Developer claims three major U.S. carriers throttle iPhone and iPad data speeds [Updated]

“According to Joseph Brown, one of the developers behind the iTweakiOS site that provides hacked carrier updates for iOS users, Apple is purposely throttling iPhone data speeds to ‘even out’ the network as Apple’s phones consume more data than other smartphones,” Juli Clover reports for MacRumors.

“Brown states that AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint limit the iPhone’s data speeds and provides evidence in the form of snapshots of network settings,” Clover reports. “T-Mobile, the last network to receive the iPhone, is the only carrier that does not appear to throttle iPhone data usage.”

Clover reports, “To thwart the apparent throttling, iTweakiOS offers a number of carrier hacks that are designed to increase data speeds.”

Read more in the full article here.

MacDailyNews Note: UPDATE: 5:48pm EDT: AnandTech explains why this is simply not true.

Read more in the full article here.

31 Comments

  1. Wow, I really think that there needs to be FCC or federal intervention here. Carriers exist because they have a government granted monopoly if a public resource, the airwaves.

    They cannot be allowed to manipulate and cheat customers this way without serious consequences.

        1. I may be forgetting, but the war in Afghanistan was started less than two years into the GWB’s first term in office. At this point, his participation in that war has been longer than BHO’s.

          So far, BHO has initiated the US involvement in only one “war” (the Libya conflict), which was rather short and comparatively quite inexpensive to the US taxpayer. Not to mention the notorious dictator was successfully replaced by the democratically elected government.

        2. (CNSNews.com) – At least 858 U.S. soldiers have died in the Afghanistan war since President Barack Obama took office in January 2009. That equals 60 percent of the 1,427 American soldiers killed so far in the 10-year war in that country.

        3. Good lord, turn off Fox News, unsubscribe from all the Republican propaganda, and grow a f*cking brain!!

          Or are you tuly so ignorant that you don’t know that George W Bush (aka Gilligan) started the war in Afganistan? Obama has been bringing the troops home to END the war, just as he did in Iraq…you know, the *other* (pointless) war that he inherited from GWB.

          Your level of stupidity obviously grows daily.

        4. look you jackass, as I have stated in this forum countless times, there is NO DIFFERENCE between the policies of Obama Messiah, Dubya, Billy Boy or CIA George. rhetoric, yes. policies, no.

          also previously posted: (CNSNews.com) – At least 858 U.S. soldiers have died in the Afghanistan war since President Barack Obama took office in January 2009. That equals 60 percent of the 1,427 American soldiers killed so far in the 10-year war in that country.

  2. Sounds phone owners who use carrier hacks are like the aasholes in traffic who are “queue jumpers”; they rush ahead of everyone else in merge lanes to gain themselves a few seconds of driving time — and thereby ruin it for everyone else.

    1. No, there should not need to be such hacks. The carriers are misleading and mistreating their customers. They make obscene profits from publicly owned airwaves that they have permission granted to use by the public through the government, then they throttle their customers.

      That’s like a car dealership selling you a Ferrari with permanently attached bicycle tires.

    1. I have no idea if this article is accurate or not. But it does state that Apple, or the carriers, are the culprits here. Currently I am grandfathered under the AT&T unlimited plan. And it doesn’t mean a thing. I can still be throttled if I exceed the limit. You know, the limit which is unlimited. It’s business, never be naïve. Apple and the carriers are in business for one reason, to make money. They will use whatever means possible to achieve that goal. It’s what they do. Apple isn’t some knight in shining armor. It’s the biggest company out there and they intend to stay that way by whatever means possible. They’re not your buddy. So don’t act like you’re defending your sister when an accusation is made about Apple. It’s just a huge moneymaking machine that makes great stuff. But they’re not going to have you over for barbecue tonight. And the carriers aren’t going to invite you out for a beer either. Wake up. Be alert. Act like an intelligent adult.

  3. The article begins by saying that “Apple is purposely throttling iPhone data speeds”, but then goes on to say that the CARRIERS are responsible. How and why is Apple doing anything in this scenario???

  4. #omalansky … you said “How and why is Apple doing anything in this scenario???”

    You forgot to add that the quote in the article comes from one “Joseph Brown, one of the developers behind iTweakiOS … iTweakiOS offers a number of carrier hacks that are designed to increase data speeds.”

    Who else besides me thinks that Joseph Brown has a little vested interest in bringing up FUD about carrier throttling?

    Clover is only looking for “hits”. Nothing to see here. Move along.

  5. F* the big three. I went to T-Mobile for my 1Phone 5. They are now rolling out LTE and i’m showing spped test results of 16-18 MBS down and 8-10 MBS up. Same as I was getting on VZ on my tablet. Free tethering. Using my phone on old plan so I pay essentially $20 month plus my $20 month phone payment.

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