All about switching to T-Mobile. (Save at least $14 to $34 a month for more minutes.)

[wildonrio]

EDIT: Someone resurrected this thread but it is old and many parts are outdated. Grain of salt people.

Here are the plan comparisons:

• AT&T $59.99 for 450 minutes and unlimited data.
  • Compare to T-Mobile $45.98 for 600 minutes and unlimited data*. That's $14 cheaper for 150 more minutes.
• AT&T $79.99 for 900 minutes and unlimited data.
  • Compare to T-Mobile $55.98 for 1000 minutes and unlimited data*. That's $24 cheaper for 100 more minutes.
• AT&T $99.99 for 1350 minutes and unlimited data.
  • Compare to T-Mobile $65.98 for 1500 minutes and unlimited data*. That's $34 cheaper for 150 more minutes.

*Using T-Zones as data package. Yes, it's just as fast as AT&T's EDGE.

Advantages to using T-Mobile over AT&T:

• Much cheaper than AT&T - anywhere from $14 to $34 per month minumum.
• 24 hour customer service.
• Unlimited texting for $15.
• For $10 more a month, get unlimited minutes to 5 different phone numbers on any network.
• Corporate discounts. (AT&T also offers corporate discounts, but not if you own an iPhone. Thanks Apple.)

Disadvantages to using T-Mobile over AT&T:

• No Visual Voicemail.
  • SOLUTION: Try this, but I've never tried it myself.
• No Rollover.
  • SOLUTION: Remember, you get 100-150 extra minutes per month for way less money with T-Mobile. In my opinion, this fixes the problem for sure.
• Less coverage in some areas.
  • SOLUTION: Let me say that although maps say AT&T has more coverage, I have gotten much better service with T-Mobile. T-Mobile also has free roaming onto AT&T, so you will probably end up using AT&T anyway.
• You have to unlock your phone and make Apple and AT&T not like you anymore.
  • SOLUTION: The iPhone Dev Team is coming up with a way to relock your phone so that no one can tell you ever modded or unlocked it. Until then, you can just restore your phone and it should look like you never modded it. I've heard the only way Apple can tell that you modded it is if the IMEI number in your phone doesn't match the one written on the back of your phone, but in many cases, the two numbers match even if you have unlocked it. Just make sure before you go into an Apple store that your IMEI in Settings>General>About matches the one on the back of your phone. Mine still does.

Dispelling rumors:

• Yes, EDGE and YouTube both work just fine.
• No, it is not illegal or dishonest. It will just void your warranty if Apple finds out.
• Yes, you can tell T-Mobile you have an iPhone. They will fully embrace you as a customer, I promise. They will actually be more excited to help you, as I've noticed.

How to avoid the cancellation fee:

T-Mobile will give you a free phone for signing up with them. Have them unlock the phone for free, and then sell it on eBay to pay off your cancellation fee. (For example, they gave me a free Blackberry Pearl which is now going on eBay for $213.49 with 3 days left in the auction.)

How to switch to T-Mobile:

1. Make sure you are running software version 1.0.2. If you updated to 1.1.1, you can give up right now.
2. Get a hold of a T-Mobile SIM card. You can get one for signing up with them. They will give you 3 days to try out T-Mobile with a 100% refund, and 14 days with a prorated refund based on your minute usage.
3. Make sure you're phone is jailbreaked. If not, go here, download iBrickr, and follow the simple on screen instructions. It will take you 5 minutes.
4. Using iBrickr, click Applications, install the PXL if you haven't already, click Browse Applications, and then install the program called anySIM.
5. Turn autolock to Never (anySIM will remind you if you forget).
6. Take out your AT&T SIM card. Use a paperclip in the hole on the top of your phone.
7. Notice that anySIM is now one of the widgets on your homescreen. Touch it and let it run.
8. When it's done, turn off your phone. Now stick in your T-Mobile SIM. Turn on your phone.
9. If for some reason you get an Invalid SIM warning, don't panic yet. This happened to me for a few minutes. Take out the SIM, turn off your phone, put in the SIM, turn on the phone, and repeat this process until it works. If it doesn't work the first time, it will the second time.
10. If all else fails (which it probably won't), just restore your phone in iTunes and you'll be back onto AT&T no problem. Then you just go cancel with T-Mobile within 14 days.

Once your phone is unlocked:

1. You'll notice that YouTube doesn't work. Go here to fix it. It will take about 2 minutes.
2. You'll notice that EDGE doesn't work. Go here to fix it. It will take about 5 minutes. (Make sure you call T-Mobile and sign up for their T-Zones data package. It's an add on for $5.99 and I included it in my price comparison above.)
3. You'll notice that AT&T Services still shows up in Settings>General>Phone. Go here to change them all to T-Mobile services. (Not necessary)
4. NEVER EVER update your phone from now on until you get confirmation and instructions from this site on how to do it.

Disclaimer:

• You must have moderate experience with computers to do this without any headaches. I will help you if you want, just PM me or write in this thread.
• If you have flirted with the 1.1.1 update in any way, I have no guarantees for you and will not cry with you if you ruin your phone. But just as a side note, I've heard that just about anyone who has dealt with 1.1.1 has been able to unbrick their phone eventually, but not without a lot of work.
• I assume no responsibility for what happens to your phone, although I can testify that this does work just fine. I have had T-Mobile for 2 weeks now and the only thing I miss is Visual Voicemail.
• And if you think you had bragging rights with just having an iPhone, wait till people see you using it on T-Mobile . They are very impressed and surprised to say the least.

[acosmichippo]

if it wasn't for all of these unlocked-phone-hostile updates, i would consider it. The rest of my family is on Tmobile, too...

[iMeth]

damn visual voicemail is the sh&t though and wish there was this while I was still on T-mobile... I luv them..

[OJsakila]

satisfactory work around. But that's about all.
I was with tmobile before I got the iPhone and I gotta tell you here in savannah, att reception is substantially better.

[LimitedEditioniPhone_com]

iMeth you can use visual voicemail. Take a look here: http://limitededitioniphone.com/want-visual-voicemail/

[qdub98]

I may be mistaken but I don't believe you mentioned that with ATT your minutes rollover to the next month and last for 12 months if not used.

[SmartAlx]

wow. Excellent highly orgaized breakdown on the pros/cons there Wildonrio. i never really planned on taking my iPhone off art but you seriously got me thinking. I'm about to buy a new subsidized phone from att* and renew since its been 18 months since i first joined att. I'll sell the othrr phone on ebay. Think att*** will be pissed if I cancel 1 month after I renew my contract?


*hmph why'd my iPhone spell check spell att right that time but art** wrong every other time?

** LOOK! It spelled it wrong again!

***LOOK! Spelled att right again! And I didn't once hit the little x. How did the phone know that I didn't want to spell art? Am I going to have a hard time spelling art now?

[wildonrio]

Originally Posted by qdub98

I may be mistaken but I don't believe you mentioned that with ATT your minutes rollover to the next month and last for 12 months if not used.

Point taken. I'll edit the OP.

[Lincoln]

Just like the "For those who haven't hacked their phones yet" thread, very convincing.

Good post.

[Ldc4S]

Originally Posted by wildonrio

How to avoid the cancellation fee:

T-Mobile will give you a free phone for signing up with them. Have them unlock the phone for free, and then sell it on eBay to pay off your cancellation fee. (For example, they gave me a free Blackberry Pearl which is now going on eBay for $213.49 with 3 days left in the auction.)

Depending on your credit.