Verizon Moto X - Activation Issue Somehow Kept Unlimited Data with Subsidized Price - Moto X General

So I upgraded to a Moto X last week after purchasing online and agreeing to give up my unlimited data for a Share Everything plan. When I received the phone, I had a lot of issues with automatic activation, so I had to call and have it manually activated. Well, this morning I tried using the included portable hotspot, and received an error message saying to call CS. So I called CS, and the verified multiple times that my account was still on my old unlimited data plan and has not made any changes. They said I would have to upgrade to a Share Everything plan to use portable hotspot (which I thought I did when purchasing online ).
I know that many would kill to keep unlimited data after paying a subsidized price for a phone, but my dilemma is that I need a way to wirelessly tether. I'd be glad to keep my unlimited data, but until the Moto X gets root, I don't have many options for wireless tethering.
Tried FoxFi, but it requires some additional security features enabled, and I don't want to use a pin or pattern unlock. Any other options for non-root wireless tethering?

You could pay VZW $30 a month to tether.
Sent from my XT1060 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

bobbysteels216 said:
You could pay VZW $30 a month to tether.
Sent from my XT1060 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I might as well change to the Share Everything plan for the same price as my current plan

Squintz said:
I might as well change to the Share Everything plan for the same price as my current plan
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
That would be the most logical thing to do unless you plan on using more than 2 GB of data.
Sent from my XT1060 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app

If you don't need tethering frequently, you can turn it on and off with the Verizon app; it prorates to $1/day. It takes about a minute to turn it on or off. I do this every other month or so for a few days with my Bionic; your bill turns into a bit of a mess because of the prorating (they charge a full month, then refund the part of the month before you turned it on, then another adjustment when you turn it back off.

FoxFi from the Play Store.
Works great with my Verizon Moto X.
The full version costs $8. Very worth the purchase.

DW-77 said:
FoxFi from the Play Store.
Works great with my Verizon Moto X.
The full version costs $8. Very worth the purchase.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
that requires the annoying password when you wake up the phone.looking for other solution

ordediol articles
I hate that too...but if you turn off the instant lock when you press the power button and change the auto-lock time to 30 minutes it's not too bad.
And who goes more than 30 minutes without playing with their X?
Maybe twice a day I have to enter my unlock pattern. Once again, well worth the price.

DW-77 said:
I hate that too...but if you turn off the instant lock when you press the power button and change the auto-lock time to 30 minutes it's not too bad.
And who goes more than 30 minutes without playing with their X?
Maybe twice a day I have to enter my unlock pattern. Once again, well worth the price.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Does FoxFi give you slower speeds than using the normal tethering?

htowngator said:
Does FoxFi give you slower speeds than using the normal tethering?
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I don't notice any degraded speed.
I have no problem streaming Netflix and browsing reddit (with gif's) at the same time while tethered.

this works for me, not password needed, follow it to the letter http://highonandroid.com/android-ap...android-smartphone-or-tablet-universal-guide/

Related

[Q] So who is activating their Xooms with Verizon?

So out of all of the people who have ordered their zooms through Motorola who are going to activate them with Verizon? I am considering activating with Verizon but not sure if it'll cost more since I bought from Motorola direct.
Since I wanted a WiFi only XOOM to begin with, I'll be using my $600 OCNN XOOM with the 3G radio always off.
slowrey said:
So out of all of the people who have ordered their zooms through Motorola who are going to activate them with Verizon? I am considering activating with Verizon but not sure if it'll cost more since I bought from Motorola direct.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I may try Verizon after 4G upgrade. Tethering to my 3G phone right now produces the same result without the extra cost.
I just activated it yesterday.........after hours of trying and looking around I couldn't understand why my device wouldn't just activate when I pressed Activate Device, it kept saying activation failed. So after going to the Verizon Store the him self didn't know how to properly activate it either, he was trying the same things I was. He took too long so I just took it home. After some more search I tried to activate it through the Verizon online phone service activation. Even though it said cell phone activation, the activation worked and I had my credit approved, that it self took a whole day. And finally got my Verizon 3g on my xoom. All in all it took me 3 days to get 3G on my phone, while on the other had when I had the iPad on At&t it took me 10 minutes to activate the device and At&t service on it, no credit approval, just had to create an account and enter my credit card #, I could cancel whenever I wanted, then come back later and just enter my username and password to activate another month, all on the tablet. Why Verizon couldn't couldn't be this easy......I don't know! But I feel that its totally worth it for my xoom. ;
sunnyd119 said:
I just activated it yesterday.........after hours of trying and looking around I couldn't understand why my device wouldn't just activate when I pressed Activate Device, it kept saying activation failed. So after going to the Verizon Store the him self didn't know how to properly activate it either, he was trying the same things I was. He took too long so I just took it home. After some more search I tried to activate it through the Verizon online phone service activation. Even though it said cell phone activation, the activation worked and I had my credit approved, that it self took a whole day. And finally got my Verizon 3g on my xoom. All in all it took me 3 days to get 3G on my phone, while on the other had when I had the iPad on At&t it took me 10 minutes to activate the device and At&t service on it, no credit approval, just had to create an account and enter my credit card #, I could cancel whenever I wanted, then come back later and just enter my username and password to activate another month, all on the tablet. Why Verizon couldn't couldn't be this easy......I don't know! But I feel that its totally worth it for my xoom. ;
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Not sure why yours had so much trouble, I activated mine right out of the box in just a minute or two. But glad you got it working!
Yes, I did.
I thought about WiFi only but I didn't want the hassle of tethering or connection to my Vibrant when I was out of WiFi range.
I talked myself into it that I would have dual coverage (Verizon and T-Mobile) for when I was on the road.
And justified the cost by going through all the micro payment I make for other incrimental web stuff and cancelling a couple.
That said I leave 3G off, it really will be for only when I am on the road out of wiFi range.
I activated mine because a 20 month is a pittance.
Do you have to sign up for a contract for the $20/month plan? How much was activation? What's the best way of signing up over the web, at a store or through the device?
cwizardtx said:
I activated mine because a 20 month is a pittance.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
And 2Gb for $20 is a pittance... as in that is waaaay too little data for $20. A couple of hours of Pandora streaming, youtubing, etc. and you'll be way over the 2Gb mark...
Do you guys think that the 4g LTE would be fast enough to replace my home DSL line? And I could use the xoom as a wireless hotspot?
Thanks a lot.
4g will def be as fast as dsl
Sent from my Xoom using XDA App
Too bad it will be tiered and might end up costing you a lot more than what you currently pay now for DSL. Unless you're a very light user.
clandest said:
Do you guys think that the 4g LTE would be fast enough to replace my home DSL line? And I could use the xoom as a wireless hotspot?
Thanks a lot.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i had t-mobile when they were transitioning their 3g network to higher speeds. from earlier experience, 1-1.5/0.6-0.8 mbps download/upload was kind of sluggish for my needs when you consider playing 1-2 videos and browsing flash heavy website. now that 3g service has improved in my area, i'm getting like 5.45/1.77 mbps download/upload and it feels more comfortable. i even done some online gaming and it works fine. So if Verizon LTE speeds are better than that, then you'll probably wont notice a difference. but watch out if you get close to maximum data allowance.
Using mine with my Atrix. Don't intend on switching on the cellular unless I'm in a dead spot and it's an emergency.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App
I don't intend to use Verizon as their prices are too high compared to my regional carrier. Now that the xoom is unlocked/rooted, is it possible to flash a new PRL to it so that we can use another CDMA carrier with it? Do tablets utilize MEID/MDN etc...?
I intend to purchase the 800 dollar xoom only if I am able to use it with my regional carrier (rooted/unlocked). If this is not possible I will wait for the wifi and settle with tethering to my evo
I think the data prices for tablets and other non-phones will go down once Verizon figures out people aren't going to pay them. If they want to dramatically lower the price and use a tiered data approach that's fine with me as long as the data amounts are realistic.
Yes I think I will get the data plan.
If you cant afford $20 for a data plan you shouldn't be buying a $800 toy.
jumpinj said:
Using mine with my Atrix. Don't intend on switching on the cellular unless I'm in a dead spot and it's an emergency.
Sent from my Xoom using XDA Premium App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Heads up. You have to go into version to activate your device. Or maybe online. But it can't be activated thru verizon from the device like the I pad can.
Quick question about Verizon plans.
This may sound like I'm making this up however I won a Xoom from a local radio station, I get to pick it up tomorrow. But here's my question we are buying a house and were told NOT to have our credit pulled.
After looking around Verizon's website I didn't see if I can just use a credit card instead of the normal process of applying for an account and post paying the bill. So basically I'm asking if they offer pre-paid accounts that I can pay for the month if I want to or not without any penalties.
Thanks!

t mobile free mobile hotspot

i dont know if someone already post this but starting jan 25th if you have a 5gb or 10 gb plan you can get free mobile hotspot and mobilelife album plus services heres the article http://www.phonearena.com/news/T-Mo...ith-free-mobile-hotspot-from-Jan-25th_id26064
I tether for free lol. On my 2GB data plan :[
Sent from my MIUI.us Sensation 4G using XDA App
How and what files if any do I need to tether for free.
Sent from my SGH-T989 using xda premium
vabeachfc3s said:
I tether for free lol. On my 2GB data plan :[
Sent from my MIUI.us Sensation 4G using XDA App
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You can tether for free (after root, remove or freeze tether manage app). and then you can tether for free unlimited (with "4g" speed) without being throttled if you use the APN trick (search for it).
Apn trick does not work
Sent from my MIUI.us Sensation 4G using XDA App
It does work for me. I am at 200MB unlimited plan and I have used 413MB so far. I have deleted tether manager and tethering does work for me. I have been tethering my phone with my samsung galaxy 10.1 tab. I don't stream at all so I don't use that much data. You would be surprised how much data 'word with friends' uses though.
so does that mean we'll have to call in tmo and request for this new free service? for our rooted phones with tether manager frozen, do we need to unfreeze it or re-install it?
Just use tether as u would if u were rooted. No need to freeze anything.
Sent from my MIUI.us Sensation 4G using XDA App
I currently have the 5GB Android Preferred Data plan. Short story: it looks like users on this plan is not eligible for free hotspot.
Called t-mo this morning regarding the hotspot promo. First with regular CSR. She was aware of this promo, but said that free hotspot is only available as a bundle with the premium 5GB (or 10GB) data plan. Android Preferred Data Plan subscriber has to "upgrade" to one of the regular bundles.
Called t-mo again now asked for retention. He was NOT aware of this promo. Checked with his supervisor and they do not see any free hotspot feature as an add-on. He said he's terribly sorry but there was nothing he can click to add on. He said that if something became available he will call me back.
freexdanoob said:
I currently have the 5GB Android Preferred Data plan. Short story: it looks like users on this plan is not eligible for free hotspot.
Called t-mo this morning regarding the hotspot promo. First with regular CSR. She was aware of this promo, but said that free hotspot is only available as a bundle with the premium 5GB (or 10GB) data plan. Android Preferred Data Plan subscriber has to "upgrade" to one of the regular bundles.
Called t-mo again now asked for retention. He was NOT aware of this promo. Checked with his supervisor and they do not see any free hotspot feature as an add-on. He said he's terribly sorry but there was nothing he can click to add on. He said that if something became available he will call me back.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Don't hold your breath on that call back. I would just try again tomorrow.
Or just root and tether it up all u want
Sent from my MIUI.us Sensation 4G using XDA App
xsteven77x said:
Don't hold your breath on that call back. I would just try again tomorrow.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
lol. I've been on TMo long enough to know to continue breathing while dealing with retentions. but thanks!
(however, there has been a couple of times before, as late as this December that a rep called me back regarding a discount so there are good reps there)
vabeachfc3s said:
Or just root and tether it up all u want
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
trying not to root yet.
Tried the APN manager trick but didn't work for me either. Deleting the pcweb.t-mobile.com APN does not work for me as it'll just reappear.
I had to use the new SIM that came with the white S2 to enable wifi-calling, and I suspect that the pcweb.t-mobile.com APN is hardcoded on the SIM. And everytime you change the APN, it'll copy the that pcweb APN back to your phone.
If there's anyone who got the APN trick to work with new SIM, please voice your success!
I just did mine over the tmobile chat and i got the promotion added to all my lines NO QUESTIONS ASKED. And i have android preferred plan. It really is hit or miss on who you get. The whole thing took less than five minutes and very painless, i was surpised.
meechieervin said:
i dont know if someone already post this but starting jan 25th if you have a 5gb or 10 gb plan you can get free mobile hotspot and mobilelife album plus services heres the article http://www.phonearena.com/news/T-Mo...ith-free-mobile-hotspot-from-Jan-25th_id26064
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Has anyone been able to do this today? I started a chat and they had no idea about it.
xsteven77x said:
I just did mine over the tmobile chat and i got the promotion added to all my lines NO QUESTIONS ASKED. And i have android preferred plan. It really is hit or miss on who you get. The whole thing took less than five minutes and very painless, i was surpised.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
what did you say to the rep? I've tried a few, no budge. Some say I already have it.
I swear they hired a ton of new reps or something
synergeticink said:
I swear they hired a ton of new reps or something
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
loyalty (retention) department and regular CSR are definitely different departments and seeing different promotion lists.
I tried it again with loyalty. The rep did not know this promotion either looked it up in "the other department." However, she said that since the Preferred Android Data plan is already a promotional plan, I won't be able to get the hotspot feature unless I switch to the regular 5GB data plan. I respectfully declined.
Grrr. I think I may be getting frustrated enough to want to root my phone!
Has anyone tried the APN trick to allow hotspot, using a new SIM with wifi-calling enabled? (ie. delete the pcweb.t-mobile.com APN)
freexdanoob said:
loyalty (retention) department and regular CSR are definitely different departments and seeing different promotion lists.
I tried it again with loyalty. The rep did not know this promotion either looked it up in "the other department." However, she said that since the Preferred Android Data plan is already a promotional plan, I won't be able to get the hotspot feature unless I switch to the regular 5GB data plan. I respectfully declined.
Grrr. I think I may be getting frustrated enough to want to root my phone!
Has anyone tried the APN trick to allow hotspot, using a new SIM with wifi-calling enabled? (ie. delete the pcweb.t-mobile.com APN)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
i just got off the phone with a regular csr as well, but no luck in getting that feature added for free. i have to switch over to the $30 5gb plan to get that, but nah... since there is one success story on this thread, maybe i'll call again someday and see if i'll get lucky.
xsteven77x said:
I just did mine over the tmobile chat and i got the promotion added to all my lines NO QUESTIONS ASKED. And i have android preferred plan. It really is hit or miss on who you get. The whole thing took less than five minutes and very painless, i was surpised.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Did you have to upgrade your data plan or did they just give you the devices? I just upgrade my data plan when I bought this phone, not interest in moving from the 5gb to the 10gb.
synergeticink said:
Did you have to upgrade your data plan or did they just give you the devices? I just upgrade my data plan when I bought this phone, not interest in moving from the 5gb to the 10gb.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If you have the 5GB plan @ $30 they just add it on for free. If you have the loyalty "preferred android web" @ $20 it seems most CSRs won't add it unless you "upgrade" to the $30 plan. However, there seems to be at least one successful situation where the rep added it to the loyalty plan YMMV.
I added it but I upgraded from the $20 "android preferred web" (5GB soft cap) to the $30 plan. I felt the upgrade was worth it, since it seems that T-Mobile is making it more difficult to get around tethering (even rooted) with every new phone they release.
Sent from my HTC Sensation with Beats Audio using xda premium

ATT can detect unauthorized tethering. Forcing customers onto capped tethering plans

I posted this on reddit aswell... I usually follow xda/reddit (android) closely and haven't heard of this so i thought i would warn others.
Well i had a feeling this day would finally come, a frustratingly sad day. This is my story so i don't know how prevalent it may be. I am running a galaxy note 3. I am part of the originally "unlimited data plan" that i have been grandfathering the past few years. My galaxy note 3 is rooted and using a SafeStrap based custom rom. Ofcourse it has all the nice tweaks/xposed modules that i have learn to love in the android community. Ofcourse it enables tethering.
I don't use tethering often (mainly when i dont have Wifi, or if in public to avoid crappy wifi coverage). So i mainly use 1-2 gb a month of random google music tethering/other misc downloads updates... so i am NOT being an excessive user. So my total usage is between 2.5-3 gigs. I was contacted from AT&T yesterday (by text 2-3 days ago, phone call yesterday). They gave an ultimatum. They called out explicitly that i was using unauthorized tether (not using a large amount of data as you can see).
The ultimatum was:
Your service is been cancelled at the end of the month.
OR
Moving to the "Family Plan" shared/capped data plan. They also required tethering to be added on to the plan since i was using it.
This is old news. The release of Android 4.1 enabled carriers to see the difference between using data, and redistributing or tethering data.
There are work arounds for this. Some devs even remove this feature from their roms. You have to do your research on it though.
This is still good info though for new users.
Wow wish they would have threatened to cancel my service. I would have said thanks.
I just switched to the mobile share 8gb plan, which includes mobile hotspot, and have never gone over 6gb for the whole family ever with my old plan with 4 lines having 3gb and my unlimited costing nearly 400 a month now costs around 300. I don't think its too bad.
440bro said:
This is old news. The release of Android 4.1 enabled carriers to see the difference between using data, and redistributing or tethering data.
There are work arounds for this. Some devs even remove this feature from their roms. You have to do your research on it though.
This is still good info though for new users.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
would it be frowned upon if you posted said information?
jonrobertd said:
Wow wish they would have threatened to cancel my service. I would have said thanks.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
If they cancel your service you have to pay off the remainder of your contract agreement. For some it might not be to bad. But for someone that just renewed it could be costly!
krushin said:
I posted this on reddit aswell... I usually follow xda/reddit (android) closely and haven't heard of this so i thought i would warn others.
Well i had a feeling this day would finally come, a frustratingly sad day. This is my story so i don't know how prevalent it may be. I am running a galaxy note 3. I am part of the originally "unlimited data plan" that i have been grandfathering the past few years. My galaxy note 3 is rooted and using a SafeStrap based custom rom. Ofcourse it has all the nice tweaks/xposed modules that i have learn to love in the android community. Ofcourse it enables tethering.
I don't use tethering often (mainly when i dont have Wifi, or if in public to avoid crappy wifi coverage). So i mainly use 1-2 gb a month of random google music tethering/other misc downloads updates... so i am NOT being an excessive user. So my total usage is between 2.5-3 gigs. I was contacted from AT&T yesterday (by text 2-3 days ago, phone call yesterday). They gave an ultimatum. They called out explicitly that i was using unauthorized tether (not using a large amount of data as you can see).
The ultimatum was:
Your service is been cancelled at the end of the month.
OR
Moving to the "Family Plan" shared/capped data plan. They also required tethering to be added on to the plan since i was using it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Hotspot shield from the play store really helps in this situation...
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
FWIW i'm at 110gb this cycle (8 days left) which is rather typical of my usage and haven't heard a peep. I use a Motorola Atrix running CM as a mobile hotspot, rather than my G Note 3, however.
Da_G said:
110gb this cycle (8 days left)
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Geez. You have no idea how jealous I'm of people who still have Unlimited Data.
Thank you for making AT&T pay for being douche of a carrier. :good:
Da_G said:
FWIW i'm at 110gb this cycle (8 days left) which is rather typical of my usage and haven't heard a peep. I use a Motorola Atrix running CM as a mobile hotspot, rather than my G Note 3, however.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
haha good man
I'd stick to the atrix unless you know you can spoof/vpn the traffic (or what ever preventative measures). Just frustrating cause i dont even abuse my tether... like 3 gigs a month on an unlimited plan (and using unauthorized tethering)... they should pay me for NOT abusing it... lol.
Needless to say... now there is nothing "keeping" me at ATT once my contract is up... since i dont have my unlimited plan anymore! Hopefully in next year or so the other carriers (tmobile/sprint) will be just as good at half the price... i dont mind an ocassional dropped call/spotty coverage if it means i'm paying half :good:
Edit: Also made this post so others will know... so they don't "lose" unlimited plan and get screwed if they are new to the scene
Da_G said:
FWIW i'm at 110gb this cycle (8 days left) which is rather typical of my usage and haven't heard a peep. I use a Motorola Atrix running CM as a mobile hotspot, rather than my G Note 3, however.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Please share your secret with me!!! I hit 5gb's and AT&T throttles me so hard it takes 10 minutes to download a 4mb app from the Play Store.
Da_G said:
FWIW i'm at 110gb this cycle (8 days left) which is rather typical of my usage and haven't heard a peep. I use a Motorola Atrix running CM as a mobile hotspot, rather than my G Note 3, however.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
110 GB?! What are you doing with your phone? Streaming 4K video 24/7?
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Da_G said:
FWIW i'm at 110gb this cycle (8 days left) which is rather typical of my usage and haven't heard a peep. I use a Motorola Atrix running CM as a mobile hotspot, rather than my G Note 3, however.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have these phones. Looks like I'll be flashing back to gingerbread! Woo! No more battery drain from experimental jelly bean.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using xda app-developers app
krushin said:
haha good man
I'd stick to the atrix unless you know you can spoof/vpn the traffic (or what ever preventative measures). Just frustrating cause i dont even abuse my tether... like 3 gigs a month on an unlimited plan (and using unauthorized tethering)... they should pay me for NOT abusing it... lol.
Needless to say... now there is nothing "keeping" me at ATT once my contract is up... since i dont have my unlimited plan anymore! Hopefully in next year or so the other carriers (tmobile/sprint) will be just as good at half the price... i dont mind an ocassional dropped call/spotty coverage if it means i'm paying half :good:
Edit: Also made this post so others will know... so they don't "lose" unlimited plan and get screwed if they are new to the scene
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
T mobile will pay your early termination fees if you want out of your contract.
http://www.t-mobile.com/offer/switch-carriers-no-early-termination-fee.html
To the Op, are you 100% certain that this is you very FIRST time being contacted by AT&T? I ask ask you because along with myself and several of my former GS2 users we received messages from AT&T telling us that they saw that we were tethering and told us to stop or be forced to a tethering plan.So I chose to stop and not lose my unlimited plan. We all were on unlimited and I'm still on unlimited on my Note 3.
DA_G what APN are you using on your atrix. May worth a try for those of us running SS ROMs and can change APN.
Sent from my SM-N9005 using Tapatalk
440bro said:
T mobile will pay your early termination fees if you want out of your contract.
Only works if you give up your current phone and buy t mobile ones for a monthly charge.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I must have been a lucky one! BUT NOT AT THE SAME TIME!
krushin said:
I posted this on reddit aswell... I usually follow xda/reddit (android) closely and haven't heard of this so i thought i would warn others.
Well i had a feeling this day would finally come, a frustratingly sad day. This is my story so i don't know how prevalent it may be. I am running a galaxy note 3. I am part of the originally "unlimited data plan" that i have been grandfathering the past few years. My galaxy note 3 is rooted and using a SafeStrap based custom rom. Ofcourse it has all the nice tweaks/xposed modules that i have learn to love in the android community. Ofcourse it enables tethering.
I don't use tethering often (mainly when i dont have Wifi, or if in public to avoid crappy wifi coverage). So i mainly use 1-2 gb a month of random google music tethering/other misc downloads updates... so i am NOT being an excessive user. So my total usage is between 2.5-3 gigs. I was contacted from AT&T yesterday (by text 2-3 days ago, phone call yesterday). They gave an ultimatum. They called out explicitly that i was using unauthorized tether (not using a large amount of data as you can see).
The ultimatum was:
Your service is been cancelled at the end of the month.
OR
Moving to the "Family Plan" shared/capped data plan. They also required tethering to be added on to the plan since i was using it.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I was warned about 3 times about tethering with my phone. I too am an original unlimited data plan grandfathered in at $30 Bucks a MONTH! MUHAHAHA! The 1st time it happened it said on my bill "TETHERWARN" $0.00
Kind of scared me a bit but I continued to do it anyway and received 2 more warnings this way. I guess because it was only for a couple MB of data here and there. Some months nothing and other months just a tiny bit because I was scared at that point. Didn't want to lose my unlimited plan. :victory:
Unfortunately I found out we really don't have TRUE unlimited data anyway. After you go over 4.5GB used for the month you will receive a text message saying after 5GB you will be throttled big time!!! I was so SHOCKED by this! I can't believe I'm really only getting 5GB of data when it's supposed to be unlimited. I guess they changed everything after the family share crap started.
Figured I'd share this if anyone still has the grandfathered "Unlimited Data" plan. THEY ARE LIARS!
PS. I still tether THOUGH!! I have a windows surface tablet and use PDA NET for desktop and the FOXFI app in the play store! I can ONLY tether using bluetooth or USB though because the WiFi tether is disabled in settings now, which doesn't really bother me because it is fast enough to browse the web or even play World of Warcraft with the bluetooth tether option. It is actually decently fast with USB tether also. HERE'S THE BEST PART! PDA NET SCRUBS all PC data from the packets sent and received! There is an advanced addon feature you can download from FOXFI that does this for you. The free version shuts off at 50MB of data transferred and you just have to click the checkbox off and back on to get it to reconnect for an addition 50MB. OR, you can pay the 7 or 8 bucks for the full version and never be interrupted. I'm about to buy it because I haven't received any TETHER WARNS from att since I started using PDA NET! I think it does the scrubbing of PC data from the packets very well. I drive for a living so tethering for me is mandatory on my windows tablet. So if you are about to lose your data plan JUST BE CAREFUL and do your research! There is always a way with computers! Hoped this helps someone...Thanks for reading and sorry this is so LONGGGGGGGG!
missingtext said:
I still tether THOUGH!! I have a windows surface tablet and use PDA NET for desktop and the FOXFI app in the play store! PDA NET SCRUBS all PC data from the packets sent and received! There is an advanced addon feature you can download from FOXFI that does this for you. The free version shuts off at 50MB of data transferred and you just have to click the checkbox off and back on to get it to reconnect for an addition 50MB. OR, you can pay the 7 or 8 bucks for the full version and never be interrupted.
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This was what I've been looking for! Thank you.
I also have a grandfathered data plan, and get throttled after ~4.5GB of use. I've received several warnings about tethering but thankfully my family plan wasnt botched - I've just had to stop tethering... Until Now! PDA Net FTW.
Question!
If you tether from one ATT phone to another ATT phone or tablet (but not ATT), can they tell? (without having to use PDA NET)
krushin said:
I posted this on reddit aswell... I usually follow xda/reddit (android) closely and haven't heard of this so i thought i would warn others.
Well i had a feeling this day would finally come, a frustratingly sad day. This is my story so i don't know how prevalent it may be. I am running a galaxy note 3. I am part of the originally "unlimited data plan" that i have been grandfathering the past few years. My galaxy note 3 is rooted and using a SafeStrap based custom rom. Ofcourse it has all the nice tweaks/xposed modules that i have learn to love in the android community. Ofcourse it enables tethering.
I don't use tethering often (mainly when i dont have Wifi, or if in public to avoid crappy wifi coverage). So i mainly use 1-2 gb a month of random google music tethering/other misc downloads updates... so i am NOT being an excessive user. So my total usage is between 2.5-3 gigs. I was contacted from AT&T yesterday (by text 2-3 days ago, phone call yesterday). They gave an ultimatum. They called out explicitly that i was using unauthorized tether (not using a large amount of data as you can see).
The ultimatum was:
Your service is been cancelled at the end of the month.
OR
Moving to the "Family Plan" shared/capped data plan. They also required tethering to be added on to the plan since i was using it.
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Click to collapse
I received and email like that a couple of years ago except they told me to stop or else. Needless to say, I stopped.
That is a good question. I really don't know for certain because I no longer use my nexus 7 anymore since I got my windows surface. I do believe PDA Net has an android version which I would assume does the same thing as my desktop version. But then if you consider it's a mobile device with no PC info to scrub(I think that was your question) it might just look like it's your actual phone using that data. Really is a good question that I cannot answer with certainty. Sorry, I can't help with that one. :what::what::what::what:
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-N900A using xda app-developers app

Mobile Hotspot free to Unlimited Data Plans

I just got off the phone with a Verizon representative about adding the hotspot to my unlimited plan. Now yes I'm rooted and already had access to the hotspot, but I'm fixing to go on a trip where I would probably use enough data through it to get noticed. The woman I spoke to asked if I wanted to add a line and use the jetpack or just use the hotspot and let it use my data. Well obviously with a unlimited plan I wanted the latter. I asked two times during the call if this would change my plan and or cost extra and was told no. So I guess I will find out at the end of the month.
Now it was my understanding that the data share plans had the hotspot already but I was unaware of the old unlimited plans having this and Verizon not charging the extra $30. As I said I will find out at the end of this cycle if my plan goes up $30 or not but I though I would put it out there to the others who still have there unlimited plan.
This makes me nervous. I hope you are safe and they don't try any funny business.
I no longer talk to Verizon if possible. They almost had a heart attack last time I was in there. I then realized having over 30GB per month is not normal. So over 59GB this month would be even more crazy.... If that was true... Because I am not really saying that is me..... Just saying....
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Well they don't have a plan to accommodate my usage. Last month was around 25 gig and so far this cycle I'm at 11 gig. I was ready to pay the $30 so I'll buy have to see what happens. I haven't received a email saying anything has changed so "fingers crossed".
When I upgraded from my Droid X (3G) to a Droid Razr Maxx (4G) the VZW store rep told me that because I have unlimited data, I could add hotspot too, and said it would cost more (don't remember what it was), but it would also be unlimited. I didn't do it, because I didn't need it, and if I did, I could probably root and get it.
I've never had a major need for it, but will be interested to see what happens with this. I seem to remember reading stuff about the FCC ruling that customers should be allowed by the carriers to use their data any way they wish, whether on their phone or tethered (wired or wireless) to other devices as they choose. But there was some strange wording that meant it only applied to people on non-unlimited plans, so Verizon never honored it.
I bought my Moto X outright to keep my unlimited data, and rarely use more than 2-3GB anymore. I used 10-12/mo when I didn't have internet at home for a while watching lots of stuff on Netflix and listening to Pandora a lot.
Keep us posted...
In the past I had the hotspot on my account because where I lived there was no internet but there was cell service then when I was able to get internet I canced it. I would think that it would still show that it had been on my account in the past but who knows. There is a possibility that she didn't know what she was talking about because at one time she said that there wasn't a option for a hotspot in my phone settings. I told here there was and the app was on my phone. Then she saw it. So there are some questions in my head and I will keep a close eye on it and come back with what I find.
My fingers are crossed for you. If that girl was clueless and the change forces you off unlimited there is practically no chance you will get it back unless you know the right someone on the inside. I don't see any way Verizon would allow a user with unlimited data to tether at no extra charge... especially when you consider unlimited data was explicitly disallowed from tethering when then FCC dropped the hammer on their use of band 7.
What if I have an old Verizon unlimited data plan? Can I download an app and avoid the $20 tethering fee too?
Unfortunately, the answer to this question is no. Verizon says that customers under the unlimited plan are required by the company's terms of service to pay an additional fee to tether their device.
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Click to collapse
-http://news.cnet.com/8301-1035_3-57...ns-fcc-tethering-settlement-means-to-you-faq/
I tether off my unlimited here and there but don't make a habit of it... plus I rarely go over three gigs of usage so whenever I hear all these 30, 40, 50+ gig users brought up I think I have very little to worry about for the foreseeable future. I've heard any changes to the account will force you onto a tiered plan so I only talk to Verizon when absolutely necessary, and only in a store, on the off chance that just having them look at my account would constitute a change.
kbluhm said:
My fingers are crossed for you. If that girl was clueless and the change forces you off unlimited there is practically no chance you will get it back unless you know the right someone on the inside.
I tether off my unlimited as well but I rarely go over three gigs of usage so whenever I hear all these 30, 40, 50+ gig users brought up I think I have very little to worry about for the foreseeable future. I've heard any changes to the account will force you onto a tiered plan so I only talk to Verizon when absolutely necessary, and only in a store, on the off chance that just having them look at my account would constitute a change.
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Click to collapse
I agree that I am very wary about any potential changes to my account. When I brought my Moto X in to activate it (bought it from Moto directly, off contract), I asked to speak to the manager and made it very clear that I ONLY wanted to activate the phone if I would absolutely NOT lose unlimited data. He chuckled and told me that they get a lot of people who are super paranoid about it, and there are always shady employees who want to upsell on stuff so they will tell you that you can get XYZ new feature for only $5 more per month, but not tell you that making that change will also take you off of unlimited data. I told him that was EXACTLY what I wanted to avoid and he again chuckled and said I wouldn't lose unlimited, then proceeded to upgrade my device, and then exited out of the computer program and pulled up my account a second time to show me it was still in there as unlimited.
My girlfriend used to work at Radioshack and there were people there (including managers) that did those shady "upgrades" all the time just to get more commission. People at authorized phone stores do that stuff too. Never deal with those people.
I have checked my online account twice today and its still showing unlimited. And she said it would not change or make me lose the unlimited. I did let her know that I didn't want to lose that.
I remember when I had an unlimited data plan and got a new cell + new "subscription" that meant that it wasn't unlimited anymore, lol.
Anyway, I forgot all about it and downloaded a few movies during that weekend.
The following monday they blocked all outgoing calls from my phone and directed me to their customer service (I was furious because i didn't know why) and told me that my subscription fee was around 2600usd (one MB was like 3usd at that time when you reached your limit).
I totally **** my pants and told them the story (acted kind of dumb, pretended to be technically handicapped) and they erased the whole amount.:laugh:
I'm still faithful to that carrier
canezila said:
This makes me nervous. I hope you are safe and they don't try any funny business.
I no longer talk to Verizon if possible. They almost had a heart attack last time I was in there. I then realized having over 30GB per month is not normal. So over 59GB this month would be even more crazy.... If that was true... Because I am not really saying that is me..... Just saying....
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Click to collapse
You can relax sir I use the least 40 gigs per month and Verizon is very well aware of this any **** to do with anything about it other than they think its quite funny
Moto X
ghostt021 said:
You can relax sir I use the least 40 gigs per month and Verizon is very well aware of this any **** to do with anything about it other than they think its quite funny
Moto X
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Click to collapse
This. I routinely use between 80GB & 200GB a month and no problems as of yet. The last time I was in a Verizon store the guy asked me what the heck I was doing, I told him I watch a lot of Netflix. (Which isn't a lie, my last phone had HDMI out and I would Stream Netflix/GPM&TV/HBOGO/HULU through my phone) What I DIDN'T tell him was that about 20-30 of those gigs were through hotspot to other devices.
Yea that doesn't sound right. Where I work there is no "unlimited hotspot" option at all. If anything you'll probably see the 5 GB hotspot option for $50
Sent from my Lumia 928
Ok I got my bill the other day and there is no extra charge for the hotspot. So I figured that I would go ahead and update to 4.4.2 and when I tried to turn on the hotspot I got the familiar sign that I needed to contact verizon. But after rerooting and unlocking the wifi tether it worked. So obviously the rep that I talked with just didnt know what she was talking about and figured that it was on my plan or something as she didnt activate the hotspot. So scratch the free hotspot on unlimited plans.
I just updated my two computers at work and have to teather them. I also have an enormous music library because I am an elementary school music teacher and occasional DJ. This month I am at 109+ GB. I need to add my fiancée to my family plan by creating a data plan on her current number (not my unlimited plan) and just worry they might pull something. Maybe I should wait until the 13th when billing cycle resets current usage?
Also, my old phone (the one she will use) is x912 Droid RAZR Maxx. Will putting my old sim card that is used with that phone be able to get switched to her info? Just curious because I would rather hear information on this thread then at the Verizon store. Thanks!
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canezila said:
I just updated my two computers at work and have to teather them. I also have an enormous music library because I am an elementary school music teacher and occasional DJ. This month I am at 109+ GB. I need to add my fiancée to my family plan by creating a data plan on her current number (not my unlimited plan) and just worry they might pull something. Maybe I should wait until the 13th when billing cycle resets current usage?
Also, my old phone (the one she will use) is x912 Droid RAZR Maxx. Will putting my old sim card that is used with that phone be able to get switched to her info? Just curious because I would rather hear information on this thread then at the Verizon store. Thanks!
Sent from my XT1060 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I think you should be able to add her to your family plan for an extra 10 bucks a month plus the data plan. She will only be able to get a capped plan, but I'm sure you know this already. Even still she should be able to get 2gb for 30 bucks I think. They will probably try and get you to switch to their Share Everything plan.
As far as the Sim card is concerned, just trash it. They will give her a new one for the RAZR and assign it to her account. They're free anyways.
Sent from my XT1060 using xda app-developers app

Been tethering for 6 years, finally got a notice from AT&T

I've been tethering for ~6 years now and have never gotten a notice from AT&T. I rarely use it (once every 2 months?) when in an emergency. I used a few tethering Apps back on the iPhone, and then I've always used CyanogenMod's built in tethering since switching over to Android without issue. I finally got a notice that says:
Like you, some of our customers use their smartphones as a broadband connection for other devices, like laptops, netbooks or other smartphones - a practice called mobile hotspot creation, or otherwise known as tethering....
To keep your current plan you'll need to stop using mobile hotspot/tethering by the end of the month. Please remove any tethering apps and make sure anyone who uses your device understands your current plan doesn't include mobile hotspot creation.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
Anyone have any tips on this? I use it very infrequently which is why I do not want to pony up for the $50 plan, but I rely on it in case of emergency.
hedpe said:
I've been tethering for ~6 years now and have never gotten a notice from AT&T. I rarely use it (once every 2 months?) when in an emergency. I used a few tethering Apps back on the iPhone, and then I've always used CyanogenMod's built in tethering since switching over to Android without issue. I finally got a notice that says:
Anyone have any tips on this? I use it very infrequently which is why I do not want to pony up for the $50 plan, but I rely on it in case of emergency.
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
You didn't say,but are you on an unlimited plan? If so, and you want to stay unlimited, I suggest you stop tethering all together. AT&T is really looking hard for ways to get everyone off unlimited plans and ANY little excuse will do. Generally, small amounts of tethering just get looked over, so there is a good chance that you might have used more data tethering than you thought. That, or like I said, they aren't letting anything slip by any more. I am guessing you are "unlimited" because I doubt they would send a warning to any one on a paid plan (2 GIG, 3 GIG, etc...) per month, because every GIG over the plan limit includes an extra charge of it's own. So I don't think they really care how you use it as long as you are paying for it. The new "share" plans that AT&T offers includes tethering which further goes to show that they don't care about tethering as long as you pay for the data that is being used. So, you might want to consider switching to one of those plans. Basically, your options are to switch plans, or stop tethering because of you don't stop AT&T will switch the plan for you.
I got the same notice, but it was on a month when I wasn't tethering. I would tether other tablets and a few coworkers phones when they needed a big file.
What triggered the warning? I was watching Amazon prime streaming on my phone. Because I was going to the desktop website and streaming 4gb of movies, they assumed I was tethering.
That was 6 months and many tethers ago. And yes, I'm on the unlimited plan.
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Red_81 said:
I got the same notice, but it was on a month when I wasn't tethering. I would tether other tablets and a few coworkers phones when they needed a big file.
What triggered the warning? I was watching Amazon prime streaming on my phone. Because I was going to the desktop website and streaming 4gb of movies, they assumed I was tethering.
That was 6 months and many tethers ago. And yes, I'm on the unlimited plan.
Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using XDA Premium 4 mobile app
Click to expand...
Click to collapse
I have a feeling that AT&T has been slowly switching people off of the unlimited plan for a while now just to get the pool of people still on unlimited to a low number. Some, they switched on technicalities, and some switched on their own (due to throttling and things like that). They want to get the number of people still holding on to a low enough number so when they "discontinue" unlimited once and for all there will be a manageable ripple effect from it. I see that time coming very soon...one way or the other. I also think they are relying heavily on the "tethering' abuse situation in a more frequent way, even if it isn't true.
The best thing is I played dumb with the rep and asked how I could be tethering when the option tells me I don't have a tethering plan.
She proceeded to tell me all the programs I could download (by name) that I could use to get around that setting. She did tell me they just receive a report from another group and don't get the reason why tethering was detected. It was a real shame because I thought I was going to sweet talk the detection method out of her.
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