Hey Rob,

Thanks for putting out such a great show!  I have been listening since I bought my original 2G on opening day.

Anyway, you have used artwork drawn on the iPhone.   Because of your podcast, I downloaded "ColorSplash".  It is awesome.  I thought you might want to use pictures of my newborn as your cover art in an upcoming episode.

Thanks and keep up the great work!

Rich

Hi Rob,

 

I am new to jailbreaking (less than an hour ago).  And I was wondering what are some of the Jailbreak apps you or your listeners have recommended and why. 

 

Thanks

Steve D in Iowa

Hi Steve,

There are many Jailbreak apps that have been talked about on the shows in the past.  Whenever I talk about one I put it in the show notes and put "cydia" after the App name - so all you have to do is search for "Cydia" at the home page to see which episodes a specific app was talked about.  That all said here is my current list of Apps I or listeners have recently recoomended and the issues they fix / solve.  

iUser - Allows for Multiple logins - Just on the iPad.  Warning - uninstalling can be difficult. 

PDAnet - Allows you to turn your iPhone into a WiFi Hotspot and has an option to hide how the data is being used - ie AT&T can not tell you are creating a hot spot to tether your laptop to it. Free trial for about 10 days.  

Notified - Similar to the new Notifications Center in iOS 5. 

WiFi Sync - Similar to the new Wifi Sync in iOS 5.  Yes Apple took the App name and features and almost the same icon.

PhoneitiPad - Turns a 3G iPad into a Phone.  Because the HTC Evo is just not big enough as a phone already.

Xpandr - Autotext shortcut expander - similar to the new feature in iOS 5. 

Auto3G - Turns off 3G when not in use - helps save precious battery life and should have been a feature in iOS 5 but is not. 

Backgrounder - True backgrounding of apps - so they can keep running in the background.  Nice for IM apps and iOS devices not running iOS 4.x

3G Unrestrictor -  Tricks Apps into thinking the iOS device is on Wifi - for those that require wifi connections. 

Five Icon Dock - Allows 5 items in the dock - not for iPad (does bad bad things to the iPad)

SpoofApp - Allows for Recording of Phone Calls

ScreenSplitr - Mirror iPhone on to Computer.  Nice for doing screen casts of your app in action.

Multiflow - Scroll left or right to other open apps (required backgrounder) 

Lockdown - Password Protect specific Apps - Also should have been a feature in iOS 5 - guess there is always iOS 6.

These are by no means all the great apps for Jailbreaking just some of those I hear from listeners on a regulare basis that they love and that I also really like.  

Please add in your favorite Jailbreak Apps in the comments below and why you like said apps.  

Rob W

Hey Rob,

I have a pic of Mark Twain that I drew from scratch on my iphone using the app "Brushes" and the "Pogo Stylus". I was going to through a tii on there and see if i could get on another cover art for your pod cast but I got lazy. Any way I'll whip something up for a future cast! Keep up the good work! L8

James F

Hi Rob,

I am running out of HD space on my computer and I currently sync multiple iOS devices to it and do multiple backups.  I remember you once talking about deleting out backups to free up space on the HD.  How do you do that?

Thanks

Chuck in S. Cal

Hi Chuck,

In iTunes on your computer click on Preferences.  In the pop up box Select "Devices" 

You can then select the backups you would like to delete.  Once you select one the "Delete Backup" button will become active.  Once you click "Delete Backup" it will ask you to confirm you want to delete it. 

After you delete out all the old backups you don't need - click "ok"

Regards,

Rob W

Hi Rob,

I took this picture and imported it as a background to the Etch a Sketch app.

Love the show.

Karen near Seattle

Hi Rob,

I have the pages app on my iPhone and I want to get some Word docs on my computer that I can make available to edit with the Pages app.  How do I get the Word docs on to my iPhone to use with Pages.

Thanks

Tony

Hi Tony,

First I will assume you are running iOS 4.X or later.  Next connect your iPhone to your computer.  When iTunes pops up and shows your iPhone go ahead and click on your iPhone under "devices" Then in the upper tab in iTunes click on "Apps"  Then scroll down to "File Sharing".  Next Select the Pages App which should be on the left hand side under "Apps". Then just drag and drop all the word docs you want Pages on your iPhone to have access to.  Then click sync (Actually it syncs after each drop - but go ahead and sync again anyway.)

After the sync is done disconnect your iPhone from the computer and launch the Pages App. 

When Pages opens in the upper left tap on the "+" icon (Or if it says "documents" in the upper left tap on that and then on the "+" icon).

Then tap  on "iTunes" under "Copy From" - and then select the Documents you want to copy over and edit in Pages. 

Regards,

Rob W

Hi Rob,

Here is a cover I made for your podcast It includes a picture of the rumored iPhone 4G (2010) I made the picture with the app Trippingfest The app was free when I found it. And I believe the original is free. But the newest version is $1.99 

Regards,

Kurt S

Hi Rob,

I'm a newbie to jail breaking. I used the jailbreakme.com on 4.3.3. Can I still back up my iPhone in iTunes like I did pre jailbreak? Also I'm using PDA net for a wifi hotspot. It's the main reason I jail broke. Is level 1 hiding of tethering good enough, or should I use level 2? Thanks in advance for tolerating a newbie. I love it so far.

Regards,

Larmer

Hello Larmer,

Per your first question - YES - you can still use iTunes to sync and back up your iOS device after it is jailbroken.  It will not backup any of your jailbroken apps - but will work fine for any non-jailbroken apps. 

Per PDAnet - I have just used the Level 1 hide on the data and have not had any issues or emails from AT&T.  Nor have I heard of anyone having any issues with using Level 1 hide.  So that is what I would recommend. 

Good luck with your jailbreak and remember to remove any jailbreak apps you install - but deside you no longer want to use.  The fewer jailbreak apps you have installed - the lower the chances of you having issues. 

Rob W

hello my name is Ben and I made this with sketchbook on iPhone.

This was done with the Brushes iPad App.

Regards,

Mark NC

Hey Rob,

I can't connect to any cellular data. Regular phone calls work fine and so does data over wifi but if I switch to 3G or edge no web sites will load, can't connect to the app store, etc.   I've tried doing the data services reset from the settings menu but that made no difference.

This is happening to me and there doesn't seam to be a viable fix yet, thoughts?

Thanks

Brian

Hi Rob,
There's not much to it, but I think it's visually appealing. Created
with DoodleBuddy, a free app.

Regards,
Jim H

With iOS 5 (beta 4 and later) you can update the iOS by doing an Over the Air (OTA) Update - this means you no longer need to be connected to your computer to download and do the upates.  (OTA functionality was actually added to Beta 3 - but Beta 4 was the first time you could use it).

Here are some tips on using the OTA feature.

1. Make sure you have a full charge on your iOS device and if possible have a power connection to the device.  If you have less than a 50% charge it will not allow you to start the OTA Update.

2. Make sure you are on a WiFi connection.  Yes you can do it via 3G - but you are best to have a much quicker Wifi connection.

3. Expect the last 5 to 10% of the download bar to seem to stall and take 5 to 6 times longer to copmplete than the first 90%.  This is widely being reported - Have some patience and do not think it is locked up.  (See Tip 1 above) Make sure you have plenty of charge remaining and you will be fine.

Regards,

Rob W

Hi Rob,

I just finished listening to episode 136 and I want to try and sell my iPhone 3G. Thanks for the great tip of installing iOS 3.1.3 and unlocking the iPhone in order to get top dollar for it. I followed the link titled "Unlock iPhone 3.1.3 05.11.07 Baseband with Blacksn0w | Redmond Pie". Any idea how I can test to see if I successfully unlocked my iPhone if I don't have a T-mobile sim card? I successfully get to the end of Step 7 and then don't know how to proceed when it gets to the following section "Make sure you get signals with your T-Mobile SIM card". I wouldn't feel right about posting the iPhone for sale online if I'm not able to verify that I successfully unlocked it. Any ideas or tips you may have would be most greatly appreciated.

Regards,

Mr. Ed

Hey rob recently purchased a iPod touch 4th gen in Febuary if a new iPod touch is released would apple offer me a upgrade for a small fee, or something like that thanks

Please Write back from  Sean W

Hi Sean,

Plain and simple answer - Nope

With the ipod touch or any iPod once you purchase it - that is it. 

You will need to resell it on ebay / criagslist or the like to get any money out of it.

Regards,

Rob W

Hi Rob,

I made this artwork for the show with:
- Fail Maker (For the text)
- Brushes
- Photo Effex

Hope you like it and looking forward to the next show.

Robb
Portsmouth, UK

Hi Rob, When I said something negative about android to my friend this was the response. I need a rebuttal to this. Help me out? I don't jailbreak my phone if it matters.  Regards, Sean Good luck jailbreaking every p.o.s. iPhone just to give it a third of the capabilities and customization any android phone already has. Apple may eventually realize the open source community is where its at but until then they will steal, yes steal any innovative idea their Developer community creates and brand it there own. Sad really. Their snow and lion OS are great but they also take from the hackintosh,osx86 and dev community. IOS blows dude. Its ok to admit it. While your at it admit that you payed way too much. Maybe you'll realize that when you get your next appstore bill or brick your pretty iPhone trying to jailbreak it. Hah..good luck

Sean, Ok - My comments are marked with in his.   Good luck with him.   Rob W Good luck jailbreaking every p.o.s. iPhone just to give it a third of the capabilities and customization any android phone already has.  --- Really - Please define the 2/3rd of capabilities you get with Android that you can't get with Jailbreaking an iPhone - do you even have the foggiest idea what can be done on the iPhone with jailbreaking.  Like even being able to install Android on the iPhone.  If you are going to make claims like this please back them up with facts -- Apple may eventually realize the open source community is where its at  --- Is this the same open source community that is now pushing malware on the androids. Or the ones that are sharing personal info.  One recent study showed that 8% of Android Apps share personal info. Please tell us again how open is better?  Better for who?  Clearly not the end user.  ----- but until then they will steal, yes steal any innovative idea their Developer community creates and brand it there own.    ----- STEAL - Really!!!! - Like how Google stole or actually cut and pasted code from Suns Java right into Android. Now Oracle is suing their butts.  And Google knew they did this and even tried to settle with Sun before Oracle purchased them.   Then there is the recent ITC ruling that HTC / Android violates 2 Apple patents from 1996.  These are core functions in Android they STOLE from Apple.  Yes - when you talk about stealing one needs look no further than Android - as it is a mishmash of stolen ideas and code. ---  Sad really. Their snow and lion OS are great but they also take from the hackintosh,osx86 and dev community.  -- WTF does that have to do with anything.  Why not complain about the Apple Cube? IOS blows dude. - Nice commentary, well thought out.  Guess that is why iOS not Android has the highest user satisfaction rates and more people say they want an iOS phone not an Android phone.  And also why there are over 220 million iOS devices out there.  Well over 80 Million more than Android.  ----   Its ok to admit it. While your at it admit that you payed way too much.  ----- Way to much vs what?  On the Tablet Side - the iPad is cheaper than most Android Tablets.  Which combined can't even come close to the iPad sales.  The iPod touch has no real competitor - so can't complain on pricing there.  And the iPhone is the same price at AT&T and Verizon as most other Android Phones.  Speaking of which - the last 3 months the Number one selling phone at both AT&T and Verizon was the iPhone4.  A device that is over 12 months old is still is kicking the latest and "Greatest" Android phones butts.  Heck Apple even sold more smartphones world wide last quarter than Nokia.  If it is so over priced and "blows" how do you even start to explain Apples sales figures. ---  Maybe you'll realize that when you get your next appstore bill or brick your pretty iPhone trying to jailbreak it. Hah..good luck -

Give me the name of ONE person that has "Bricked" their iPhone jailbreaking it?  Name one?  You can't because the "bricking" is a urban myth.  All you have to do is put an iPhone in DFU mode and restore if you mess it up.  Unlike some Motorola Droid phones that if you tried to Root them (same as jailbreaking) would actually be bricked and require you to send them to Moto to get them restored.

I find your comments above both lacking in facts, substance and style.  If you are going to attack iOS at least get your facts straight.  The substance and style part - well you choose Android - so not much hope there.

Hi Rob, 

With all the snow we've been getting in the northeast, I thought I'd paint something for winter.
I imported a screen grab of your logo into the app "Brushes". I like using Brushes because it uses layers. I hope you like it.

Ed

Wilmington, Delaware

Hi Rob,

This is from my 1st day using "sketchbook" & "type drawing".

Hope you like it. 

Regards,

Barb C in St. Louis

The Terra Web Browser is back in the app store and it is free.

You can get it HERE

This was asked about by a few listeners in the past and the folks that make the App just let me know it is back in the App store.

This is one of the better - IMO - 3rd party browsers and it is free - so download it while you can.

Rob W

Hi Rob,

I used the free version of the app you suggested call "sketchbook" its really cool i love the air brushing techiquces. I was trying to make it look like a phx sunset hehe ill work both with this app and brushes which i also jus bought to make youe more!

Thanks! 

Holly

Links Mentioned in this Episode:

Wingstand - Turn your touchscreen into a computer

iPad sales estimates for fiscal Q3 range from 6.0 to 9.5 million

AppleInsider | iPad sales reach 25M milestone, Apple on track for 8M+ this quarter

How many iPhones did Apple sell last quarter? - Apple 2.0 - Fortune Tech

AppleInsider | Apple iPhone Sales Specialist Job Posting

AppleInsider | iPad 2, Verizon iPhone took wind out of Android's sail with developers

Apple pays $946 to Korean iPhone user over location data as class-action suit looms

Google's Q2 Earnings call

AppleInsider | Apple releases iOS 4.3.4 to address PDF security hole

Sears.com accidentally prices iPad at $69 - CNN.com

Sprint iPhone 5 Testing to Begin Next Week | West Coast Gadgets

iUser allows for multi-user logins on iPad.

46% of smartphone buyers prefer Apple's iOS, 32% choose Google Android

iPhone 4 survives fall from skydiver's pocket - CNN.com

Apple to launch low-priced iPhone for $350 - BGR = BS

Girls urged to strip to support Vladimir Putin as president - Telegraph

Google's Eric Schmidt slams Apple iPhone lawsuits

Google+ for iPhone 3G, iPhone 3GS, and iPhone 4 on the iTunes App Store

AT&T selling refurbished iPhone 3GS now for only $9

todayinpodcasting's Podcast

Youtube - MashUp of iOS Virtual Music Instruments

Apps Mentioned in this Episode:

Tii App

Songify

WeeMee

Sandbox

Physics Calc

Print-N-Share

iUser - Cydia

Lockinfo - Cydia

Notified - Cydia

Google+

I am a new listener to your podcast and thought it would be fun to submit a picture to you for the TII cover art. I created it with the app Doodle Buddy.

Regards,

Nate!

Rob,

If you have already explained this please point me to your answer. I am suddenly confused by the media reports as to what is the difference between a tethered and untethered jailbreak. I thought that it simply referred to a method that either requires (tethered) your ios device to be usb linked to the computer when the jailbreak is done or not (untethered). I see some explanations that say that every time you want to reboot your device or the battery dies if you have a tethered jailbreak then you need to reboot with it USB linked to your computer. http://osxdaily.com/2010/11/24/tethered-jailbreak-vs-untethered-jailbreak/

Regards,

David

Hi David,

Thanks for the question.  In simplest terms a Tethered Jailbreak means if your iOS device reboots at any time in the future - it needs to be connected back to the computer you jailbroke it from to get it to boot back up and be useable. 

An untethered Jailbreak allows you to restart the iOS device and not have to be tethered to your computer.

This actually has nothing to do with how you jailbreak it - but rather how you are able to restart / power back on your iOS device AFTER it is jailbroken. 

As such - I ONLY ever recommend the un-tethered jailbreak.  Until a jailbreak is "Untethered" I try not to even talk about it - as it is not a viable jailbreak for anyone but the developers of Cydia (Jailbreak) apps.  

So for example right now there is a "Tethered" jailbreak already for iOS 4.3.4 - but on the next episode of Tii (ep 183) you will only hear me say "Stay away from iOS 4.3.4 if you want to jailbreak.  From a practical perspective a Tethered Jailbreak is not a real Jailbreak - just a proof of concept.  

Hope that helps.

Rob W

Hi Rob,

I drew this image with TrippingFest.

Regards,

Kurt S

Rob,

Sat down to jailbreak with 4.3.3 Jailbreakme.com today Sunday July 17, 5pm. I started following the video link on your site for this easy jailbreak, downloaded aptbackup and started on appbackup, when on reboot from cydia, the phone connected to itunes and now says that a new version of iOS is available, 4.3.4!!!!!

Did apple shut the door on me today? What should I do? The timing sucks, minutes left to go and it looks like no 4.3.3 for me. My current iOS is 3.12 the old Jailbreakme.com. Would have loved to go to 4.X

Thanks for any help.

Russ

Hi Rob,

Apps used:
AntiStress
CropForFree
ArtCamera

Regards,

Laura from Lago Vista, TX

Hi Rob,

 

My 3GS is running iOS 4.3.3 and is currently jailbroken with redsn0w.

 

I want to JB with Jailbreakme (it's better) and I want to know if I have to unjailbreak (i.e., restore) it before I point my iPhone Safari browser to jailbreakme.com.

 

Are there any other things I should do first (besides back it up) such as uninstall Cydia apps, take my extra icons out of the doc and folders, etc?

 

Thanks!

John

Hi John,

First I would ask by what you mean by "I want to JB with Jailbreakme (it's better) ".  If you are talking about which one is easier to do - then yes Jailbreakme.com is clearly the better choice.  But if you are already jailbroken with Redsn0w and you are not having any issues - I highly highly recommend you stay with your current jailbreak,

I have heard from one listener that when doing the Jailbreakme.com JB and using BiteSMS that BiteSMS will crash and put your phone into a boot loop when you attempt to send an SMS.

So if anything it sounds like Redsn0w is the more stable and less buggy Jailbreak.  

That all said if you are still determined to do the Jailbreakme.com jailbreak - then yes you need to do a complete restore to iOS 4.3.3 - Do not restore to iOS 4.3.4 - which is the latest version of iOS - and that version has patched the hole used by Jailbreakme.com

So first you need to download the latest version of iOS 4.3.3 for your iOS device.  Check my tutorial on how to jailbreak iOS 4.3.3 for links to download iOS 4.3.3 for your iOS device. 

But again I would suggest you stay with your current jailbreak if you are not having any issues. 

Regards,

Rob W

Hi Rob,

I made a pic using a iphone app called doodle buddy for you're podcast.

Sebastian

Hi Rob,

 

I am having trouble with my iphones, and ipad not syncing my calendar events. It always has worked int he past and just stopped working. I have mobile me and that is the account that I used, could it be mobile me is being phased out?

 

Thanks

Jim K

Hi Rob,

Jim,

Thanks for the question and the solution.

Rob W

Hi Rob,

Decided to make you a wallpaper. I used Layers, Brushes, Photoforge, Photogene, and the TII app.I hope you like it, and would love if you would use it for the show. 

Regards,

Alex

Hi Rob,

Like you I have a couple of young boys.  Recently it appears one of them deleted my safari App and my Youtube App off the iPhone.

FYI - I do not have my phone full of Apps (so it is not off the screen) and I only have a couple of folders and I checked in them and the Safari and Youtube apps are nowhere to be found.  

I tried rebooting and doing multiple re-syncs but could not find either app in iTunes to add back said apps.  Outside of doing a factory restore what can I do?

Please help.

Thanks

James

Hey rob.

This is my first attempt using doodle buddy app! I like it good app!

Hope u like it:)

love,

holly 

Hey Rob,

 

I heard you say on episode 182, that you finally received an invite for google+, I've looked everywhere to try and find someone to invite me. Can you please invite me, I really want to try this out to see what all the hype is about.

 

Thanks in advance,

Richard H

P.s.- also on 182, the guy that asked about printing, tell him to search Curia for " TruPrint" it works with any network printer instead of limiting you to use apples printer, this is an awesome app. Tell everybody.

Hi Richard,

The invite has been sent and thanks for the heads up on TruPrint.

If anyone else wants an invite - please submit a comment below and put in your gmail email address - I will not make it public - but I do need it for the invite.  

Regards,

Rob W

Hi Rob,

 

Could you help me find the best way to make a first gen iphone that is jailbroken and unlocked with a tmobile sim inside the iphone to be just an ipod for a friend. I tryed to restore from itunes but it says invalid sim card. Is there way around getting an old iphone first gen att sim to restore it. Hope it's silmilar to the way you did it for your children to use as ipods.

 

Thanks  

Robert

Hi Robert,

You should be able to place the iPhone into Airplane Mode, and then turn on Wifi.  That should be all you need to do.

Rob W

Links Mentioned in this episode:

Hackers expose flaw in Apple iPad, iPhone software

FBR Sees iPhone 3GS Revival; Possible “iPad 2 Plus”

Apple Plans Fix for iPhone Flaw - WSJ.com

Apple - Press Info - Apple’s App Store Downloads Top 15 Billion

The iPhone SLR Mount

TSA Agent Caught With Passenger's iPad in His Pants

Okay We Get It: the iPhone 5 Will Be Awesome

Apple Retail Store Display iPad Jailbroken Using JailbreakMe 3.0

Swype keyboard ported to iOS

Apple releases iOS 5 beta 3 to developers

With iOS 5 Beta 3, The iPhone Finally Gets Custom Text Message Alert Sounds

Analyst: iPhone 5 likely coming to Sprint, T-Mobile

Apple predicted to report record 8.5M iPad sales next week

iPad satisfaction starts high and rises, University of Missouri study finds

RJI-DPA spring 2011 iPad survey results

Confusion and Skepticism May Impede 4G Adoption | Retrevo

YouTube - Barrel iPod App Demonstration 

iPad Wi-Fi - Apple Store (U.S.)

Jailbreakme.com

Apps Mentioned in this episode:

Tii App

WordPhoto

Tap on States

Time Off

Physics Calc

Barrel - Cydia

Speedometer

Swype - Cydia - http://wynd.x10.mx

Created with Doodle Buddy.

Regards,

James F

Hi Rob,

Do you know of a iPhone screen recorder app that I can use so that I can record my gameplay of apps?  if you do that would be awesome!

Thanks!

AB

HI AB,

You would need to jailbreak to do that.  

Then you can get a couple of different apps to record the screen play,

You need to get Backgrounder and Screensplitr from Cydia and DemoGod on the Mac.

Then you can mirror what is on your iPhone on your computer and record it.

 

Regards,

RW

Hey Rob! 

I have a question: I recently exchanged my iPhone after owning it for a couple weeks - It had some issues - The Apple store swapped it out for a brand new with no problem. I left the store with a big concern though --- I had a lot of personal information on the iPhone I returned.

I deleted the files but I'm still concerned that someone can still retrieve the data as I know data recovery exists for the iPhone 4.

What happens to an iPhone once it's returned?

Are my files safe?

Many thanks for any input you can give. 

All the best!   

Mike

Hi Mike,

The phone is supposed to be wiped clean before it gets back out.  According to comments from Apple. 

Is it impossible for someone to retrieve the data - No.  Is it very very unlikely they will actually be able to get anything from it - Yes it is very unlikely.

Don't worry - plus nothing you can do now either way.

Rob W

Hi Rob -

I am sending this from my 9 year old daughter Jacqui's 2g Iphone where she created a quick picture from the Autodesk drawing program - Sketchbook

Hope you like it.

Sincerely -

Jeff Y

Hi Rob,

I purchased GPS USA from the app store a few months ago. Today I had to restore my I phone and when I reinstalled the app GPS USA I was charged a second time.

Can you tell me how I can get my refund? 

Thanks

Freddie Y

Hi Freddie,

If you purchased the app with the same iTunes account you should not have been charged twice.  

You can check your purchase history by going into iTunes clicking on your account in the upper right - and then selecting "Account".

Next scroll down and select - "Purchase History"

Then look through your account and confirm if you did indeed get charged twice for this app. 

If so then click on "Report a Problem" (Button at the bottom) and then next to the second purchase click on "Report a Problem" (Link next to price of app in question).

Depending on which version of iTunes you have you should see a form to fill out.  Select the Problem and in comments include the dates of the two purchases.  

Good Luck.

Rob W

Done with Doodle Buddy.

Hi Rob,

This was created wit the Musical Lights App.

Regards.

Hi Rob,

 

I have an iphone4 and 4 additional phones on a family plan with AT&T. My iphone 4 is on a unlimited data plan and the 4 other phones are 9.99 each. We share 1400 roll over minutes and we have unlimited texting for like $29 a month. So I a paying out about $170 a month to AT&T with all the taxes. I started with the original iphone, then 3g, then went to the 4.

 

Basically I pay my dues to AT&T. So my iphone 4 is jailbroken and I gave my oldest daughter my 3g which was jailbroken. We simply inserted the sim card from her old phone and all was well. No issues from AT&T.

 

About 4 months ago I came into another 3G iphone for my youngest daughter. I jailbroke it and all was well until... About 2 months ago my daughter some how activated the 3G and cell data setting. She received a text from AT&T that they detected an iphone 3g and they are now charging her (me) $15 a month for data package as all data phones used on AT&T networks must have a data package.  

 

I immediately turned of the the data and 3G but the $15 charge continued. In addition her phone broke and she went back to her old phone for a month, the $15 a month charge continued. Now the 3G phone is fixed an she is using it again with data off. Again I am still getting the $15 fee.

 

So I do not want to rock the boat completely with AT&T, but if my kids decide to use WIFI networks for data, AT&T really does not deserve to get $15 for a data plan so I wrote a letter to AT&T asking about the $15 data fee on my daughters 3g.  

 

I received the following response.  

 

Dear David H,

Thank you for contacting AT&T about your wireless service. My name is Jessica H. and I am more than happy to assist you today with your inquiry regarding Smartphone data charges for the line ending in 3949. I can definitely understand your frustrations with seeing Smartphone data plan charges on your bill that you did not expect. AT&T, just like our major competitors, now requires that all users of Smartphones (BlackBerrys, PDAs, iPhones) have both a voice and data plan. The reason for this change is, Smartphone users tend to consume a higher amount of data services for activities such as advanced e-mail, mobile Web, games, and applications. A Smartphone data plan ensures customers can take full advantage of their device features without worrying about a fluctuating or unusually high bill. If you would like more information about Smartphones, it can be found at: http://www.wireless.att.com/learn/articles-resources/smartphone-data-plans.jsp The Smartphone data plan requirement policy applies to new activations, upgrades, and device/SIM swaps performed by the customer. This policy is systematically enforced, meaning that the system reads the SIM card and tells us which device is being used with that SIM card. Upon review of your account, I show that the line ending in 3949 is using an iPhone 3G. If the user of this line is no longer using the iPhone 3G, please provide us with the IMEI number of the non-Smartphone that they are using so we may update the equipment information for that line. Once the equipment information is updated, we will be able to remove the Smartphone data plan. David H, if you have any additional questions about Smartphone data charges for the line ending in 3949, please respond to this e-mail. If you have a question about another issue, please send us a new e-mail via the Contact Us link in the lower left-hand corner of your myAT&T account. Thank you for choosing AT&T; we appreciate your business. Jessica H eCare Customer Service Specialist AT&T Business Solutions Customer Care Business Care: 611 or 1-800-331-0500 Online account management: http://wireless.att.com

 

They claim that her phone is a 3G and if it is not a 3G just send them the IMEI number of the non Iphone. So my question is:

 

What are my options?  

 

Can AT&T really tell that I have an Iphone on her account if I am not sending data?

 

Can they see the IMEI number?  

 

If I switch her back to her old phone send them the IMEI number for the phone and then switch her back to the Iphone will they be able to tell?

 

If so is it because they have now associated her current IMEI number as a iphone 3G in their database?  

 

Is there cydia software that can spoof the IMEI number or make the phone look like a basic phone on the AT&T network?

 

Regards,

David

Hi David,

Per your questions

What are my options?  

Not a lot of options if you want to use that iPhone - you need to make sure data stays turned off.  

Can AT&T really tell that I have an Iphone on her account if I am not sending data?

It is really not if they can tell if you have an iPhone or another smartphone but are you using data.  Which was the issue above all was ok until you started using data and that is what triggered AT&T to change your plan - per their terms of service you agreed to.  

Can they see the IMEI number?  

Absolutely - 100% - YES.  Each time you use any phone on AT&T your IMEI number is transmitted to them.  

If I switch her back to her old phone send them the IMEI number for the phone and then switch her back to the Iphone will they be able to tell?

Yes - they would be able to tell if they checked.  That said people switch between phones all the time - so likely they would not notice.  There is nothing to keep you from switching between phones that are just feature phones.  The big issue is not using a smartphone - especially one that uses data.  

If so is it because they have now associated her current IMEI number as a iphone 3G in their database?  

No, it would likely be because you turned data on again.  

Is there cydia software that can spoof the IMEI number or make the phone look like a basic phone on the AT&T network?

Spoofing IMEI numbers in some countries is considered illegal so I will not even go there.  

For example, in the United Kingdom, under the Mobile Telephones (Re-programming) Act, changing the IMEI of a phone, or possessing equipment that can change it, is considered an offence under some circumstance.^[3] Such an action is also considered a criminal offence in Latvia.

My recommendation is what you are already thinking of - and that is putting the SIM card back in her original feature phone - getting the IMEI number and sending that to AT&T.  Then wait a week or so AFTER they change your plan and remove the data plan fee.   Then making sure DATA is turned OFF on the iPhone - transfer the SIM card to the iPhone again. 

Also tell your daughter if you turns on data again no more iPhone for you!!!!

Good Luck.

Rob W

Hi Rob,

My 13 year old daughter, Arielle, created this drawing using the SketchBook app on her Ipod Touch. Please feel free to use it for a future Today in Iphone podcast. Love your show and your app!

Cheers,

Carolyn M

With iOS 5 there is now an option to turn on and off Quote Level Indentations.  This "Adds a level of indentation when you forward or reply to a message"  

To toggle this on or off go to the Settings App:

Settings --> Mail, Contacts, Calendars --> Increase Quote Level 

Then either Toggle it On or Off per your preference.

Hi Rob,

This is art work that my wife did on her iphone 3g with the application sketchbook and i added the comic line with Touch Comic both are great apps hope you like it.

Best regards.

Jorge  from Venezuela

In iOS 4.x and earlier you were limited to having just the last 200 recent messages on your iOS device.  With iOS 5 you can now increase that to the 1,000 Recent messages or 500 recent messages.   The options are now 

50 Recent Messages

100 Recent Messages 

200 Recent Messages

500 Recent Messages 

1,000 Recent Messages 

To get to this option go to the Settings App:

Settings --> Mail, Contacts, Calendars -->  Show 

And then select the number of Recent Messages you want to be stored on your iOS device. 

Hi Rob,

Made with Scribble Lite by Chuck Aagaard, Janesville WI

I made 50 stars too !!

Regards,

Chaz

Hello Rob,

 

I love  your show and APP. It works great with voice Over. I am totally blind and  I thank you for making it available for blind user. That is your APP.

 

I Have a question. I know you mention this before in a past podcast. But can't remember which one or the info. But, I am traveling to Mexico and would like to take my IPhone. What could I do to avoid paying a high cost on my phone usage outside California?  

I have an Iphone4 with the latest version.

Thanks. 

 

J.C.'s 

iPhone 

Hi J.C.,

Links Mentioned in this Episode:

You can now enter Recovery Mode wirelessly in iOS 5 beta 2

iOS 5 to Make Jailbreaking Tougher on Users

Best iPad Apps for Bloggers and Webmasters

Report: Apple is building two (!) iPhones for September release

Girl looks to trade a Cherry for an Apple.

On Its Fourth Birthday, the iPhone's Past and Future Impact

AT&T Leaks Don't Show iPad LTE Plans - Mac Rumors

BBC News - 'I just launched' - Pope Benedict sends first tweet

Apple will offer free iPhone 3GS with 2-year mobile contract

Swiffy makes Flash files HTML5 friendly

In US, Smartphones Now Majority of New Cellphone Purchases | Nielsen Wire

Dev-Team Blog - Blob monster

Google+ Invite Workarounds Crop Up | PCWorld

AppleInsider | AT&T adding iPhone to standard insurance plan on July 17

How to Get Back AT&T’s Unlimited Data Plan

Verizon To Offer HTC iPhone 4 Discounts

Verizon Confirms Tiered Data Plans Launching July 7th

Apps Mentioned in this Episode:

Tii App

Garageband

WordFoto

Time Off

Tap the States for iPad

Blogsy

WordPress

Tumbleroo

Tumblr

PDAnet - Cydia

Hi Rob,

I'm an artist at Marvel Comics and was playing around with the new Sketchbook mobile app from Autodesk and this is my first effort.

Hope you like it!

Dennis C

Another new feature in iOS 5 is the Split Keyboard for the iPad.  This is really nice for those that like to type with their thumbs.  Which is really helpful when standing and typing with the iPad - as you really want in those cases to be holding on to the iPad with both hands.  

To activate the split keyboard.  First go to an app where you can pull up the keyboard - for testing I suggest using the notes app.  

Then Tap and hold the little keyboard symbol in the lower left.  You will get a pop up message where you can "Undock" or "Split" - select Split.  They keyboard will split in two and move up on the screen.  Then if you press and hold slightly to the right of the keyboard symbol you can move the split keyboard up and down to get it positioned where it feels the most comfortable for you.  You can also slide your thumbs towards the middle of the keyboard to make it grow in size.  

Note - getting the keyboard to move up and down or change in size is not the easiest - It is better in Beta 2 then it was in Beta 1 - and hopefully by the time iOS 5 is fully released it will be much easier to position the Keyboard and change its size.  

Tapping quickly on the keyboard symbol will hide it.  Tapping and holding on it will give the option to Dock and Merge the keyboard.  

Apps used:
AntiStress
CropForFree
ArtCamera

Regards,

Laura from Lago Vista, TX

In the US it is a national holiday - THE National Holiday - and many devs are giving away some apps for free.  I highly recommend a visit to the Apple App store today to see what Apps are free and also many apps are also reduced in price.  Here are a few apps that contacted me to let me know they are free today only - July 4th.

Time Off - An App that makes it easy to request, remember and report all of you paid time off.

Trucks & Skulls Nitro - Game that is highly addictive and great fun - this is my son's favorite game. 

Army of Darkness Defense - Calling all Bruce Campbell fans this game is a must.  

I made this using photopainter and inserted the text with photogene (a must have app).

Hope you like it.

Regards,

Sean 

Hi Rob

this is in response to your question on why anyone would buy a microcell when they are not getting any additional minutes added to their plan.

i don't have or need a microcell, but i recommended one to a friend of mine. despite living in a highly populated, exclusive area in san francisco, she is unable to get any consistent cell phone signal at her house on any carrier: att, verizon or sprint. this was a huge issue for her as she has a home office and if clients were to call her on her cell phone, she wouldn't know it until she were to step outside of her front door. she installed a microcell and now is able to get 5 bars of coverage throughout her house and even at her neighbors house.

i don't understand the correlation between using a microcell and why, as you say, that it should include additional or unlimited free minutes. i always assumed, maybe incorrectly, that a voice call still has to send a voice packet through att's network. maybe you could clarify that for me.

frankly, i'm glad that at&t doesn't just give out microcells to anyone who requests it. if that were the case, everyone would be requesting one, whether they needed one or not, and it would end up being like the squareup disaster, where they were giving out their credit card processing dongle away to anyone who requested one, then got slammed for not being able to keep up with demand and those that really NEEDED one were unable to get one.  if att were to give unlimited or even additional minutes to anyone owning a microcell under those conditions, who knows how much more traffic that would add to an already overloaded network.

thanks rob.
paul
mill valley, ca

===============

Hi Rob,
I live in LA where AT&T claims that my place is located on their strong reception spot, but I don't have good reception at home. Most of the time, I don't get any calls, and people who call me complained that I never answer their calls. Even when I receive some calls, I get choppy voice or droped calls.
 
So I called AT&T, and AT&T technical support people tested my connection in my area for a few days. They asked me to go to AT&T store to swap a free micro sim card, and had still no changes on my reception. They put with a high level AT&T technician to deal with my connection, and a couple of days later, they called me back saying that there's nothing they can do about it. They said they can't provide every location with strong signal all the time, and I am just stuck with their contract. Plus Every time I called them for my reception problem, they suggest to get 3G Microcell, which costs $150, as an "option" to solve my problem. The technicians were trying to make the reception problem my fault by blaming it on my location and my sim card.
 
After few days later, I called customer service, and complained to them that I shouldn't have to pay any money for AT&T's lack of signal. I demanded for the solution or let me out of the contract. The customer service department was super nice, even I was being a jerk to them. They understood my point and frustration, and they offered me $50 credit on my bill and $20 credit back per month for 6 months if I decide to buy this microcell. So a total of $170 within 6 month to compensate for what I have to pay. So looks like, it would solve my problem. I am planning to buy that microcell tonight after work, and tell you more how it goes.
I love your show, and am always waiting for your new episode every week.
 
Peter from LA, CA

===========

Rob:

Here is a post I made to the ongoing discussion you linked to in #138...and my opinion about your question in #137, "Why would you pay for a 3G Microcell?"  First, the post I made on TUAW...

"I am hoping this helps sort out fact from fiction for readers here.  AT&T is giving 100% rebates for the 3G mircocell IF you buy their unlimited minutes microcell plan.  For full details, go to: http://www.wireless.att.com/learn/why/3gmicrocell/faq.jsp?locale=en_US#rebates

Here's the short story on the many rebates now available...

Q. Are there rebates available with the purchase of 3G MicroCell? Where can I find the forms?

A. Certain rebates are available with subscription to additional features or services, including Unlimited MicroCell Calling and new AT&T broadband services. Forms can be printed from the links below. Please be sure to select the correct form based on the date range and the feature or services added:

Purchase Date: 07/25/10-09/18/10

     $100 Mail In Rebate - with subscription to Unlimited MicroCell Calling Feature

Purchase Date: 07/25/10-09/18/10

     $100 + $50 Mail In Rebate - with subscription to Unlimited MicroCell Calling Feature and/or AT&T Broadband"

Now, why buy a microcell?  The thing about microcells that you might not appreciate is this: In-building RF penetration is not the responsibility of the carrier.  Talk to any of them.  I did this since 1985 - selling cell boosters for 800MHz and 900MHz spectrum so corporations could get in-building signal strength.  So if you have poor signal strength in you home - at least the microcell is a solution.

For now, microcells are virtually free and unbundled DSL can help you eliminate wireline phone service ($$$ savings).  Also, the unlimited microcell minutes plan can help you drop to a cheaper cellphone plan since you'll use less minutes overall.  If you use the free "A List" feature you'll also pare minutes.  I've gone from 1400 down to 900 and don't even have a microcell.  Not an AT&T fanboy...just saying...

--PaulG in Lawrenceville

===========

Rob,

You requested some feedback on why it might make sense to own the AT&T MicroCell and there may be a couple of reasons.

I believe that there are (2) ways to own the MicroCell units:

1. Purchase for $150 and use it as your own personal cell tower and any data or minutes going through the device are pulled from your plan minutes as normal.

2. Purchase the device and setup a monthly (approx) $20 Plan that may give a refund on the MicroCell hardware. The benefit on this one is that your talk time while on this device doesn't go against your minutes when in this plan. Data would go against your plan if pulled through the MicroCell, but that would not normally be the case as you have the MicroCell plugged into your router. If you were not wireless on the router then you would have an issue.

Who would benefit from the $20/month plan:

1. People considering getting rid of their home landline and replace with iPhone and use the MicroCell so that they do not have to increase their minutes.

2. People that make most of there calls from the iPhone at home and want to decrease the minutes in their plan.

The other advantage that I see is that there is almost always a poor reception area in a home and this would minimize that situation.

FYI - My iPhone is setup to use one of these MicroCell units at work and it does work well. The building I work in has a steel roof and walls and is terrible for reception. The tower has resolved that problem. 

One issue with MicroCell that we have had is the GPS location requirement to operate. If it doesn't see the GPS location it doesn't work correctly. It will have problems setting up and it will drop the call when you leave the covered area even when you pickup the cell tower outside. If the GPS position is know it will transfer to the tower correctly from what we had explained to us. If you are on a call coming into the building of MicroCell coverage it doesn't not transfer regardless of GPS position. 

It is not easy to get the GPS position in a steel building...it would be nice if we could simply go online and enter the serial # of the unit in our account and the actual address and have it reset to that location. Appears that it is necessary for 911 related activities.

Regards,

Stacey S

=============

Hi Rob –

 

Thanks for all the information on jailbreaking the iPhone 4.

 

As for the Cydia apps, I followed your advice and installed 5 Icon Dock. 

I really missed that extra app on the Dock since upgrading my phone and my wife can use her iPad in the car…  Yeah!

 

One question – why did you recommend Backgrounder?  Was that for people staying with 3.0? 

Or does it add something more for people with 4.x who are running 4.x compliant apps?

 

 

Best regards,

--- Marc

This was created using Doodle Buddy,

Regards,

Hanny

Cario, Egypt