Filed under: How-tos, Tips and tricks, iPhone
Text from your iPhone for free
Have you been enjoying the 200 free, monthly text messages that accompany your 1st generation iPhone? Then don't upgrade to iPhone 3G, because those same messages will cost you $5US per month, unless you know this trick. Dave Merten at Macsimum News has posted a simple, four-step process that will allow you to get free texting out of your 3G iPhone that you should really check out.
Kudos for Macsimum News for posting the trick. Sure, you're only saving $5 a month -- the cost of one Venti latte from you-know-where or approximately 1 gallon of gas -- but it all adds up, my friends.
[Via YourMacLife]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
Big John said 8:28AM on 7-01-2008
"Teleflip may sell, for its own account, or otherwise release, your personal information to related third parties (such as our partners, bankers and advertisers)"
I'll pass on that option.
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DrWho said 8:52AM on 7-01-2008
Indeed. I'd rather pay $5 and not have my email address given to spammers
Ryan Trevisol said 8:32AM on 7-01-2008
How do we know this is true? Where's the source on "no SMS with 3G iPhone plan? AppleInsider and even the posts here at TUAW seem to reflect that the "iPhone plan" which includes minutes also includes the 200 SMSs.
But if it's true, it is absurd. It's like Apple traded all their leverage with AT&T for this deal. Let's see, they give you less for more money. That makes sense. This is the ATT I remember.
I also don't see why we should pay the same for the 200 message plan as others who have MMS do. I can use that $5 plan for exclusively MMS if I want to. I can send 200 video messages within the plan. With the iPhone, I can only send SMS messages, using a fraction of the bandwidth. Not fair.
Oh, and what if I'm sending to another iPhone user? they're going to get charged for the incoming text. This little hackonly means your rates for SMS are half, not free, because when you TXT someone, what do they do? TXT you back, and incoming TXTs cost $0.20 with the death star.
Really, we have no choice but to take the extra $5 a month. I just wish they would've said the new plan was $35 a month instead of $30. Honestly, if you plan on sending or receiving more than 25 messages a month, then the $5 for 200 makes sense.
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jc5810 said 9:01AM on 7-01-2008
The actual cost to carriers to process text messages is so low, the entire thing is nothing but a complete rip-off to consumers.
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Josh said 9:27AM on 7-01-2008
Heaven forbid a company cling to high profit margins... texts are secondary and non-essential... its a PHONE afterall..
Dale said 10:00AM on 7-01-2008
Josh, do you really think mobile phone usage would have grown so ridiculously if it wasn't for "secondary" functionality like text messaging? Really?
Dale said 8:42AM on 7-01-2008
For a second, I saw the picture and the word text then got very excited. Landscape texting, how I yearn for thee.
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jackson.myers said 8:46AM on 7-01-2008
I am also trying to figure out where it says text messages are not included with the 3G plan. Isn't it the same as the 1st generation iPhone plan?
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Ryan Trevisol said 8:54AM on 7-01-2008
Upon doing some more research, it appears that some interview of an AT&T talking head mentioned that "Text messages are no longer bundled, so you pay for what you want."
Rrrr . . . I'm hoping that since details of the plans haven't been revealed yet, that there's some glimmer of hope that the sms's didn't get axed. I'm going to cling to hope. . .
Dale said 9:55AM on 7-01-2008
When I went into the store a couple of weeks ago, it definitely seemed to be a case of texts are included in your main plan, not the data plan you get on top.
Neil said 8:49AM on 7-01-2008
Please label the US only posts as being US only TUAW! AT&T may not be providing texts for free any more but providers elsewhere definitely are.
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Bob S. said 9:56AM on 7-01-2008
Maybe on a US-specific site, it's safe to assume that something specific to the U.S. is being discussed, and you can get your local news from a local site, wherever that happens to be. (Especially if it's something so specific as a cell phone plan, which can't possibly apply to anywhere but the default country.)
Don't you think? Hm. I guess you don't.
Yea said 9:00AM on 7-01-2008
Thing is, first gen iPhone customers were eventually paying 5 dollars for the 200 messages. at&t's unlimited webaccess for non-smartphones had been $15 for quite sometime with the text starter (200 sms/mms) being $5 forever. Eventually they removed the bundled offer and it stayed around for iPhone users. The new data plan for the iPhone 3G is on par with other smartphones and none of those have bundled messaging packages. They weren't really giving any texts for free.
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Gwydion said 9:04AM on 7-01-2008
I think that US isn't the only country in the world
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Josh said 9:31AM on 7-01-2008
You think that?
I KNOW that... and I'm American.
Sheesh, and I though -our- schools were the bad ones..
DrWho said 9:01AM on 7-01-2008
Can't you just email to phonenumber@tmomail.com (for example) to send an sms for free anyway?
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Jools said 9:14AM on 7-01-2008
Hey Mr. Dave Caolo,
You do realise that this internet-thing you're posting on is available to the whole world? Also, are you aware that the "world" includes many other countries than the USA?
Perhaps, like many other US-based bloggers who seem to think "USA=The World", you should bear this in mind when posting.
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Kyle Derouen said 9:20AM on 7-01-2008
but the USA is more important than all the other countries, and this is the country apple is in. Its fair and valid to post us-only posts.
Andrew Rush said 9:24AM on 7-01-2008
Dang man, chill out.
Josh said 9:30AM on 7-01-2008
Hey Jules, TUAW is a site hosted in America, owned by a US company, posting about products from a US company.
Their target audience is primarily US.
Chill the hell out.