18 months of savings. That being said, Apple and AT&T must provide a way for those persons with poor credit, or lack thereof, who are unable to qualify for a contract, to use their product and services. Yes, they make out better in terms of bankable revenue with contracts, and more in dollar terms via pay-as-you-go, but an 18 month snap-shot places them on an equal level if you assume the assessment of an early termination fee. They created the work-around of using 999-99-9999 and will not deactivate it because they want all the market share they can get. However, they will not advertise it either because they prefer the constancy of the revenue stream provided by a contract versus the marginal increase in revenue via goPhone. Please think before you type.
Old news, indeed.
But what if I have to take a painful wicked CRAP and I’m stuck on a crowded bus?
“What about those of us that are US residents which do business outside the AT&T service area the majority of the time? I work abroad 95% of the time and currently use a quad band phone and pay-as-you go plan from Cingular for the times when I am back in the States.”
Look, there is no “right” to use an iPhone, and neither Apple nor AT&T are under any obligation to make their product accessible in every conceivable situation. If you can’t use an iPhone overseas, tough. Get over it. (Whether it is good business is another discussion.)
You’re not being wronged or discriminated against. You need to buy something else.
I need to use a BlackBerry. Maybe I should sue Apple and AT&T for not letting me do that on an iPhone. And then I’ll sue the NBA because they won’t let me play even though I’m short and suck at basketball.
“You bought it. You own it. You should be able to use it the way you like.”
Much in the same way Apple and AT&T own their companies and can run it them way THEY like.
Don’t like the terms of the iPhone? THEN DON’T BUY ONE EINSTEIN.
MW: “full”…as in you people who are whining about the iPhone and how you can’t use it on Mars are FULL of crap
re: “You bought it. You own it. You should be able to use it the way you like.
—
Not if the people who designed dont want you to.
Theres fuck all you can do about it too.
You pay your money – you make your choice.
If you want an iPhone then you go with AT&T, if you dont wanna go with AT&T then buy some shitty windows mobile.
You have to respect the EXCLUSIVE contract Apple has with AT&T, Apple WILL open up the iPhone BUT it will be when all exclusive deals expire (5 years time).
I think some of you misunderstood what I was attempting to say.
I understand and respect the agreement that has been established between Apple and AT&T relating to the use and activation of the iPhone. I don’t think myself or others have a God given right to use the iPhone in a manner other than under the stated terms. This is the reason that I have not purchased an iPhone yet.
I think it COULD have been a nice option to allow individuals to purchase the iPhone at full price and and then allowed the “non-phone” features (i.e. those not requiring the use of AT&T network support) to be activited without an AT&T service contract. Remember, the device is SOOOO much more than just a phone.
Not a right.. just a valid and reasonable desire.