iPhone question

[razz]

Would someone please explain to me how an iPhone works. I can be in the middle of my walk with my dog and when a family member with an iPhone texts me, I can respond with a text message using my iPhone. I have no plan simply the basic access to regular phone cellular service.

I use and need the Wifi at home to access all other internet services with my phone. I can, of course, use the free Wifi elsewhere as well.

How has Apple managed to make this possible? Do they have their own satellite? Other explanations????

[ToomuchStuff]

I don't have a smart phone. With my regular (old) candy bar style phone, on an old prepaid plan, I had to block texting still as it was part of the regular thing and used regular cell service.

You have a cell phone, not a satellite phone.

[Alan]

As I understand it, iPhones default to their proprietary iMessage service for texts, which requires a data plan. Non-iPhone user texts are sent using the SMS (Short Message Service) protocol which is available through cellular networks, or MMS (Multimedia Message Service) which also requires a data plan. iPhones are capable of sending and receiving all three protocols.

I would guess that while you're out and about, without WiFi, you're receiving simple SMS texts of 160 characters or less without attached photos, and when you're connected to WiFi you're receiving iMessage or MMS texts with unlimited characters and attached multimedia.

Someone feel free to correct my assumptions if they're wrong.

[Cypress]

Alan is correct with info. You don't need to be near Wifi to get data or texts. My phone works with Wifi or without. I do have a monthly phone/text/data plan. Before I had this plan, I was a no contract prepaid monthly customer and bought phone/text/data at the Verizon Wireless store. I think all phone services come with phone/text. Depending on signal strengths, texts are just like a phone call, don't need data to send or receive. I guess I would ask what is your regular cellular plan? What does it come with? I think phone/text are standard with a smartphone.

The data comes via a signal tower if I am correct. I love my iPhone. I am amazed at how Apple can put an affordable computer right in my hand.

[razz]

OK, I need to check this out but had no idea what questions to ask. I have a simple grandmothered plan charging to my CC for simple phone calls. I had a large credit built up with the old phone but they modified the access to credit for unused minutes. I will see how much the credit balance has gone down over the past year since I have had my iPhone and responding to text messages.
The cellular data is turned off but the phone is still on. Each call costs 60 cents.

[ToomuchStuff]

OK, I need to check this out but had no idea what questions to ask. I have a simple grandmothered plan charging to my CC for simple phone calls. I had a large credit built up with the old phone but they modified the access to credit for unused minutes. I will see how much the credit balance has gone down over the past year since I have had my iPhone and responding to text messages.
The cellular data is turned off but the phone is still on. Each call costs 60 cents.


On my grandfathered plan, the phone calls are something like .10 per minute (probably my average phone call) and the texts were .05 per text. I am betting you will find something similar (that you only need a data plan for attachments and such))
On my grandfath

[jp1]

Also, you can verify whether the message is being received via iMessage or not by the color of the box. Blue is iMessage, green is either SMS or MMS.

[razz]

The messages when walking the dog are green so that answers that question as I wondered why the ones at home were blue.
Over the past year, my credit balance has gone down from $275 to $228.
Thanks everyone.

I will go online and see what the options are but I don't need a data plan so am quite comfortable with my simple phone and text message. service.

[razz]

OK, I found out that I pay $1/mth, plus 5 cents per min local calling and 30 cents per text Canada-wide. Long Distance calling I must add 50 cents/min. Data is $2/20MB Which I never use.

I pay $10/mth top up which was grandmothered in (as the current top-up minimum is $15/mth) and any unused amount of the $10 gets added to the total bill, or in my case, credit balance which now is at $227.71.
Much wiser now. When I first got my mobile phone many years ago, texting was not possible.
Thanks for the info.

[SteveinMN]

Just to clarify a point, some cellular providers do not bundle talk and text. Consumer Cellular is one such carrier, lumping texting together with data. It's not that big a deal with them because they don't price their data in huge (expen$ive) chunks.

Also, because it seems an appropriate place to put this, people sometimes build up large balances on prepaid plans when they don't use much time at all. Some carriers will stop building the balance at a certain point. And if you choose to move to a different carrier, you will lose the built-up balance; I'm not aware of a single cellular provider which will return the money to you. However, some prepaids will let you use a prepaid balance to move to postpaid service with them. And, if they don't, you often can work down your balance by donating via phone to charities of your choice that accept texted donations. Because of the way these are billed, the donation will come off your prepaid balance first.

[razz]

Good to know, Steve. I am going to use my texting more to reduce my credit balance.