Is this true? (iPhone 3G w/o data plan)

[Ajax19]

Okay, so I'm an iphone noob, but I'm looking to buy a 3G w/o the plan. Someone posted this on craigslist, and I wasn't sure if this is true or not.

I hope all you people who bought 3G iPhones, or is going to buy 3G iPhone SECOND hand.. realize that you will have to pay for 3G internet if you do not have a data plan. Yes, you can turn off 3G. But the alternative option after 3G is turned off is EDGE, which you CANNOT turn off. Therefore you cannot use wi-fi.. and will be forced to pay for using EDGE.

Apps like Safari, Mail, Weather, iTunes, Youtube, or even loading your clock.. will charge you. One video on youtube can cost you up to $200. This isn't just in Canada, it's world wide. Price of EDGE may vary... but there VERY high

So, yea am I able to use wifi etc.. without a data plan? I plan to buy an unlocked one and put my sim with my existing plan and use the phone.

[gotzaiPhone]

IF the new iPhone is anything like other current 3G phones on at&t, you have to have a data plan for at least 1 month, but then you can cancel it. Thats what I did with my old blackjack because 3G on that phone sucked. The phone did revert to EDGE and that couldn't be turned off and I was charged on a MB basis if I accidentally connected to the internet. BUT I don't know if the current iPhone contract prohibits you from canceling the data plan.

Now for wifi, EDGE and 3G have nothing to do with wifi.

[Ajax19]

Yea okay, cause I don't plan on getting a data plan, yet atleast. But I am still able to use the net with Wifi and I won't get charged correct?

[gotzaiPhone]

correct, wifi's only charge would be that of your current home internet plan. if you get what i mean.

[Ajax19]

Yea i totally get what u mean, so this guy is only partially correct. Am I able to use the GPS features without a plan??

[mlass]

First of GPS has nothing to do with Wifi, EDGE, or 3G. It is it's own chip.

What the guy is saying is that you can run up Data Usage pretty fast without a Data Plan. Remember even checking email every 15 minutes (Fetching Mail) ended up costing people thousands of Dollars when out of the USA last year.

It would be a challenge to make sure the phone would never use Data outside of Wifi.

[Draven]

The iPhone absolutely 100% requires having the data plan. Even if you could get rid of it, it would be stupid because some things the phone does use the data connection even without you actively using it: I.E the Visual Voicemail, which would then invoke per KB charges.

EDIT: In terms of using the GPS, yeah, the GPS chip itself doesn't use the data at all, but using the map application does. Those maps are downloaded from Google's servers whenever the app is used, they aren't stored on the phone itself. Also any third-party Navigator applications will probably do this as well, load the map data from their servers when it's needed. I know that's what Telenav does on other GPS phones like the Blackberry Curve and others.

Cut and dry, it would be stupid to try to use an iPhone without its proper data plan, if it were even possible.

[iPhone69]

incorrect visual voucemail tells you it can't make a connection and forces you to call your voicemail like on older phones, then on safari it just doesn't load the page and tells you edge cannot be activated, the same with other apps it just says it can't make a connection, well at least for the V1. I had my Internet turned off b/c my mom was mad at me lol for like 4 months, and I know first had Internet can be taken off and you are not charged the 20 dollars just the voice part.