Last week we posted about AT&T offering free WiFi access for iPhone customers at several of their hotspot locations, including a few Starbucks stores. According to MacRumors, AT&T has disabled this free service. However, since AT&T never made an official announcement of this service, it seems possible that the free service was launched early (possibly for testing). AT&T representatives have declined to comment on the issue.If you got a glimpse of the free future and have now seen that wireless door slam shut again, let us know.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-04-2008 @ 9:18PM
Luigi193 said...
Isn't this like days old?
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5-04-2008 @ 9:27PM
MeatyPi said...
Yeah, TUAW is always trying to be in the now, and a couple of their last posts have shown list by being around 4 days old news.
5-04-2008 @ 9:21PM
Jason Philo said...
I tasted the free wifi, and it was sweet like nectar. Alas, poor Yurik…
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5-04-2008 @ 9:50PM
Andrew Abate said...
Last week, I had free access at the new Barnes & Noble in West Hartford, CT. This week, when I went back, it went to the standard AT&T Wifi login page. No longer free! I originally thought it was an error, but after reading this, I am not too happy. Oh well, so much for Starbucks for now.
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5-04-2008 @ 10:15PM
Mason said...
I'm in Starbucks nearly every day.
Free wifi last week, not free this week.
Go figure.
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5-05-2008 @ 3:17PM
Mason said...
As I said in my last comment, I'm in Starbucks nearly every day.
Well, today was one of those days, and I just so happened to ask the manager about it.
According to her, AT&T now offers "something like half an hour a week" of free wifi. The catch: your username and password are the card number and pin number of your Starbucks gift card or Duetto Card, and you need to register your card on a different network before it will work.
So, I went ahead and bought a $5 gift card, jumped onto a nearby open network, registered it, went on the AT&T network, logged in (with a bit of trouble getting it to work), and I'm on it right now.
So there you go, straight from the manager.
5-04-2008 @ 11:09PM
Elias said...
Either way, if you're an ATT DSL subscriber of any plan except the cheapest one (DSL Lite), you get free WiFi access.
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5-04-2008 @ 11:44PM
DaffyDuck said...
There seems to be some general confusion about this - or, as I like to see, desperate efforts at trying to disavow responsibility for the discontinuation of free WiFi.
So, AT&T set up a system aimed to be convenient for iPhone users - detect the iPhone, ask for the iPhone number for verification, give free WiFi. Easy enough, and kudos for them for trying it out.
If it had not been for sites like TUAW (as well as a dozen other similar sites) trumpeting loudly on how to loophole and bypass the system by spoofing the user agent on your browser, and shouting it from the rooftops, we might actually still have the same convenient free WiFi.
Thanks to you guys, we don't (actually, AT&T subscribers still DO get free WiFi, it's just not as convenient) - and instead of simply admitting that you just *might* have contributed to this, all we get is posts with big wonderment, wondering "Golly Gee, what could have happened? Maybe AT&T changed their mind.... (giggles)"
I guess taking responsibility for your co-actions would be a novel concept, sadly.
I'm not taking umbrage on reporting on 'free WiFi for iPhone users', rather it's the "Hey, here's how to get around it, and get free WiFi for everyone -- go ahead, rip off The Man... booyah!" attitude, followed be feigned confusion...
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5-05-2008 @ 12:07AM
DJCarbon43 said...
That about sums it up. Well said Daffy.
I'm guessing that free wi-fi will return...only more locked down than it was before....
Splendid job TUAW, splendid job...
5-05-2008 @ 6:08AM
Alex said...
...via Engadget...a day old
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5-05-2008 @ 12:41PM
destructo said...
Happened to me. It worked for me last week, but not yesterday at Starbucks after I was telling my wife about it all week.
I told her she was stupid and was doing something wrong.
Thanks, AT&T. You almost broke up my marriage.
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5-05-2008 @ 8:59PM
steve said...
Simply calling your wife stupid may break up your marriage.
5-06-2008 @ 6:31PM
nka said...
I spoke to AT&T wifi tech support yesterday, and according to the tech, the official word is that AT&T was testing to see how things would hold up with increased traffic. The tech also indicated that the testing went well, and he expects AT&T will offer free wifi to all iPhone customers in the near future.
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5-06-2008 @ 6:33PM
nka said...
Also he said that "officially" the free access should only be available for the iphone. However, I wonder if they will plug the FF hack that enables you to use safari mobile?
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